News

URA foundation scholarships to 19 Aalto athletes

The scholarship amount is either 1 500 or 3 000 euros for one academic year
Kuvituskuva: SCIn kristallikukat
Photo: Aalto University/Mikko Raskinen

A Finnish foundation for elite athletes’ career advancement, Urheilijoiden Ammattienedistämissäätiö (URA), has awarded study scholarships to 209 athletes for the 2023–2024 academic year; of them, 19 either study or have studied at Aalto University. The scholarship recipients include world champions and Olympic athletes and other current and former elite athletes representing altogether 56 different sports and 18 sports academies. A record-breaking 719 athletes applied for the scholarship this year.

The foundation Urheilijoiden Ammattienedistämissäätiö was founded in 1972 by the President of Finland Urho Kekkonen. Its goal is to support athletes in pursuing dual careers and to further their education and career transition after sports.  

Iris Nihti is one of the Aalto recipients of the scholarship. Iris is a fifth-year student in the Energy Systems and Markets major at the School of Electrical Engineering. Her sport is mixed martial arts and she represents the sports club Espoon Kehähait.

‘The scholarship means a great deal to me because attending competitions is expensive. This year I took part in three competitions, two of which were held abroad. I have to pay all the costs for these trips myself. In other words, the scholarship will be spent partly on competition fees and partly on everyday life. So far, my biggest achievement in this sport is winning the amateur world championship last spring,’ says Iris.

Congratulations to Iris and all the other scholarship recipients! 

See the list of all current or former students who received the URA scholarship 

The award ceremony was held at the Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences on 12 December 2023.

Aalto Alum and Sports Director Jyrki Louhi offered financial knowledge to Aalto's competitive athletes

The Urhea meeting attracted 30 students to the network's autumn meeting

Lue lisää tästä tilaisuudesta
Aallon Urhea-opiskelijoiden syystapaaminen, 2023. Kuva: Terhi Ollikainen
  • Published:
  • Updated:

Read more news

Students talking to each other
Studies Published:

Back on track –workshop series 8.10. & 29.10.2024

Aalto's study psychologists and a guidance counsellor are organizing a two-time peer support workshop series for students who are returning to their studies after a longer break or who have studied very little during the past year.
View of a wooden structure in the market square landscape
Cooperation, Research & Art Published:

Aalto University's Wood Program 30th anniversary project to Kuhmo Square

Every year, Aalto University students specialising in wood architecture carry out a Wood Program project. In the 30th anniversary year of the program, the City of Kuhmo is the partner. The project will be a stage and a platform on Kuhmo's main square.
Students sitting together on stairs.
Cooperation, Studies Published:

Teamwork First-Aid Kit supports students in project-based courses

This online resource offers tools to support student teams throughout project courses.
Camilla Hollanti, photo: Lasse Lecklin.
Awards and Recognition Published:

Camilla Hollanti elected as a member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters

Camilla Hollanti leads a prominent research group on applications of algebra and number theory. The central topic of her research is to apply the methods of algebra and number theory to problems encountered in communication systems. Applications include wireless security and secure distributed computation.