Hi new Aalto student, and welcome to study!

In Finland, every university student is automatically part of a student union. As an Aalto student, your student union is the Aalto University Student Union, or AYY! You will certainly become very familiar with us over the years, but to get started, here are briefly some of the most important points of information that will help you get the most out of your student union and the services and opportunities it offers.

What exactly is a student union? To quote the Universities Act:

“-- The student union liaises with and on behalf of its members and promotes their societal, social and intellectual aspirations and those relating to studies and the status of students in society. --” (Universities Act, Section 46 Student union)

AYY represents all 14,000 Aalto students. All major decisions of the student union are made through the democratically elected 45-member Representative Council, which is a bit like the parliament of AYY. In addition, the Representative Council appoints a ten-member Board with a term of one calendar year for the student union.

In addition to the Representative Council and the Board, over 40 AYY employees and about 150 volunteers are involved in creating the best student’s life in the world. There are more than 200 associations operating within Aalto to bring students together for hobbies, games, sports and getting excited. Here you can check out a list of all our associations, you will surely find something interesting and unexpected!

AYY provides its members with a wide range of services, the most important of which is probably student housing. 3,500 people have already made our apartments their home, and so that every student at Aalto could enjoy this advantage, we are constantly building more of them. Other services we offer include the rental of facilities and a van, as well as guidance on the tough questions of student life: see all the services for members here!

One of the most important tasks of the student union is also advocacy. We make the voice of Aalto students heard by the decision-makers of the university, the city and the whole of Finland, thus promoting the best student’s life in the world. If you are interested in the advocacy work done by the student union, you can read more about it here! 

As you can already see, the life of an Aalto student is full of possibilities. So it is a good idea to open your eyes and heart to everything that is happening around you, and simply make the most of your years as a student! Hopefully this blog helped you understand a little better what is going on within the circle of your student union. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us!

• There are more than 200 associations operating within AYY
• AYY organises more than 100 events for students every year
• AYY has over 150 volunteers

In 2017, the events attracted over 20,000 participants in total

The volunteers work in, for example, event production, the student union’s finances and business relations, campus development, the Polytechnical Students’ Museum, educational policy…

The application process for next year’s positions will start in late autumn.