Student newspaper Ergo receives continued support
Uppsala University’s decision on funding for student influence in 2025 includes continued support for the student newspaper Ergo. Photo: Screenshot.
Every year, the student unions receive funding from Uppsala University and the government to support students’ influence, study situation, study environment and the quality of education. The decision on funding for student influence in 2025 includes continued support for the student newspaper Ergo.
Joakim Löfkvist. Photo: David Naylor.
“It’s very important that students participate in our decision-making bodies and processes. We receive government funding to support this via Kammarkollegiet but also add funds from Uppsala University’s budget,” says Joakim Löfkvist, Controller at the Planning Division and administrator of the matter of funding for student influence.
Distributed to six student unions
On 13 May 2025, the Vice-Chancellor decided on support for student influence. In 2025, just under SEK 14 million will be distributed to the six students’ associations that have student union status at Uppsala University. The total includes just over SEK 5 million in government grants for student influence. The funding is intended for purposes that support student influence, the study situation, the quality of education and the study environment.
“For some years we have had a model in which funds are distributed to the various student unions for student influence,” says Löfkvist.
The funds are distributed between the unions based on the number of full-time students at Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral level in the area covered by each union.
In addition to deciding on the distribution of the above funds, the Vice-Chancellor also decided on 13 May to allocate SEK 900,000 to Ergo for its role in student influence and SEK 70,000 in travel support to the student union Rindi at Campus Gotland to enable its representatives to carry out assignments linked to student influence.
Funding for Ergo
In recent years, the student newspaper Ergo has had a problematic financial situation. In order to reduce costs, Ergo switched from a physical to an online format in spring 2020, but despite this, funding became a pressing issue in spring 2021. During the years 2021–2024, Uppsala University has therefore supported the student newspaper financially as it has an important role in student influence. An independent student newspaper is essential to enable students and student unions to both scrutinise and contribute to a better study environment and education.
One factor that makes it problematic for Uppsala University to support student influence through the student newspaper has been that Ergo is owned by Uppsala Student Union. Currently, six students’ associations have student union status at Uppsala University, but only one of them has had influence over the student newspaper. As the University is not allowed to make grants to individual organisations, it has been a problem that Ergo has not been a joint newspaper for all the student unions. Now the unions have agreed on a solution.
“Ergo plays an important role in student influence and in the future the student unions will reorganise so that Ergo becomes a newspaper for all the unions,” says Löfkvist.
Anders Berndt