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Student Union membership fees

ISYY, the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (opens in a new tab), looks after the students’ rights and interests. ISYY operates on both the Joensuu and Kuopio campus.

On this page you can find information on the following subjects:

Bachelor’s and master’s degree students’ fees

Under the student union act, all bachelor’s and master’s degree students are required to join the Student Union and must therefore pay the student union membership fee annually as they register as present.

A student who simultaneously has a valid bachelor’s and/or a master’s degree study right as well as a doctoral or licentiate study right is required to be a member of the Student Union. Student Union members must pay the Student Union membership fee as they register as present.

If a student has more than one study right of the same level (bachelor’s or master’s), they pay the Student Union membership fee only once, even if they register as present to more than one study right.

As members of the Student Union, bachelor’s and master’s degree students can get a student card (opens in a new tab) and are entitled to various membership benefits (opens in a new tab) such as discounts on long distance train tickets and bus fares as well as in student cafeterias on campus.

NOTE! If you are a first-year bachelor’s or master’s degree student, you are obliged to register as present and to pay the Student Union membership fee for the whole academic year. A first-year student may only register as being absent if they have a statutory reason for registering as being absent. You can find more information on registering as absent in the first year in Kamu.

Bachelor’s and master’s degree students’ membership fee amount in the 2024–2025 academic year:

Full academic year (from 1st of August to 31st of July): 73 €
Autumn semester only (from 1st of August to 31st of December): 38 €
Spring semester only (from 1st of January to 31st of July): 39 €

Student healthcare services and healthcare fee for students in higher education

All bachelor’s and master’s degree students who are registered as being present in a Finnish institute of higher learning are entitled to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) (opens in a new tab) and must pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education (opens in a new tab) to Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland) by the due date.

You will not be exempted from paying the fee even if you, e.g., do not use the services of the FSHS, do not receive student financial aid or are studying abroad. You must pay the fee even if you are studying remotely and are not based in Finland.

However, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee if you have social security coverage from another EU/EEA country, from Switzerland, or from Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In this case, you must still contact Kela. Despite not paying the fee, you can use the FSHS’s services.

Visit the Kela website for information on how to proceed if you have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country or in Great Britain and Northern Ireland (opens in a new tab).

Kela will not send you a bill for the student healthcare fee. You must pay the fee on your own initiative in the Kela e-service for each academic term. Find out how to pay the student healthcare fee (opens in a new tab) on the Kela website.

The due date for paying the student healthcare fee is determined based on the date on which you register as present, i.e., attending.

On the Kela website you can find information on the healthcare fee and the due dates as well as the payment instructions (opens in a new tab).

Exchange students’ membership fee amount in the 2024–2025 academic year:

Exchange students studying at UEF are welcome to join the Student Union, but are not obliged to do so. To become a member, you must pay the Student Union membership fee:

73 € for the full academic year
38 € for the autumn semester only
39 € for the spring semester only

NOTE! International exchange students are not entitled to student healthcare services.

Doctoral students’ membership fee amount in the 2024–2025 academic year:

For doctoral students and licentiate students who register as present the Student Union membership is voluntary. The voluntary membership fee is

56 € for the full academic year
29,50 € for the autumn semester only
30,50 € for the spring semester only

The fee can be paid upon annual registration during the registration period in Oili or later on by contacting the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page).

Licentiate and doctoral students are not entitled to subsidized meals, travel discounts or Student Health Services. The membership entitles you to use the services of the student union and to join events organized by the Student Union. You can also get student discounts in, e.g., various shops, theatres, hotels and restaurants. Contact the Student Union for information on student benefits for postgraduate students (opens in a new tab).

NOTE! Starting on 1 January 2024 postgraduate students are eligible for student discount from VR. In order to get the discount you must have a valid student card with VR logo in it. Frank and Tuudo have already updated the VR logo to their digital student cards for postgraduate students.

You can use the postgraduate student’s student card once you have paid the student union membership fee.

Non-degree students who can join the Student Union

As a rule, students completing non-degree studies (e.g. training for a specialization in medicine, flexible study right) cannot join the Student Union. However, the Student Union may choose to accept non-degree students as its members with an official decision. The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland has decided to allow the following student groups as its members, and students in these groups may join the student union if they so choose:

The following students are not entitled to use the services of the FSHS, but are entitled to the Kela meal subsidy and student discounts in trains and long distance buses (Matkahuolto). The fee for them is 73 € for the whole academic year or 38 € for the autumn semester or 39 € for the spring semester.These students are completing studies full-time and are enrolled in one of the following programmes:
- certificate program for special education teachers
- certificate program for kindergarten special education teachers
- certificate program for kindergarten teachers (the 75 credits program)
- qualification studies for career counsellors
- students who have a separate study right in the multidisciplinary study program in basic education.
Students who have activated their alumni study right after graduation. These students are not entitled to the Kela meal subsidy or student discounts in trains and long distance buses (Matkahuolto), nor are they entitled to use the services of the FSHS. The fee for them is 56 € for the whole academic year or 29,50 € for autumn semester or 30,50 € for the spring semester.

Because students in these student groups are not entitled to use the services of the FSHS, they do not pay the healthcare fee for students in higher education to Kela.

If you wish to join the Student Union, please contact the Student and Learning Services’ customer service (contact information at the bottom of the page) for payment instructions.

Voluntary fees

Sykettä sports services (opens in a new tab) are at your disposal after paying the sports fee at the ISYY office or on the SYKETTÄ webpage.

If you would like to support the development activities of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) (opens in a new tab), you can do this by transferring a sum of your choice to SYL’s fundraising account.

Bachelor’s or master’s degree study right in another university in Finland

If you have another bachelor’s or master’s degree study right in another Finnish institution of higher learning for which you have registered as being present and have paid the Student Union membership fee to, you still must register normally to the University of Eastern Finland. If you register as being present at UEF as well, you must pay the ISYY membership fee.

Student and Learning Services’ customer service contact information:

If you have questions regarding the Student Union membership fees, please contact the Student and Learning Services’ customer service.