Student incomes and housing under pressure – the Government is giving the middle finger to Eastern Finland's students!

The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY), the Student Union POKA of Karelia University of Applied Sciences (POKA), and the Student Union of Savonia University of Applied Sciences (SAVOTTA) are appalled by the government’s recent budget framework decisions to continue a policy of harmful and discriminatory cuts targeting students. We fear that these cuts to student livelihoods will decrease interest in higher education, exacerbate the skills gap in the labor market, and further worsen the mental health crisis.

The budget decisions slash student income, especially affecting those living alone. The proposed study grant housing supplement may only be available during the school year, meaning students would not receive this support over the summer. For many, summer finances are already stretched thin, as summer jobs would often overlap with (potentially unpaid) internship. Even employed students might have to wait until July for the first paycheck. In other words, students face significant uncertainty about their summer livelihoods, leaving no room for genuine recovery—something that severely impacts the mental health of already vulnerable students.

Additionally, finding summer jobs or even part-time work is far from guaranteed in Eastern Finland, forcing some students to relocate across the country in search of employment. This significantly increases living costs.

Cutting 28 million euros from the special groups' investment grants of the State Housing Fund will make it impossible for student housing foundations to meet the growing demand for affordable housing. As a result, student housing might become disproportionately expensive, especially as the general housing allowance is also facing cuts!

Currently, Kuopio offers approximately 3,000 student apartments and Joensuu around 4,300. However, Kuopio has approximately 11,500 higher education students, and Joensuu roughly 13,300. A significant portion of these students must already seek housing outside now affordable student accommodations.

We've seen a push towards shared housing for students, but this also presents challenges. The rise in remote learning often requires a quiet study environment at home, and communal living makes starting a family a distant prospect. Furthermore, the earlier Sipilä government’s decision to move students to the general housing allowance system has, in Eastern Finland, led to shared housing units being replaced with more expensive single-studio apartments. On top of this, reverting to the study grant housing supplement would only serve to accelerate student debt.

Past cuts have already disproportionately targeted students, and it is unreasonable to saddle students again with the brunt of budget reductions, particularly when many of us already live below the poverty line. Raising the country’s level of education requires the well-being of students—a fact this government seems unwilling to acknowledge.

We, the higher education students of Eastern Finland, are also concerned about the state of our region.

The budget framework provided no funding for regional development. How will affordable housing production, graduate employment, or regional population growth be ensured in the future? The air is thick with bad news and unanswered questions. Orpo’s promise to invest in education has been definitively broken. Hunger and worry are growing, especially among us visiting student cafeterias. This is something we will not swallow.

Mirka Nieminen

chairperson of the board, ISYY

Joonas Sallinen

chairperson of the board, POKA

Jonne Heikkinen

chairperson of the board, SAVOTTA

Anni Tirkkonen

vice chairperson of the board, POKA

Susanna Turunen

chairperson of the rep. council, POKA

Lauri Kaunisaho

vice chairperson of the rep. council, POKA