Universities of applied sciences are oriented towards working life and base their operations on the high vocational skill requirements set by it.
For the financing of their activities, the student unions exact a membership fee and engage in different businesses.
They are also a very active political power, commenting anything from municipal plans to national abortion laws.
The Helsinki university student union status was written into laws by the Russian emperor Alexander II in 1868.
Many of the Finnish presidents and high-ranking politicians have started their career in universities' student union politics.
SYL also takes part in the national law making process in topics related to the universities, students economical issues and the education.
Part of the student unions are politically active, while in others, nations and subject association groups are dominant in the general assembly.
The student unions are much younger in this sector because the dual model system that makes the higher education in Finland came in 1996.
In Finland, the student union is autonomous, its internal life organized by its by-laws which are confirmed by the rector.