In Finland, register data on education is widely collected. The KOSKI database, maintained by the Finnish National Agency of Education, contains information on learners' study rights, study attainments and degrees completed at different levels of education. The organizers of education have an obligation to store information on teaching in the database that includes, e.g., final grades for basic education, grades for matriculation examinations and grade information for upper secondary school leaving certificates. In addition, application and selection information for vocational education, upper secondary education and higher education is available. Learners have their own ID, through which the information can be combined. Statistics Finland also collects educational statistics. In addition, it collects a wide range of demographic data that can be combined with education registers. Statistics Finland also publishes its data several times a year and some of its statistics are publicly available. The KOSKI database provides a study and degree information transfer service, integrating data from the National Data Bank for Education and Training, the Matriculation Examination Register, the National Data Bank for Higher Education (Virta), and the National Student Selection Register. The Finnish National Agency for Education maintains KOSKI, its transfer service, and handles the data transfers. Most of the data is available since the 1990’s and onwards. The data released by Statistics Finland can be entered into Findata’s remote access system. If other data are searched from Statistics Finland, the data must be entered into Statistics Finland's remote access system. Statistics of Finland offer FIONA remote access system, that is a data secure environment for processing research data for unit-level data needed in research, such as Statistics Finland's micro data. The use of FIONA is usually agreed upon in connection with a user license application. In recent years, the researchers have started to use register data to gain more information, for example, on the relationship between pupils’ socio-economic background or home language and their academic success, educational choices and progression in further education (e.g., Helin et al. 2023; Helin et al 2024). Researchers have also studied the effect of special education and changes in special education system using national register data (e.g., Kirjavainen et al., 2016; Pulkkinen et al., 2020). In addition, register data on pupils’ grades from the basic education certificate were combined with PISA 2018 data to study correspondence between PISA performance and school achievement (Pulkkinen & Rautopuro, 2021; Pulkkinen & Rautopuro, 2022).

Helin, J., Jokinen, J., Koerselman, K., Nokkala, T., & Räikkönen, E. (2023). It runs in the family. Using sibling similarities to uncover the hidden influence of family background in doctoral education and academic careers. Higher Education, 86, 1–20. Helin, J., Koerselman, K., Nokkala, T., & Räikkönen, E. (2024). The socioeconomic background of PhDs across Europe. Työpaperi (vertaisarvioinnissa). Kirjavainen, T., Pulkkinen, J., & Jahnukainen, M. (2016). Special education students in transition to further education: A four-year register-based follow-up study in Finland. Learning and Individual Differences, 45, 33-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2015.12.001 Pulkkinen, J., Räikkönen, E., Jahnukainen, M., & Pirttimaa, R. (2020). How do educational reforms change the share of students in special education? Trends in special education in Finland. European Educational Research Journal, 19(4), 364-384. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904119892734 Pulkkinen, J., & Rautopuro, J. (2021). Samalla osaamisella sama arvosana? : PISA-arvioinnin lukutaidon sekä suomen kielen ja kirjallisuuden arvosanan vastaavuus. In K. Leino, J. Rautopuro, & P. Kulju (Eds.), Lukutaito – tie tulevaisuuteen : PISA 2018 Suomen pääraportti (pp. 113-132). Suomen kasvatustieteellinen seura. Kasvatusalan tutkimuksia, 82. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-7411-16-2 Pulkkinen, J., & Rautopuro, J. (2022). The correspondence between PISA performance and school achievement in Finland. International Journal of Educational Research, 114, 102000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102000