Admissions to International Classes

1. These procedures set out the conditions for admission of students to the International Baccalaureate (IB) English-language Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) at Miina Härma Gümnaasium (MHG).

• Within the IB PYP, the procedure for admission to grades 1–4 is set out.
• Within the IB MYP, the procedure for admission to grades 5–9 is established.
• Within the IB DP Programme, the procedure provides for admission to Pre-IB, 11DP and 12DP classes.

2. The implementation of IB curricula is aimed at families whose children’s learning paths would be left with significant gaps due to their parents having to change their country of residence periodically for work or professional development. IB study places are not intended for children to complete the PYP and MYP programmes consecutively in Estonia. (Ministry of Education and Research, Administrative Agreement 2025–2027). Students are admitted to MHG English-language classes in accordance with the Administrative Agreement (2025–2027) concluded between the Ministry of Education and Research and the City of Tartu and the descriptions of the target group set out therein.

The target group includes:

1. children of foreign citizens whose parent is a member of the staff of a diplomatic mission or consular post of a foreign country located in Estonia;
2. children of foreign citizens whose parent works under a fixed-term employment contract in the field of national defence, at a public higher education institution or at an evaluated research institution in Estonia;
3. Children of foreign citizens whose parent works under a fixed-term employment contract in Estonia at a representative office of an international organization, an international organization or another institution established by an international agreement, which are listed on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
4. Children of Estonian citizens whose parent works in the field of national defense and who have studied at least two years in the same school level or IB programme at an IB school or international school located abroad because one of their parents worked or is working abroad;
5. Children of Estonian citizens whose parent is an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and who have studied for at least two years at an IB school, international school or school in the host country abroad due to the parent’s employment at a foreign mission of the Republic of Estonia;

3. The parent proves membership in the target group with an official confirmation letter from the employer, which he or she submits to the coordinator of the relevant IB programme (PYP, MYP, DP).

4. In all IB English-language classes, the maximum class size is 24 students. The places will be filled with students from the target group, and if there are any vacancies, MHG will organize additional admissions to fill the English-language classes. The conditions for additional admissions by programme are set out in paragraphs 12–28 of this admissions regulation. With additional admissions, the class can be filled to the extent of up to 80% of the maximum limit.

5. To enroll in IB English-language classes, the student candidate (or, in the case of a student candidate with limited legal capacity, his or her legal representative) submits an application for admission to the school. The following documents must be attached to the application:

1. a copy of the student’s identity document from their country of origin (or, in the absence of one, a copy of the birth certificate);
2. a copy of the parent’s identity document from their country of origin;
3. copies of the student’s and parent’s Estonian residence permit cards or, in the absence thereof, a copy of the population register extract showing the Estonian personal identification code;
4. a copy of the student’s health card or vaccination certificate;
5. a copy of the certificate for the previous academic year (or study period) (if applying for grades 2–12);
6. an official confirmation letter from the employer, proving that the parent belongs to the target group or meets the conditions for additional admission;
7. A digital photo with a white background (minimum size 600×800 pixels) for a student ID card.

6. An exception is students who have completed the 10th grade in Estonia and are applying for the 11th grade, who submit only the documents specified in point 25.

7. To apply for IB PYP, MYP and Pre-IB classes, documents must be submitted to the respective programme coordinator by June 1 of the previous academic year. To apply for DP classes, documents must be submitted to the DP coordinator by May 1 of the previous academic year. The school will accept documents from students belonging to the target group throughout the academic year, if necessary.

8. Students in IB English-language classes are placed in classes primarily based on age and then based on their previous educational level. If necessary, an interview or testing will be conducted to determine the child’s subject knowledge and/or English language skills.

9. Students applying for English-language 1st grade must be at least 6 years old (but preferably 7 years old) before the start of the school year on September 1.

10. A student wishing to study in IB PYP classes must have English language skills at a communicative level. A student candidate wishing to study in IB MYP, Pre-IB and DP classes where the language of instruction is English must have a level that allows them to actively participate in the learning process.

11. Students accepted to an IB English-language class will be announced in August and parents will be notified of their acceptance by email. Parents of students in the target group who joined in the middle of the school year will be notified of the admission decision within two weeks of meeting all admission requirements.

Admissions to PYP and MYP classes at Miina Härma Gümnaasium

12. If there are vacancies, children of foreign citizens temporarily staying in Estonia, whose parents work in a field prioritized by the city of Tartu, can apply for PYP and MYP classes.

13. To apply for PYP and MYP classes, an application and the documents listed in section 5 must be submitted to the respective programme coordinator.

14. There are no entrance exams for PYP and MYP classes.

Application form for PYP and MYP

Admissions to the Pre-IB class at Miina Härma Gümnaasium

15. Pre-IB class is the English-language 10th grade of Miina Härma Gümnaasium. The goal of the Pre-IB class is to prepare students for studies in the IB Diploma programme.

16. Candidates must meet at least one of the following criteria to qualify for additional admissions to the Pre-IB class:

1. children of foreign citizens temporarily residing in Estonia whose parents work in a field prioritized by the city of Tartu;
2. children of foreign citizens who have completed the 9th grade at an international school in Estonia and do not have sufficient command of Estonian to continue their education at an Estonian-language high-school level.

17. To apply for the Pre-IB class, an application and the documents listed in point 5 must be submitted to the IB Diploma Coordinator.

18. The admission decision for the Pre-IB class is based on the following results:

1. basic school mathematics final exam or mathematics test taken at MHG;
2. science test (physics, chemistry, biology);
3. interview held in English.

19. Student candidates will be invited to an interview based on the results of the basic school mathematics final exam or the mathematics test; science test taken at MHG and the 9th grade certificate.

20. The interview round will take into account the candidate’s English language level, motivation, academic performance, achievements in subject Olympiads, and social skills.

Application form for Pre-IB

Admissions to the IB Diploma Programme at Miina Härma Gümnaasium

21. The IB Diploma programme at Miina Härma Gümnaasium consists of 11th and 12th grades taught in English.

22. Students who have completed the Pre-IB class at MHG are accepted into the IB Diploma programme.

23. The following are eligible for additional admission to the 11th grade of the Diploma Programme (11DP):

1. Students who have completed 10th grade in Estonia;
2. Children of foreign citizens temporarily residing in Estonia whose parents work in a field prioritized by the city of Tartu

24. Children of citizens of the Republic of Estonia and of foreign countries apply for vacant places in 11DP class on the same basis.

25. To apply for the 11DP class, the following documents must be submitted to the IB Diploma coordinator:

1. application for admission to the 11DP class;
2. letters of recommendation from three teachers from different subject areas (science, humanities/social sciences, mathematics) at the previous school, which would reflect the student’s skills and character traits;
3. Pre-IB or 10th grade report card;
4. The documents listed in point 5 if the applicant is a foreign citizen.

26. All applicants for the 11DP class will undergo an English-language interview, which will take into account the candidate’s English language level, motivation, academic performance, achievements in subject Olympiads, social skills, and the reasoning of studying in the Diploma programme.

27. When accepting students applying for the 11DP class, a ranking is formed based on teacher recommendations, the average grade in the 10th grade, and the interview.

Application form for DP

Important to know

* Children applying for Grade 1 need to be at least 6 (but preferably 7) years old before the beginning of the school year.
* The parent applying for the study place needs to fit under the admission criteria and be able to prove it with the official confirmation letter.Virtual tour of Miina Härma Gümnaasium (narrated in Estonian)

For more information about the admissions procedure and regulations, please get in touch with the respective programme coordinator:

IB Coordinator’s office phone number: +372 526 5344 (out of the office until 19th August, contact via email)

Primary Years Programme (grades 1-4)
For information regarding admissions to PYP and submitting the documentation, we kindly ask you to contact Madis Kahro, the MYP Coordinator.

Middle Years Programme (grades 5-9)
Madis Kahro
madis.kahro@mhg.tartu.ee

Diploma Programme and Pre-IB class (grades 10-12)
Ilmar Tammisto
ilmar.tammisto@mhg.tartu.ee