Higher Preparatory Examination (HF)

The Higher Preparatory Examination (in Danish: Højere Forberedelseseksamen or HF) is a 2-year general upper secondary programme building on to the 10th form of the Folkeskole and leading to the higher preparatory examination (the HF-examination), which qualifies for admission to higher education, subject to the special entrance regulations applying to the individual higher education programmes.

There are approximately 75 institutions offering full-time programmes leading to the HF-examination. Most of them are attached to Gymnasiums (61) and mainly offer full-time 2-year programmes, some are attached to colleges of education, and about 75 adult education centres. The smallest HF-establishment has 40 students, the biggest 415 students (2001).

In order to be admitted to an HF-programme in one or more subjects, the student must have finished the basic school at least one year before admission. Students wishing to be admitted directly from the basic school must have completed the 10th year of the basic school. There are exceptions, an interview is held before admission where the interviewer, who is a representative from the school in question, can determine whether the student is eligible for admission, even if the student didn't attend the 10th grade. To get admission to HF without finishing the 10th grade, you have to have gone to another school higher than the 9th grade as STX, HTX or HHX but without finishing them. This allows people who have the necessary abilities to finish HHX to get admission without having gone to 10th grade.

All pupils, who have received the relevant teaching and passed the prescribed examinations, can continue in an upper secondary programme more or less of their own choice.

Access is however not totally free to the general upper secondary programmes. If a school finds that the pupil and his or her parents do not take the guidance provided seriously, and that there is a risk that the pupil cannot meet the requirements of the general upper secondary programmes, the pupil may be recommended to sit for an admission test to one of the general upper secondary programmes.

The HF-programme is a 2-year programme based on the 10th form of the Folkeskole. The teaching is divided into a 1st and a 2nd year.

The students have different teachers in the different subjects, and it is normal that these teachers stay with the class for the entire 2-year programme.

The programme leading to the HF-examination is intended to be a course of general education preparing adults and young people for further studies. The teaching contributes to the participants’ personal development, and to developing their interest in and ability to participate actively in a democratic society. The HF-examination qualifies the candidate for admission to higher education, subject to the restrictions appearing from the regulations laid down to this effect.

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Wikipedia