Student City

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, baptize new engineering students in Lake Jyväsjärvi and race in the Amazing Race city adventure. On May Day, students in overalls will have a picnic on the Harju.

This year, Jyväskylä's May Day will kick off with a bang, when a student-created Vappukuulutus! echoes from the Harju Tower to signal the start of the spring festival week. The song, composed by students and played by Puhkupillit, will be heard from Harju on Wednesday 24 April at 20.00. In addition to the students, Jyväskylä's May Day celebrations offer a wide range of activities for families with children and anyone else interested in the spring festivities.

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?

University of Jyväskylä's and Jamk University of Applied Sciences' English-language Master's and degree programmes attracted applicants again.

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.

Leiriane Rios, a second-year master’s student at JYU, decided to write a blog post to motivate students in finding a job in Jyväskylä. For that purpose, she interviewed Saeedeh Kholghi, who was working as an intern in the City of Jyväskylä at the time of the interview. Currently, Saeedeh works as a Communication Assistant at the same organisation.

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.

It is well known that it is difficult to live on student grants alone. It can be useful to gain work experience during your studies, as it is difficult to find a job in Finland with an empty CV. We asked an expert and a recent graduate for tips on finding a job. 

Do you want to sweat on outdoor gym for free or are you more up to beach volley with few euros per hour? Nice, you are in the right place!

Summer experience in Jyväskylä won’t leave anyone cold! Whether you are up to easy going evenings enjoying sun sets or fast paced summer day, there are plenty of activities for you.