Student life

Student life is an important part of your experience at the University of Helsinki. The Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) provides its members with a fun student life.

The student organisation culture in Helsinki and Finland is exceptionally rich and diverse. Approximately 250 various student organisations operate within HYY (subject and faculty organisations, student nations, recreational organisations, societal organisations, etc.), and they organise thousands of events every year. Join the fun and get to know other international students as well as Finnish students!

Department and faculty organisations represent students of different study subjects and bring them together in several events. Mostly the membership for these organisations is free. The language of these associations is mainly Finnish or Swedish. However, all organisations welcome international students as new members.

There are fifteen student nations (osakunta) affiliated with the University. Four of them are Swedish-speaking organisations. Originally, the student nations were founded by students coming from the same part of Finland, and they are among the oldest organisations in Finland. Today, all nations are open to any student interested in their activities and clubs. Although most activities take place in Finnish or Swedish, the nations are eager to take international students as members. Students join the nation of their choice by paying a membership fee.

In addition to department and faculty organisations and student nations, there are international organisations, sports clubs, game clubs, interest clubs, choirs, orchestras, theatre and circus groups, and political and religious organisations operating under the umbrella of the student union.

You can find more information on student organisations on the Student Union website.

International organisations

Below are links to some of the international organisations that operate within the Student Union and in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. You should definitely check these out!

TSEMPPI is an organization for internationally-minded students and researchers at the University of Helsinki. Visit their website at www.tsemppi.com and find them on Facebook!

ESN (Erasmus Student Network) is an organisation where active Finns and international students work on a voluntary basis to make life easier for incoming international students. Visit their website at blogs.helsinki.fi/esn-hyy and find them on Facebook!

CSSA-UH - Chinese Students and Scholars Association at University of Helsinki, an association open for all Chinese students and scholars in Helsinki. See their website at bbs.cssa-uh.org/.