The Tuudo student card will change on August 1, 2026

The Tuudo student card will change in the autumn semester. In the future, the Tuudo student card will only be available to members of the student union. All students will still have access to the pink Kela meal subsidy card. The QR code, which you can continue to identify yourself in Metropolia student restaurants, will remain in the same familiar place. Other benefits, such as discounted student train tickets from VR, will be available in Tuudo with a METKA membership. With a METKA membership, you will also get access to the Slice student card, where you can find thousands of discounts across Finland.

The changes are based on a decision made by the METKA Representative Council at its meeting on March 31, 2026. The aim of the change is to secure METKA’s operations and, through that, ensure the protection of students’ interests. Metropolia is the largest university of applied sciences in Finland, but the membership rate of the student union METKA is low. Taking care of the interests of over 19 000 students requires a great deal of work, which METKA is unable to carry out with its current resources to the desired extent. METKA’s finances have been running at a deficit for several years.

METKA recognises the worsening financial situation of students. However, we consider organisation especially important at this ime, as national-level advocacy needs students to be members of student unions. For example, METKA’s one-year membership (44 €) is still a relatively small price for the work done by the university of applied sciences student movement. With multi-year memberships, the yearly cost becomes even more affordable. As the largest university of applied sciences in Finland, METKA’s membership numbers have a direct impact on the resources and scope of our umbrella organisation, the National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences, SAMOK.

The primary goal for the change is to secure current resources and the scope of operations. In the long term, both SAMOK and METKA could allocate more resources, for example, to advocating for international students, online students, and other students in more vulnerable positions.

The change will take effect on August 1, 2026. If you already have a METKA membership, the Tuudo student card will continue to work normally for the duration of your purchased membership period. For example, a spring semester 2026 membership is valid until September 30, 2026. If you do not yet have a METKA membership, you can purchase one already during the summer via Kide.app.