News

AYY’s associations have the right to book the student union´s rental saunas, event venues and meeting rooms in advance. On these booking rounds, bookings are made for the period of 5 Jan 2026 - 2 Aug 2026.

Today is the Day for Free Education. Each year it is important for us to remember that this system should not be taken for granted. We should understand its significance and why it should be preserved. In this blog, AYY’s board member Marcell Berta shares his thoughts on the topic.

Aalto University is sending four researchers to conference, organized in Belém, Brazil, to strengthen the scientific foundation for the negotiations. Before departing for Belém, the researchers would like to hear what kind of messages our students would like to bring to the conference. Board member Jenni Toivonen shares her thoughts.

On Saturday, October 11, we celebrate International Coming Out Day, and in honor of the occasion, GAYY’s guest blog explores the history of LGBTQ+ student organizations in Otaniemi. Aalto University’s rainbow student association, GAYY, is familiar to many current students—but not everyone knows that it wasn’t the first rainbow association in Otaniemi. We had some glimpses of this history, but it is not very well known, even among GAYY board members. There have certainly been gay people in Otaniemi from the start, yet the first of the three rainbow associations was founded in 1996. Welcome to a journey through the history of Otaniemi’s rainbow associations!

Aalto University Student Union’s (AYY) Representative Council election has drawn more interest than in previous years. In the autumn election, 326 students are running for the Representative Council, which is the third-largest number of candidates in AYY’s history. The number of electoral alliances has also increased.

At the end of September, a negotiation result on the City of Espoo’s strategy, the Espoo Story, was reached. Aalto University Student Union (AYY) influenced the preparation of the strategy by meeting with council parties. We are pleased that Otaniemi and students’ goals have been taken into account in the strategy.

The Ministry of the Environment requested statements on the proposed amendments to interest subsidies for student housing. According to the amendment, the maximum interest-subsidy loan for student housing would increase from 95% to 100%.

Aalto University Student Union (AYY) proposes Marcell Berta for the Board of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL). The Board will be elected at the general assembly in Espoo on 14–15 November 2025.

In June, the Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) requested statements on the so-called provision of a single study right. According to this provision, a student who accepts a new higher education study place would lose their previous study rights and would not be able to pursue two degrees simultaneously. Aalto University Student Union (AYY) opposes this proposal.

You can pick up a year tag for your student card at the pop-up desk at AYY’s service office

Thunderstorms and the government’s budget sessions—two sure signs that summer is ending. Led by Riikka Purra (Finns), the Ministry of Finance released its first draft budget to mark early August—and it’s not looking good. AYY’s Advocacy Specialist Teemu Palkki wrote a blog post on the topic.

Would you like to influence student sports and sports policy at the national level? Apply as AYY’s representative for the General Assembly of the Finnish Student Sports Federation (OLL) in Jyväskylä from Wed 5 Nov to Thu 6 Nov 2025. Or Apply for the OLL Board as AYY’s candidate.