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22.7.2021

New student of Oamk: this is how to order a student card

Starting your studies also means a lot of changes which may raise a lot of questions. One typical topic is the student card and how to get one.

When you order your student card you also become a member of the student union OSAKO. With the student card you are entitled to various benefits and discounts, so no wonder people usually want to get one as soon as possible.

In this blog we will tell you how you can acquire a student card as a new student in Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oamk). We will also answer some of the frequently asked questions about the student card. You can also find the instructions on how to become a member or continue your membership here: http://osakoweb.fi/en/join-osako/.

We will answer the following questions:
Why should I get a student card?
When can I order my student card?
How do I order the student card?
Can I pay for the student card at pick up or with cash?
What if I cannot come and pick up the card?
What is a digital student card?
How can I get a sports pass?
I couldn’t find an answer to my question. Where can I find help?

Why should I get a student card?

As a member of student union OSAKO your student card is an official student card that proves your student status nationally. It also functions as member card of OSAKO. In practice owning a student card grants you many benefits such as:

Student discounts and benefits

Many companies offer discounts for student. We have listed quite a few of the benefits on our website. In addition to these benefits you can access many other benefits offered by Slice.fi in Benefits (In Finnish “Edut) section of digital Pivo student card. (More information about the digital student card further below). It is impossible to remember all the benefits by heart, so we encourage you to always ask about student discounts whenever you visit a shop or restaurant – especially in university towns.

Student priced lunch

You can prove your eligibility for student priced lunch of Kela with OSAKO student card. In addition to restaurants in campuses of Oamk, you can have the student priced lunch in any restaurant that offers the student pirced lunch option. This is useful to remember when traveling in university towns inside Finland. You can also find Restaurant Pekuri of Uniresta in the city center of Oulu.

Travel on a dime

With the student card of OSAKO, you get discounted tickets in the trains of VR and some buses of Matkahuolto. As a student you get 30 % discount for basic tickets, saver tickets as well as 10 and 30 journey multi-tickets in long-distance trains. In VR’s commuter trains the discount is 50 %. In the buses of Matkahuolto the discount depends on the pricing of bus operators.

Student card = Library card

You can connect your student card with the library system of Oamk and use it as a library card. How handy!

Services of OSAKO

Student union offers different services to its members. As a member you can for example borrow sports and camping equipment from OSAKO for free. You can also apply for Going Abroad grant when you study or do a practical training abroad. In return for grant, you will vlog or blog your experiences and help OSAKO in exchange marketing. We also organize various events and trainings that you can attend for cheaper price or even for free with a student card.

A chance to make a difference

With a student card you also gain membership of the student union. As a member you have a right to attend the decision making of OSAKO. Every autumn, an election is held to elect a body of representatives. The body of representatives uses the highest decision-making power in the student union. They decide for example what kind of events OSAKO organizes or how much does a membership cost. Every member has a right to vote and run for a representative.

A card with a chip

There is a chip integrated in the card, which allows many ways of usage. It is for example possible to sign in to printers or laptop borrowing stations. However, it is not yet 100 % sure which features will be usable in the Autumn. As a student union we aim to ensure that our members can utilize their student card as much as possible.

When can I order my student card?

The memberships for new academic year are available now. You can order your student card when:

  1. You have confirmed your study place
  2. You have signed up for the semester of 2021-2022
  3. You have your Oamk username and password (you can find instructions on how to get them here: https://it.oamk.fi/11260?lang=en)

Please note that you cannot get your Oamk account before confirming your study place and signed up for the semester. You also need a Finnish bank account. If you don’t have one you need to visit Oamk’s Student services or IT services. It will take 2-3 days after signing up for the semester before you can get your Oamk username and password. If you have difficulties with this you can contact IT support of Oamk: helpdesk@oamk.fi.

How do I order the student card?

When you order a student card you become a member of the student union OSAKO. So, the student card also functions as a member card of OSAKO. You can become a member online. As a new student you also need to buy the physical card. You can recognize a valid card with a sticker that states when it will expire. For example, sticker that reads ”9/2022” is valid until the end of September in 2022. 

Picture of a student card

Before starting the ordering-process make sure that you have a digital passport-like photo in jpg-format of yourself (Max. 30 MT). If you don’t have a photo like this just yet, you can take one easily with the camera of your phone. This is how you order a card:

  1. Go to the online shop of Kide.app: https://kide.app/en/products/6d90c5ea-e924-408b-b0e9-1d052495bdb9
  2. Create Kide.app account or log in with your Facebook-account.
  3. When you try to add the membership or plain card to cart, the system asks you to log in with Oamk’s Haka account. Use then to log in and fill in the required information. You’ll also need the photo that we mentioned earlier.
    NB! If you also want to use the digital student card of Pivo, you need to fill in the (Finnish) personal identity code.
  4. Check the information you filled in carefully and proofread it a couple times more just to be safe. Cards with mistakes will not be passed forward to students, but a completely new card needs to be printed instead.
  5. Choose the length of your membership. When becoming the member for the first time choose the option with the student card. It is also smart to buy the membership for the complete academic year at once since it’s cheaper than buying the membership separately for Autumn and Spring semesters.
  6. Also add to cart shipping, in case you won’t be able to pick up the card or you’d like to have the card delivered to you
  7. Choose the payment method.
  8. When you have paid for your purchase, your valid and paid membership shows up in “Your membership cards” in your “Wallet”-section.
    NB! This is not your digital student card. It is a proof that you have paid for your membership, and you can pick up your academic year sticker with it.
  9. When your card arrives, you will be informed via the email you have used when joining OSAKO where to pick it up.

Can I pay for the student card at pick up or with cash?

Unfortunately, payment is only possible during the ordering process in Kide.app. You can pay with either a bank or credit card or MobilePay. Hence, it is not possible to pay with cash or when you pick up the card.

What if I cannot come and pick up the card?

If for some reason you cannot pick up the card, you can purchase a shipping for it in Kide.app when you order the card. While waiting for your card to arrive, you can also start using the digital student card of Pivo.

What is a digital student card?

As a member of OSAKO, you can get the digital student card of Pivo on your smartphone. Digital student card is just as official as the physical card. As you carry it with your phone, it’s ok even if you forgot your physical card at home. You can also find numerous benefits and discounts by Slice.fi in benefits (“Edut” in Finnish) section, that you can only access in Pivo.

You can start using Pivo student card even before the physical card arrives, right after you have paid for your membership. However, it might take a couple of hours before the information transfers between systems. So, if you are not able to activate your digital card wait for a while and try again. You should also make sure that you have filled in the personal identity code in your information in Kide.app.

This is how to activate Pivo student card:

  1. Download Pivo to your (iOS/Android) smartphone
  2. Sign in with your online bank user identifiers and add your payment details
  3. Open Pivo and select Student card and pick your organization
  4. Create a student card by following the app’s instructions

How can I acquire a sports pass?

New students are often interested in acquiring a sports pass from University sports of Oulu (OKKL). The Sports Pass functions as an entrance ticket to sports services, training sessions as well as other welfare services. The pass also gives you certain discounts on some course fees and on services provided by cooperating partners.

The pass is personal and it’s valid for one semester or whole academic year. Sport passes for Autumn semester and whole academic year are available are the end of August and passes for Spring semester are available at the beginning of December. You can try the services for free for the first two weeks of each semester. (Free trial does not apply to courses or services provided by partners)

As a student of Oamk you can buy a sports pass from the website of OKKL: https://www.oulunkorkeakoululiikunta.fi/en/sports?category=423&laji=424. In practice the sports pass is a sticker, that is attached in your student card or other ID with picture. After payment you can get your sticker from OSAKO’s office or OSASTO’s service point.

I couldn’t find an answer to my question. Where can I find help?

In case you couldn’t find what you were looking for in this blog, you should check out our website for answers: http://osakoweb.fi/en/.

You can also e-mail us your questions at osako@osakoweb.fi. You can also use the contact form at the bottom of the contacts page (scroll down): http://osakoweb.fi/en/contact/

We also have online service hours during summer. You can reach us by the chat on our website on Wednesdays from 10 AM until 3 PM (until July the 30st). You can also send us a message in OSAKO’s social media channels on Instagram or Facebook.

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Ihanaa olla osakolainen!