Student City

Autumn is the golden season for student events. New this year is the Episode Student Festival, which brings a variety of experiences, top artists and a great opportunity to meet students from other disciplines to Lutakko Square.

Want to try a new hobby that doesn't require an immediate, long-term commitment? Check out these 10 tips on what you can do in Jyväskylä for cheap or even free!

The academic year is starting and students are arriving in Jyväskylä. This year, Jyväskylä is welcoming students even more visibly than before. As usual, the city's services will be presented at new student events at the University of Jyväskylä on Wednesday 28 August, and at Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences on Thursday 29 August.

For many, a summer without festivals is no summer at all. What kind of music events and festivals take place in Jyväskylä in the summer? Take a look at Jyväskylä's festival offerings here, where you'll find options to suit all tastes.

Congratulations to you, who will start your studies in Jyväskylä this autumn! We wish you the best of times and memorable experiences in your new study city. Do you already know what kind of student city Jyväskylä is?

Yläkaupungin Yö is a legendary city festival that has delighted the people of Jyväskylä for three decades. This year, the festival will take place from 17-19 May, with over 200 events taking place all over the Upper Town.

Photo: producers Camilla Boman and Helka Soini instruct the JyväSpeksi's performers moments before the start of the dress rehearsal.

For many university students, Finnish vappu (May Day) marks the end of the semester and the beginning of summer. During the vappu, students gather to wear their graduation cap on a statue of Uno Cygnaeus. After the ceremony, the students will move on to the Mattilanniemi beach to watch the traditional watering ceremony “Teekkari Dipping” organised by the Teekkari students' association Algo. On May Day, students in overalls will have a picnic on the Harju.

Every year, thousands of students choose Jyväskylä as their city to study in. There are many reasons: one is motivated by the range of courses on offer, another by the leisure opportunities and a third by the ease of everyday life. But how would university students describe Jyväskylä to someone who is still deciding between different cities to study in?

Jyväskylä is particularly known as a university and student city. The city has established itself as a popular choice for students. The results are based on a national survey published in the spring, Student Cities 2023 - Image and willingness to recommend, and a local student survey commissioned by the City of Jyväskylä.

I have been drawn to the nature in Jyväskylä as a student so much that my love for history and heritage studies was diminishing. The prepossessing summers in Jyväskylä bring with them a lot of activities: nature walking, photography, biking, traveling, studying, swimming, and attending concerts among others. The nature in Jyväskylä, at least to visitors and international students, could be overpowering that it is easy not to learn of how the city - its past, continuing and changing features of life – has come to be defined. 

Kangas area is next to Jyväskylä city center. Transformed from paper production industry, the last paper mill was closed in 2010 and the City of Jyväskylä has owned the property since then. The regeneration brings new life to the area.

They say that first impressions are important. There are all kinds of first impressions of Jyväskylä, some might be more rosy than others. What they all have in common, however, is that this is a good city for students.