Membership

TYYn teltta avajaiskarnevaaleilla

Joining the Student Union

► Exchange students: Membership of the Student Union is voluntary but highly recommended. The membership fee is 55 euros for the whole academic year or 27,50 for one semester. You will get an invoice from the International Office after university registration. The membership comes with many great benefits, which are listed below.

► Degree students (including double-degree students): Paying the membership fee is mandatory for every student pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree at the University of Turku. When registering with the university, you will simultaneously join the Student Union.

► Post-graduate students: Paying the membership fee is voluntary. The membership fee for post-graduate students is 37 euros, and you get many of the same benefits as degree students. You can pay for the membership fee when registering with the university, or at later time simply by contacting Student Centre Disco for payment details. 

Benefits

As a member of the Student Union, you will get several useful discounts:

TYY also offers its members:

Additionally, the Student Union hosts many events and publishes the Turku Student Magazine, which TYY members can have delivered to their home.

Getting started:

  • Please see the University's website for your First Days in Turku
  • If you have any questions concerning the Student Union, please contact tyy-internationalspecialist@utu.fi We are here for you! Please note that we are usually on holiday in July, but we will get back to you as soon as we can.
  • After paying the membership fee and arriving in Finland you can order a plastic student card at the Frank website and/or use a digital student card  (more info below). In case you order a plastic student card, make sure you make the notification of change of address to the post office when you are in Finland. You must also also collect a (bi)annual validation sticker from the Student Union Service Point.
  • Please note that we do not send you a confirmation e-mail after receiving your payment. If you have used the correct account number your payment will eventually arrive on our bank account. However, it is always a good idea to have the receipt for your student union membership fee with you until your student card has arrived.
  • You will get the University's user account from IT Services and e-mail after registration. If you are unable to arrive in Finland before the orientation, you will be instructed on how to get the IT account remotely. 
  • We recommend you to join our mailing list for international students as soon as possible. Through the list, the Student Union keeps you up to date on current issues that concern students, informs you about the goings-on in the Student Union and in Finland in general. We also distribute information about, for example, the starting package, job offers or internships, Centre for Language and Communication studies and sports opportunities. Since most other mailing lists operate in Finnish, this is the best list to get information that is relevant to students in English. To join the list, click here.
  • Also, the ESN Uni Turku (Erasmus Student Network) mailing list is a great way to stay up to date on free-time activities, parties, trips etc. Join the ESN Uni Turku mailing list here
  • Remember to like our Facebook pages TYY and TYY International Wing

Enjoy your stay and Welcome to Turku!

Upon your arrival, TYY will provide you with some material that you will hopefully find useful during your stay here in Turku.

Once you have graduated or discontinued your studies, you cannot use your plastic nor digital student card anymore.

Digital student card

TYY members can also use a digital student card from Frank or Tuudo. Members can also use several options at the same time. The digital student card is activated in a mobile app.

More information on Frank.

More information on Tuudo.

Student Union membership for post-graduate students

Student Union membership is voluntary for post-graduate students. If you wish to join, you can pay the membership fee in the Oili registration service while registering for the academic year or by contacting disco@utu.fi. After you have paid the fee (37 euros/year), you can order a plastic student card from the Frank website or use a digital post-graduate student card from Frank and/or Tuudo.

The benefits for post-graduate students include

  • Since January 1, 2024, postgraduate students will also be able to purchase VR's student-priced train tickets.
  • Dining: Some of Unica's restaurants offer post-graduate students lunch at a discounted price www.unica.fi.
  • TYY's counselling services: As members of TYY, post-graduate students can ask for counselling from TYY's lawyer or specialists.
  • TYY's rental premises and items:  As TYY members, post-graduate students can reserve the Turku-sali meeting room free of charge and get discounts for renting the TYY Sauna and Q-House (Q-talo). They may also borrow useful items such as a button machine, a laminating machine, tableware and a bike repair kit.
  • Turku Student Magazine:  You can pick up the Turku Student Magazine from several magazine racks around the campus area, but as a member you can also have the magazine delivered to your home at a student price.
  • Exercise: Staff price at CampusSport for post-graduate students and grant researchers
  • Housing: Eligibility for apartments at TYS

In addition, some private companies (such as pharmacies, swimming pools and restaurants) offer post-graduate students the same benefits as undergraduates. You can see a summary of the benefits in Frank's online service, for example.

Organisations for doctoral researchers at the University of Turku:

More information on the membership fee

The TYY membership fee for the academic year 2024-2025 is 55 euros for degree students and 37 euros for post-graduate students. The membership fee no longer includes the FSHS healthcare fee. As of 2021, the healthcare fee is now paid to Kela. Read more here.

Your membership fee is used to improve study arrangements, make the university community more equal, defend students' financial aid, bring students from all fields together in traditional student events, and support the important work of student organisations. Did you know that TYY is also one of the owners of student restaurant company Unica?

In its new strategy, TYY focuses on its core activities: influencing and advocacy, promoting community spirit, service provision, and co-operation with interested parties. By focusing on these activities, TYY can make sure that student life is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for its members. TYY's vision is to be the most responsible student union in Finland at the most appealing university in Finland.

Refunding your membership fee

You can request TYY to refund your membership fee for a few different reasons. Click here to read more and fill in your application.

 

On a train ride, and suddenly the digital card doesn’t work due to poor internet connection?

The card found in the digital app also works in offline mode, meaning it works even if there's no internet connection. However, sometimes there’s a situation where the phone uses the train's Wi-Fi, but it's intermittent, and loading the ticket takes a very long time. In such cases, it works better to temporarily put the phone in airplane mode, so the app recognises that there is no connection and switches automatically to the offline mode.