Students

Students who use a personal Travel Card are, under certain conditions, entitled to purchase tickets at a reduced rate. The discount is applicable for regional season and value tickets and city internal season and value tickets. The customer group entitling the passenger to the discount is registered on the Travel Card at the moment of purchase at a service point. The customer group can also be changed at a service point.

Students belong to discount group 2 (50 % discount). 

1. The student lives permanently in the HSL area (Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa, Kerava, Kirkkonummi and Sipoo).
2. The student is studying in a Finnish comprehensive school, upper secondary/ high school, folk high school, vocational school, polytechnic or university. HSL maintains a list of educational institutions whose students have the right to apply for a student discount in the Helsinki metropolitan area if they meet the criteria to the student discount.
3. The student is considered a full-time if they study for at least 25 hours per week, or in multimodal learning at least 60% of the total study time must is contact teaching, or if the applicant is taking a general upper secondary school diploma and a matriculation examination.
4. Under normal circumstances the studies lead to a qualification or degree (exception: students studying in liberal adult education programs in folk high schools).
5. The estimated total duration of the studies is at least one school/academic year. The school year must last at least 9 months, for example from September to May. 
6. The student is over 17 years of age.
7. All students aged 30 years or over and those studying in liberal adult education programs in folk high schools must prove that either Kela or the provincial government of Åland has granted them student allowance or rehabilitation subsidy.

1. Postgraduate students of universities and higher education institutions (studying for a licentiate's or doctor's degree). The degree of Licentiate in Medicine is a basic university degree, and medical students are thus entitled to discount tickets.
2. Students over 30 years of age whose financial aid consists only of housing supplement or who receive other financial aid than student allowances from KELA (e.g. job alternation compensation, training subsidy, training allowance, allowance related to labour market training, or adult education allowance granted by the Education Fund).  

Documents needed when purchasing a Travel Card

1. Card user’s official identification document (an official identity card, passport, driver’s license, Kela card with a photograph).
2. Discount ticket application bearing the stamp and signature of the educational institution. A link to the application form is at the bottom of this page. OR
3. If you have a valid blue SYL student card (the green card of post-graduate student’s is not accepted), a blue SAMOK student card (the green card of part-time students is not accepted), a green SAKKI ry student card, Lyyra Card of the National Defence University or The Union of Finnish Upper Secondary School Students card with a current term sticker on it, the student card is a sufficient proof of studies.
4. Students over 30 years of age as well as students taking liberal adult education general courses in folk high schools have to present a positive decision on study grant, student loan or rehabilitation subsidy from KELA or the provincial government of Åland. The decision must show the number of months remaining on the grant. 

You can buy reduced rate tickets as long as the customer group that entitles you to the discount is valid. The customer group has to be renewed annually. If you do not renew your right to discount, the system will classify you as adult based on the date of birth stored on the card and you will be charged adult fares when purchasing tickets with your card.

If your studies last for an entire school year (autumn and spring terms) or if you finish your studies at the end of spring term, the customer group is valid until end of August. If you finish your studies at the end of autumn term, the discount right is valid till the end of December the same year. If you finish your studies in the middle of the school year, the customer group is valid until the date of completion of studies given in the discount application form.

For students over 30 years of age and students taking liberal adult education general courses in folk high schools, the validity of the customer group depends also on their study allowance. If the granted student allowance ends in the middle of a term, the customer group will be valid to the end date of the allowance. If the student allowance lasts for an entire school year (autumn and spring terms) or ends at the end of spring term, the customer group is valid until end of August. If the student allowance is valid until the end of autumn term, the customer group is valid until the end of December the same year.

If you cannot visit a service point yourself, you can authorize another person to update your Travel Card customer group. The person you authorize must bring your Travel Card and the documents mentioned above. No proof of identity is needed when updating a Travel Card.

Also foreign exchange students who reside temporarily in the validity area of HSL's regional tickets are entitled to the student discount if they meet the criteria mentioned above.

HSL has temporary service points for updating Travel Card customer groups at some educational institutions in the beginning of each autumn term. These points do not sell Travel Cards but you can load period tickets or value on your card if you pay by bank or credit card.

 Discount ticket application, Finnish/English

 Travel Card application form for foreign exchange students