Apply to become a student representative in the supplementary call for applications 2026

This is your chance to influence matters! The Student Union of the University of Helsinki is looking for student representatives for diverse duties. Check out all the open positions in the University’s administrative bodies below!

Degree Programme Steering Groups

Each degree programme at the University of Helsinki has a steering group that supports the director of the degree programme and processes the central issues related to the degree programme’s operation. The steering group of a degree programme prepares the degree programme’s curriculum. The curriculum is made for three years at a time and determines the following issues:

• What courses are included in the degrees
• What kind of methods to complete courses are offered
• What kind of attendance requirements courses have
• What kind of learning objectives courses have

The steering group of a degree programme decides on the annual teaching schedule of the degree programme. The teaching schedule is a kind of implementation plan for the curriculum. It determines the following issues related to courses:

• Timing
• Schedule
• Teaching locations

In other words, the teaching schedule includes all the extremely important details students need to know about courses for the entire academic year. As a member of a steering group, you will thus get to influence all the things that are realised in the teaching provided in your degree programme. This is a real chance to influence matters on a practical level! By attending the meetings, you also may receive a meeting fee of 35e per meeting. Serving as a student representative will also provide you with valuable experience that is relevant in working life as well as help you form important networks.

All steering groups of degree programmes have two actual and two vice student members. The steering groups also have a maximum of six teachers from the degree programme, with no vice members. Steering groups are chaired by the director of the degree programme. We are now looking for student representatives for the term 1 January 2025–31 December 2026. Depending on the language of the degree programme, the working language of the steering groups of degree programmes is either Finnish, English or Swedish. However, it is also possible to agree on the language used in the meetings separately.

University Collegium

As a member of the University Collegium, you will get to influence the future direction of the entire University, make students’ voice heard and create useful networks at the same time. You can get credits for serving on the University Collegium, and a meeting fee is also paid for the meetings. Student representatives are selected to the University Collegium from each faculty at the University as well as the Swedish School of Social Science.

Members of the University Collegium include professors, other University staff and students from all faculties at the University.  The duties of the University Collegium include the following:

• Appointing members from outside the University community to the University Board
• Confirming the members representing the University community to the University Board
• Appointing the Chancellor of the University and the university auditors
• Confirming the University’s financial statements and annual report
• Meeting at least twice a year to discuss matters concerning the University

As a member on the University Collegium, you will get to ensure that student perspectives are taken into account when plotting the University’s future direction. According to the Universities Act, the administrative language of the University of Helsinki is Finnish, and the University Collegium consequently works mainly in Finnish. However, it is possible to use other languages in its meetings by agreement. We are looking for a vice member from Svenska social- och kommunalhögskolan.

Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på centrumcampus

The cooperation group for bilingual affairs on the City Centre campus, or Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på centrumcampus, develops and coordinates Swedish-language and bilingual activities and teaching on the campus. The group may deal with matters including students’ opportunities of taking exams bilingually and receiving cross-disciplinary teaching in Swedish. You can apply for the administrative body if you study in the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Social Science or Swedish School of Social Science. We are looking for two actual and two vice members for the term 1 April 2026–31 March 2027. The working group’s working language is Swedish.

Tvex-samarbetsgruppen

The cooperation group for bilingual degrees, or Tvex-samarbetsgruppen, has representation from parties involved with bilingual degrees on the Viikki, Kumpula and City Centre campuses. The group’s duties include supporting cooperation over faculty boundaries and sharing good practices. You can apply for the position if you study or have studied for a bilingual degree on the Kumpula campus. We are now looking for one actual member from the central and Viikki campus’ for the term 1 January 2025–31 December 2026. The cooperation group’s working language is Swedish.

Faculty councils

Faculty councils are multi-member administrative bodies of the faculties. They are chaired by deans. The duties of faculty councils include developing teaching and research at the faculty, controlling quality management, deciding on issues such as degree requirements, curricula and student selection criteria and processing any far-reaching plans and other important matters of principle at the faculty.

As a member of a faculty council, you will get to influence the future direction of your faculty and discipline, make students’ voice heard and create useful networks at the same time. Vice members may usually also attend the meetings and speak in them. The faculty councils of the following faculties currently have open positions:

• Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences: 2 vice members
• Faculty of veterinary medicine: 1 vice member
• Faculty of Law: 2 vice members
• Faculty of Theology: 1 vice member

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES?

You must be registered for attendance at the University of Helsinki. No special skills are required – having the desire to learn and the motivation to serve as a student representative is of primary importance. Thoroughly reading the meeting material before the meeting, asking for the opinions of – depending on the situation – either your fellow students or subject organisation on the issues on the meeting agenda and speaking up at the meeting itself are quite enough to be successful in the position. Check out the possible special criteria for each administrative body from its application form in the Halloped application system.

HOW DO I APPLY TO BECOME A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE?

Applications should be submitted in the Halloped application system (beta.halloped.fi/en) by 11.59 pm on 9 February 2026. In your application, please indicate the following:

• Your current degree programme and study orientation
• Check out whether the position you are applying for has any special criteria or qualities that may be considered useful and should be included in the application from the Halloped application system.

The Student Union also considers the following as advantages, and we recommend including any related information in your application:

• Motivation towards serving in the position and readiness to commit to the duties
• Connections to the students of the degree programme
• Previous experience of acting as a student representative, as a person in charge of academic affairs or in some other position related to student advocacy work

The Student Union hopes to see applications from representatives of different genders and people in different stages of their studies from diverse backgrounds. We assume that you are available for the positions of both actual member and vice member. The Student Union strives to consider different disciplines’ representation when making the selections.

Further information on acting in the steering groups of degree programmes and on the call for applications, please contact:

Specialist in educational policy

Riku-Petteri Kyllönen

riku-petteri.kyllonen@hyy.fi

050 325 5202