Student card
For what do I need a student card?
A student card entitles you to numerous national and local student benefits. It is also a convenient way to verify your student status when visiting student restaurants or UniSport, for example.
If you begin your studies in the autumn, the digital student card will become active on 1 Aug. From 1 Aug onwards, you can pick up a year tag for the plastic card during opening hours to validate the card.
You can order the plastic student card from Frank. The digital student card can be ordered from Frank or Kide.app.
What is the difference between plastic and digital cards?
Both plastic and digital cards are equally valid proof of your student status. You can choose either one or order both.
Plastic card:
- Costs a fee
- Longer delivery time
- The year tag must be renewed each academic year
- Functions until the end of the validity of the year tag (end of September or January), even if you graduate in the middle of the spring/autumn term
- Always functional, even if your mobile phone does not work
- More easily accepted in countries where the digital card is not commonly used
Digital card:
- Free of charge
- Occasional dysfunctions possible in the app
- If your name or study field at Aalto changes, your information will be automatically updated after you inform Aalto student services about the changes
- The digital student card will cease to function approximately one month after your graduation
Plastic student card
You can order the plastic student card here. Frank delivers the plastic student card by mail. The price of the card is €25, including postage.
Once you have received the plastic student card, you can pick up the year tag for your student card that shows the card’s validity. You can pick up the year tag for free from AYY services office during opening hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 12 noon – 3 pm (check for exceptional opening hours here).
For the academic year 2024-2025, year tags are available from AYY services office from 1 Aug 2024 onwards during opening hours. The year tag indicates 9/2025, which means your card is valid until September 2025.
If you have enrolled for attendance only for the autumn term, you will receive a year tag for your plastic student card that is valid until January 2025.
When do you get a year tag and for which card?
It takes 1–5 days for your membership to be updated in our system. Therefore, please wait a couple of days after paying the membership fee before coming to pick up the year tag. We cannot give you the year tag if your student status is not yet visible in our system.
You can only collect the year tag from the student union that issued your student card. AYY’s Services Office therefore only gives the year tag for Aalto University student card to AYY members who have paid the membership fee. Student cards issued by the former Student Union of the Helsinki School of Economics (KY), Student Union of the University of Art and Design (TOKYO) and Student Union of the Helsinki University of Technology (TKY) are also regarded as Aalto student cards.
If, for example, you have study rights at both the University of Helsinki and Aalto, and your plastic student card refers to the University of Helsinki, you must pick up the year tag from HYY. If you are enrolled for attendance at Aalto, you must get a new plastic student card to receive a year tag from AYY or start using a digital student card.
Collecting a year tag from AYY for student cards from other higher education institutions or for Aalto student card from other student unions
If you reside in a different municipality that the higher education institution where you are enrolled, you can collect the year tag from most local student unions. A collection fee may be charged for collecting the year tag. Please contact your own student union’s member services for further information.
Year tag by mail
You can also receive a year tag for your Aalto student card by mailing the card to the address AYY Jäsenpalvelut, Otakaari 25, 02150 Espoo. Please include a return envelope with a stamp and your address along with your card. AYY is not responsible for items lost in the mail.
Collecting a year tag for another person
Your friend can pick up a year tag for your student card on your behalf, provided they have your student card and your student status has been updated in our system.
The year tag can only be issued by attaching it to the student card at the member service desk. It cannot be given away separately.
Frank App digital student card
You can download the Frank App app for your phone and access the service’s discounts free of charge. You can download the digital student card after paying the student union’s membership fee. An electronic photo must be attached to the card order.
Please note that new students can only download the digital student card once their membership details have been transferred from the university to Frank. This transfer typically takes 1-5 days after becoming a member.
Explore Frank at frank.fi.
For Frank’s digital and plastic student card, you can purchase an ISIC licence that serves as an internationally accepted student ID. With the ISIC student card, you can access student-priced flights from various companies, among other benefits. In Finland, student-priced flights are available through Kilroy.
Frank Alumni – discounts for recent graduates as well
Frank's users can now continue to enjoy Frank's discounts and browse job ads even after graduation. The student card view is closed to alumni users, but otherwise, recent graduates will receive almost all the same discounts and notifications as before!
Users automatically transition to alumni status after their student status ends. To continue using the Frank Alumni, students must already use Frank during their studies. As Frank Alumni, users will retain access to the service for 24 months.
Kide.app digital student card
Kide.app’s digital student ID, or student card, is a service for students produced and maintained by Kide.app. With the card, students can access benefits from various services and products.
The student card is valid for the academic year, and the student’s attendance/non-attendance status, or student status, is verified monthly through Haka authentication. The card’s validity ends if there are changes to the student status that no longer meet the requirements defined for issuing the card.
Frank’s and Kide.app’s digital student cards differ in how they verify student status. Frank verifies your student status from AYY member register transferred from Aalto’s student register, whereas Kide.app verifies your student status through Haka authentication.
Further information on Kide.app can be found here.
Digital student card Pivo to be closed down on 4 Sept 2024
OP bank will close down Pivo on 4 Sept 2024. You can use Pivo as a student card as usual until its closing day, as long as your student card is valid. You can order a digital student card from Frank or Kide.app.
Doctoral student card
As a doctoral student, you can join the student union if you wish. After becoming a member, doctoral students can order either a green, plastic doctoral student card or a doctoral student’s digital student card. You can order a plastic student card at frank.fi. Detailed prices are available on the website.
If you have a blue Aalto student card from your bachelor’s and master’s studies, you will no longer receive a new year tag for that card once you begin doctoral studies. Instead, you must order a green doctoral student card or start using a digital student card.
There are significant differences in national benefits between bachelor’s and master’s level students and doctoral students. For example, doctoral students are not entitled to FSHS services, HSL and Matkahuolto student discounts, or students’ meal subsidy. However, some student restaurants may offer lunch at a slightly reduced price to those presenting a doctoral student card.
Since Jan 2024, doctoral students are covered by the VR student discount:
- VR logo has been added to the digital card of doctoral students. If needed, the logo can be found by clicking the barcode symbol in the student card view.
- Previous plastic cards of doctoral students do not have the VR logo and are therefore not accepted by VR as proof of student status.
