Helsinki University’s student magazine moves online with €100,000 grant

The Ylioppilaslehti student magazine will transition to a digital-first model after receiving a €100,000 grant from the Helsingin Sanomain Foundation, reports Finnish broadcaster Yle. The funding aims to secure the publication’s future amid long-standing financial struggles tied to its owner, the Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY).

The grant will support a full restructuring of the magazine, which has been published since 1913 but faced cuts this year—including a pause in its print edition—due to HYY’s financial difficulties. Only two printed issues appeared this spring.

HYY will remain the primary funder, but the overhaul seeks to reduce the magazine’s dependence on the union’s budget. The goal is to create an “independent, journalistic medium” that better reflects student readers’ needs, said HYY board chair Emil Aarnio. He praised the magazine’s “beautiful, provocative, and insightful journalism” and called the grant a timely opportunity for renewal.

The Helsingin Sanomain Foundation framed the support as an investment in youth media. “We want young voices to be heard in the future,” said Laura Saarikoski, the foundation’s senior legal advisor. She noted that a revitalised Ylioppilaslehti could help rebuild the student community after recent upheavals, including HYY’s sale of its downtown properties to pension insurer Keva.

The first phase of the transition includes a content ideas competition, with the revamped magazine expected to launch in 2027.