Student representatives can be found both in the University administration and in other bodies. In general, the duties of student representatives are to disclose the opinions of students and represent the students in different events. The nomination and the activities of the student representatives have been decided by the student union’s Council of Representatives, as decided on the Standing Order on Electing Student Representatives.
Student representatives in University’s administration
The student representatives are sometimes also called hallopeds. They operate as student representatives in the bodies of our university’s administration. Student representatives operate as independent full members of the body and represent all students of the whole university, of a faculty or alternatively of a degree programme. Any student union member enrolled as present can apply to be a student representative with the open application.
The student union nominates student representatives to the Academic Board, the Education Council and Faculty Councils, among others. In addition to this, guilds, associations and faculty associations nominate student representatives in many working groups on the faculty level. The student representative body’s work is very important because it ensures that the points of views and voices of students can be seen and heard in the development of education and of the university.
You don’t have to be a veteran of student politics or an expert at meetings to become a student representative. If you are interested in promoting and supervising the interests of all students while you are studying, you were born to be a student representative. Through the position of a student representative, you can be a part of the wondrous world of student advocacy!
Call for student representatives for the term 2025-2026
No open calls.
Other open calls
No open calls.
More information on applying and selections
TREY’s Council of Representative elects student representatives to the Academic Board and its subordinate councils, as well as the University’s Appeals Committee. TREY’s Executive Board elects student representatives to the Faculty Councils. Additionally, TREY’s Executive Board reviews the requests for student representation in working groups received by the student union and appoints student representatives to these groups at its discretion.
The election of student representatives is carried out according to TREY’s Standing Order on the Election of Student Representatives. You can find the Standing Order on the Election of Student Representatives on TREY’s website under the “Steering Documents” section.
Tampere University has adopted a policy on commercially operated preparatory courses. A student member of an administrative body (Faculty Councils, Education Council, Academic Board) must not teach in or organise preparatory courses. You can read more information about that decision in the news published on the university intra (requires authentication).
What is a student representative?
A student representative (in Finnish: HALLOPED = HaLLinnon OPiskelijaEDustaja = student representative in the administration) functions as the voice of the students in various administrative bodies. In practise, the student representatives ensure that the interests of the students are not ignored when deciding on matters to do with studies and the students’ lives, for example. Student representatives are normal students who are interested and motivated in advancing issues that are important to students in the university’s administration and decision-making processes. Anyone can become a student advocate – even you!
What does a student representative do?
A student representative acts as a representative of the students in meetings of various administrative bodies. When various themes are discussed, it is the job of student representatives to convey the student perspectives on the matter at hand and to suggest where they believe the university should head.
Preparing for and taking part in meetings are concrete things that the student representatives are expected to do. The student representatives serve as the voice of the students. For this reason, they will find their task a lot easier if they are involved in the student scene, listen to and find out the views of different students and actively represent these views at the university. However, no-one expects that as a student representative you would know how all the other 19 000 students at our university think about things. A good starting point is to listen to, for example, people on the same year of studies as you, other student friends or those in your subject association.
Why should I care?
Students are the biggest group in our university community. Whether it is about a big change or a small matter of opinion, the voice of students is valuable in decision making. We the students are also experts on studying. Only students can say with certainty how the students feel about the university’s actions. Besides, if we don’t share our views, who would?
What kinds of matters will you be able to have a say in?
Student representatives can influence decisions just as much as other members of a governing body. Irrespective of whether you are included as a representative of the students or personnel, you are a full member of the body.
In different bodies, you get to make decisions either at the faculty level or in issues that apply to the whole university. For example, in the Faculty Council, you get to decide about accepting curricula, the evaluation criteria of theses and the general functioning of the faculty. Then again, in the Academic Board you can take part in selecting the University Board, the establishment of new degree programs and decision-making about academic matters in general.
Student representatives have, for example, influenced national education policy and brought up students views on the reform of student admission, among other things. In addition, the student representatives of the Academic Board are regularly involved in the process of selecting the University Board. In the latest selections, a degree student was chosen for the board.
The topics of meetings have dealt with, for example:
- Academic Board:
- Naming the members of the University Board
- Accepting the development plan for research and the development plans for education.
- Establishing the degree program for Education in Socially Sustainable Societies
- Deciding the points system for certificate-based admission starting in 2026
- Education Council:
- Preparing Tampere University’s strategic policies and approach for continuous learning
- Juniversity, science education and secondary school collaboration
- Assessing and taking into account the needs of those students who use Finnish as a foreign language
- Preparing the criteria for student admission
- Societal Interaction Council:
- Discussions about Tampere University’s fundraising
- Admitting Tampere University’s Societal Impact Award
- Cooperation agreement between the City of Tampere and Tampere University
- Faculty councils:
- Accepting and evaluating theses (only those with the same level degree can participate in the decision-making)
- Changing the names of degree programmes as well as establishing and disbanding of specialisations
- Handling student admission rectification requests
- Principles for the structures of bachelor’s and master’s level degrees in the technology branch
- The studies in special pedagogy as optional studies in the teaching schedule
What do you get from being a student representative?
As a part of your tasks as a student representative, you get to learn many kinds of skills related to, among others, project management and working in groups. In the administrative bodies, you get to know university staff and make connections that are valuable in your studies as well as in working life. In addition, student representatives get to form networks through their peers and familiarise themselves with engaged members from other fields of study. Through these contacts, you will get new friends and peer support for your activities.
You can apply for study credits from being a student representative, if you are active for at least a year. For more information about applying for study credits, visit Tampere University’s Student’s Guide.
Student representatives also receive a meeting fee based on the university’s decisions. For example, the meeting fee for the faculty councils is €40 per meeting for student representatives.
In addition, the Student Union organises regular meetings and training for the student representatives, as well as occasional recreational activities.
How much time does it take to be a student representative?
Most of the administrative bodies have meetings about once a month. Participating in the meetings takes about a couple hours a month and the preparation for these meetings takes as much as you are able to invest into it. Other administrative bodies meet relatively regularly, but the Appeals Committee meets only when necessary.
Any other work as a student representative, that is to say, representing students in your field and collaboration with student associations, happens within the boundaries of your time and energy. It’s good for student representatives to be up to date about what goes on at the university, but we don’t expect you to know every gossip or meet each student to inquire about their opinions.
How much experience or knowledge should I have?
Working as a student representative in the university’s administration sounds scary and certainly drives many people to doubt their own expertise for the task. However, not all tasks as a student representative require of you to have years of experience in educational affairs. In many tasks, motivation to advocate for the students and to further develop the faculty/university is enough to start with. As a student representative, you learn by doing. Every student representative we have once started as the newcomer. By doing the work, participating discussions and actively following the university’s operations, you learn the most effectively. In addition, TREY is there to educate the student representatives when necessary!
The expertise required of student representatives is dependent on the administrative body. For example, since the faculty council is deals with issues specifically related to your faculty, it is crucial that the student representative has the interest and motivation to bring up both their own views and those of their peers.
Conversely, the Education Council deals broadly with education and teaching-related issues across the entire university, so a basic understanding of these issues will be beneficial.
In the Societal Interaction Council it is useful to understand, among other things, the state of research cooperation and innovation at the university, and an understanding of the interaction between the university and the surrounding society.
The Appeals Committee deals with, i.e., rectification requests of coursework, so it’s beneficial for the student representative to understand the university’s rules. It is, of course, not required that you know the rules by heart, but the student representative is primarily expected to deal with issues impartially and according to the rules.
The Academic Board can be thought of as the most demanding of the administrative bodies for student representatives in our university. In the workings of the Academic Board, it is important that, in addition to other members, the student representatives have a relatively comprehensive understanding of academic matters at the university, including, education, societal interaction and research. In the Academic Board, decisions are also made on big themes, such as selecting the Executive Board, curricula and the student admission criteria. For this reason, it is also important that the student representatives are familiar with these themes, actively take part in discussions at the university and keep contacts with the student union.
How do I get involved?
You can become a student representative by applying in the big application round that takes place every two years, or in the supplementary application periods that take place regularly. The applications are always announced in TREY’s websites and, among others, on this website in the Open positions -section.
If you have any other questions, feel free to contact TREY’s Educational Affairs Specialist responsible for coordinating student representatives.
How do I resign from my position?
According to TREY’s Standing Order on the Election of Student Representatives, supplementary application rounds are organized twice a year. This also means a cyclical resignation. When you approach a situation where you will graduate soon, move away from Tampere for an extended period, or feel unable to continue as a student representative, you can submit your resignation application to the student union. TREY collects resignation applications through the attached Microsoft Forms form. Resignation applications are processed twice a year.
- The deadline for spring resignations is 1 March. In this case, the resignation from the position becomes effective on 31 July.
- The deadline for fall resignations is 1 October. In this case, the resignation from the position becomes effective on 31 December.
In sudden resignation situations, we recommend contacting the Specialist in Educational Affairs Onni Härkönen separately. You can find Onni’s contact information on the Contact page.
Student representatives 2025-2026
Academic Board
The Academic Board is the multimembered body of the foundation university, referred to in the Universities Act. The Academic Board has 19 members: 8 professor members, 6 representatives of other teaching and research staff and of other staff and 5 student members. According to the regulations, the Academic Board elects the chair and the vice chair from among the professor members.
The duties of the Academic Board include nominating the board members of the foundation university, observing and developing the unity, effectiveness and quality of the university’s research, education and societal interaction, to decide the degree regulations and other general regulations concerning education and research as well as to set necessary committees and other bodies that process matters concerning degrees, evaluation and correction. You can find more information about the Academic Board from university’s Intranet.
The student representatives of the Academic Board are Teemu Juutilainen, Nina Kovanen, Ellinoora Laaksonen, Maria Palmroos and Erja Ronkainen.
The student representatives of the Academic Board can be contacted via trey-konsistorihalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Education Council
The Education Council supports the university’s preconditions to promote scientific and artistic education and to provide education based on high-quality and ethically sustainable research and promotes the continuous learning of the know-how concerning social influence. The council acts as a tool for the multisectoral and multidisciplinary development of the university.
The Education Council’s duties include the support of the drafting of the university’s education strategy and the observation of its implementation, the preparation of the degree education (basic education and further education), education administration, curriculum design and the development of education, support of the well-being and student experience of students, as well as the development of the pedagogy and the study environment and the support of the administration in educational matters that concern the whole community. Permanent expert members include the student union’s Specialists in Academic Affairs. You can find more information about the Education Council from the university’s Intranet.
The student representatives of the Education Council are:
- Valpuri Erkkilä, deputy member Valhe Kouneli
- Amanda Järvinen, deputy member Vili Olkkonen
- Eetu Niemi, deputy member Reetamari Lohvansuu
- Ville Porkka, deputy member Santeri Virtanen
The student representatives of the Education Council can be contacted via trey-knhalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Societal Interaction Council
The Societal interaction council supports the university’s ability to interact with the rest of the society and to promote the societal impact of research results and artistic activity. The council acts as a tool for the multisectoral and multidisciplinary development of the university. The council consists of three representatives from Tampere University and one from Tampere University of Applied Sciences.
The duties of Societal Interaction Council include preparing matters concerning societal impact, making motions related to societal impact and supporting the drafting of the plan of action of societal impact. You can find more information about the Societal Interaction Council from university’s Intranet.
The student representatives of the Societal Interaction Council are:
- Tauseef Ejaz, deputy member Anh Nguyen
- Salman Moshiri, deputy member Janne Kouru
- Melinda Pòzna, deputy member Aisa Khormali
The student representatives of the Societal Interaction Council can be contacted via trey-yvvhalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
University’s Appeals Committee
A student dissatisfied with a decision given to a petition of correction concerning the evaluation and credit transfer of studies or know-how of some other completed course than the licentiate thesis, doctoral dissertation or a final thesis belonging to advanced studies, can petition for a correction from the University’s Appeals Committee. The duty of the Appeals Committee is to solve the claims of correction.
The Appeals Committee consists of three professors, three representatives of other teaching or research staff and three student representatives (one of which is a postgraduate student). Personal deputy members are also nominated for each member. Student representatives are nominated for two years at a time. You can find more information about the Appeals Committee from university’s Intranet.
The student representatives of the Appeals Committee are:
- Eetu Niemi, deputy member Lotta Raitanen
- Rea-Maria Uotila-Lindqvist, deputy member Reetamari Lohvansuu
The student representatives of the Appeals Committee can be contacted via trey-muutoshalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Faculty Councils
According to the regulations of Tampere University, each faculty has a Faculty Council. The term of office of the Faculty Council’s student representatives is two years. The Faculty Council consists of no more than 15 members: 5 professor members, 5 other teaching and research staff and other staff representatives and 5 student members. In the faculty council of Built Environment there are only 12 members, four from each community group. A personal deputy member is nominated for each of them.
The duties of the Faculty Council are to observe and evaluate the realisation of the faculty’s plan of action and budget, to make proposals to found and disband degree programmes to the Academic Board, to accept the curricula for the Academic Board to validate and to decide on the evaluation criteria of theses and the postgraduate degree theses.
Each of the seven faculties has their own Faculty Council. The student representatives of the Faculty Councils are listed below.
All Faculty Councils can be found on the University’s Intra.
Information Technology and Communication Sciences (ITC)
The student representatives in the ITC Faculty Council are:
- Oona Lohikainen, we are looking for a deputy member
- Jesse Piekiäinen, deputy member Susanna Nykyri
- Valpuri Erkkilä, deputy member Anni Lehtonen
- Ville Porkka, deputy member Iida Seppänen
- Miia Pynnönen, deputy member Eetu Loimuneva
The student representatives in the ITC Faculty Council can be contacted via trey-itchalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Management and Business (MAB)
The student representatives in the MAB Faculty Council are:
- Iivari Pylkkänen, deputy member Seán Mc Loughlin
- Kiia Keski-Sikkilä, deputy member Sandra Vapalahti
- Sanni Tyynismaa, deputy member Aleksi Rantanen
- Riina Saari, deputy member Katri Kujala
- Valtteri Koivukoski, deputy member Mathilde Bredero
The student representatives in the MAB Faculty Council can be contacted via trey-mabhalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Education and Culture (EDU)
The student representatives in the EDU Faculty Council are:
- Yasmin Kara, we are looking for a deputy member
- Santeri Virtanen, deputy member Lilli Matveinen
- Anni Harinen, deputy member Lotta Raitanen
- Janika Kurkinen, deputy member Ada Nygård
- Maiju Heikkilä, deputy member Victoria Vilhelmiina Pitkäkoski
The student representatives in the EDU Faculty Council can be contacted via: trey-eduhalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Medicine and Health Technology (MET)
The student representatives in the MET Faculty Council are:
- Aarni Sutelainen, deputy member Sanni Rinne
- Jouni Paavola, deputy member Rolands Jansons
- Tuusa Eriksson, deputy member Saara Eriksson
- Ida Pellikka, deputy member Emmi Eskelinen
- Emilia Nguyen, deputy member Emma Hirvonen
The student representatives in the MET Faculty Council can be contacted via trey-methalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Built environment (BEN)
The student representatives in the BEN Faculty Council are:
- Minni Leskinen, deputy member Maisa Luukkanen
- Saku Koutaniemi, deputy member Ilari Anttila
- Elisa Linjama, deputy member Jerome Matomäki
- Albert Singh, deputy member Onni-Aapeli Pihlajamaa
The student representatives in the BEN Faculty Council can be contacted via trey-benhalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Engineering and Natural Sciences (ENS)
The student representatives in the ENS Faculty Council are:
- Elsa Tuominen, deputy member Helena Valdmees
- Tommi Paavola, deputy member Tami Nordström
- Teemu Sandblom, deputy member Kati Lahti
- Heta Kiviahde, deputy member Matti Reponen
- Topias Berg, deputy member Venla Junnikkala
The student representatives in the ENS Faculty Council can be contacted via trey-enshalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Social Sciences (SOC)
The student representatives in the SOC Faculty Council are:
- Vilma Heino, deputy member Camilla Villman
- Joonas Kärnä, deputy member Mikko Oosi
- Tytti Koivisto, deputy member Miikka Roslöf
- Salla Seppänen, deputy member Ville Salonen
- Pauliina Vainionpää, deputy member Anni Sairanen
The student representatives in the SOC Faculty Council can be contacted via trey-sochalloped@lists.tuni.fi.
Student representatives and other representations
The student union is connected with different associations, foundations and communities. Depending on the position, the student union’s student representative is nominated by either the council or the board.
Coordination group for technology education (TEKO)
The coordination group for technology education (TEKO) serves as a network for engineering and architecture education in Tampere University. The coordination group deals with topics such as DIA student selections, student recruitment and marketing of technology education, national cooperation in the field of technology, and the development of technology education. The term of student representatives in the TEKO group is two years. The student representative for the TEKO Group in 2026–2027 is Saskia Simisker, with Rolands Jansons as the deputy member.
Tampere Student Housing Foundation (TOAS)
Tampere Student Housing Foundation rents, builds and maintains student housing in Tampere. TREY has a representative in the board and in the delegation and the construction committee of TOAS. TREY’s representatives in the board are Ilona Taubert and deputy member Laura Kaipia. The student members of the TOAS delegation are:
- Salla Aaltonen, deputy member Olavi Latukka
- Mira Kokko, deputy member Iidalotta Heikka
- Lauri Ahlqvist, deputy member Tami Nordström
- Albert Singh, deputy member Jasmin Koivuviita
- Ville Porkka, deputy member Sanni Tyynismaa
- Lauri Laihonen, deputy member Ina Lehtola
- Mea Vähä-Jaakkola, deputy member Saskia Simisker
- Emma Sjöholm, deputy member Ester Väisänen
- Jenna Uusipaavalniemi, deputy member Valpuri Hurtig
- Aku Keskipalosaari, deputy member Rosa Nuojua
- Eetu Niemi, deputy member Alli Vepsä
- Erja Ronkainen, deputy member Ada Nygård
Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS)
The Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS, in Finnish YTHS) is in charge of healthcare during your university studies in Tampere. FSHS has offices in Hervanta and the city centre. TREY has representatives in FSHS’s delegation and in the Tampere-Hämeenlinna health service unit’s board of directors. The representative in Tampere-Hämeenlinna health service unit’s board of directors is Laura Kaipia. More information can be found on FSHS’s website.
Banner picture: Henri Tammi / TT-kamerat