Checklist for international students taking freestanding courses

Answer: Your Notification of Selection Results is available as a PDF file at universityadmissions.se or at antagning.se (for EU/EEA/Swiss students) and serves as an official document. You never need to request a copy, as this PDF file is an official version — simply print out a copy. A link to your PDF will be available a few days after publication of the selection results in the 'Application' section of your account.

University Admissions does not provide applicants with printed copies.

Reply required for Spring semester - first notification

If you applied to the spring second round, you must reply to your first Notification of Selection Results in order to keep the places you have been offered, or to be placed on the reserve/waiting list for the second selection round. You can do this at universityadmissions.se. Log in to your account, go to "Applications" and follow the instructions.

For the second notification, you do not need to reply to courses you wish to keep, but should decline those courses you are not planning on attending. This makes those places available for students on the waiting list. Log in to your account at universityadmissions.se and go to 'Applications' to decline your spot(s).

Admitted after the course has started

If you are offered a place on a course that has already started, you will be contacted via the email adress you entered on antagning.se or universityadmissions.se. You accept or decline the offered place by replying to the email within the specified timeframe. If we do not receive an answer in time, we will contact the next reserve on the list.

If you are admitted with conditions

To be admitted with a condition means that you did not meet the eligibility conditions when you registered, but that you still have the chance to be admitted if you become eligible before the course or program starts.

If you are admitted with conditions to a course, you need to prove that the conditions are fulfilled and show the department that you have fulfilled your condition. You can find more information about what applies on the Student web.

Please note: You are always accepted for independent work with a condition. Contact the course leader or course administrator to show that you meet the conditions before they can register you.

If you are a student who is a citizen of a country outside of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, you are required to pay an application and tuition fee. You will receive payment instructions from the SLU Admissions Office. You will not be able to apply for a residence permit for studies until your tuition fee has been paid.

You will be sent an email with payment instructions for the first instalment of your tuition fees.

Tuition fees must have been received and SLU must have confirmed receipt before 15 December 2024. It is important that you plan how you will pay your tuition fees to SLU. The entire amount of the first semester’s tuition fees must be paid.

Questions and answers about tuition fees can be found by on the Tuition fee website.

You will need a residence permit for studies in Sweden if you will study at SLU for more than 3 months and you are not a citizen of an EU/EES country or Switzerland. You will be able to apply for a residence permit from the Swedish Migration Agency, (Migrationsverket) once you have paid your first instalment. Read more and apply on the Swedish Migration Agency's website.

Study in Sweden put together a video presentation together with the Swedish Migration Agency. This presentations will walk you through all the basic information related to applying for a residence permit for studies in Sweden. You can find the presentation here.

The application of the resicence permit can take at least 2-3 months. So be sure to apply as soon as possible.

As a fee-paying programme student, you are guaranteed housing if you have been admitted in the first admission round. This will be offered to you by SLU. If you are a fee-paying student who is granted a scholarship you are also guaranteed housing. Please note that the rent is not included in the tuition fee.

• Apply for SLU student housing

More information about student housing options for each SLU campus can be found on the SLU Housing web page. After you have received your acceptance letter from SLU, you will receive information about the accommodation you have been assigned, including suggested move in date and how/when to pick up the keys.

Please note, the accommodation is only offered to the admitted student.

You log in to Canvas on student.slu.se/canvas with your SLU account ('How to activate your student account' in the checklist).

Canvas

All SLU students have access to Canvas. However, the course leader in each course determines whether Canvas will be used in the course. Ask your course leader what applies to your course.

The course leader decides when a course should be visible in Canvas. As a rule, you get access to the course room when you are admitted to the course. Before you are registered on the course, you only have read access to the course room, which means that you cannot make submissions, quizzes or write posts. As soon as you have registered for the course, the rights are extended. Keep in mind that the content of each course room may vary depending on the course.

If you have questions about Canvas, contact IT support via support@slu.se or your course leader.

Read more about Canvas.

Once you are registered in an SLU course, you will receive an email informing you that you can pick up your access card from the service centre. It can take up to two days from registration before you receive this email.

Check that you are registered as a student before you visit the service centre. You can check if you are registered at Ladok Student from the Student web start page.

When collecting your card, you will need to bring ID and sign a receipt for your access card. You will be given your personal access card, the terms of use, information about how the card works and the PIN for the card. The PIN is generated automatically by the system and cannot be changed.

You will find more information about receiving the access card on the student web.

Read more about the academic year and semester dates in the Education planning and administration handbook.

As international students at SLU, you are eligible for a Mecenat card, free of charge. The Mecenat card is a student card which offers many student discounts, including for the public transportation and train companies throughout Sweden. This includes SL, UL, Skånetrafiken, SJ and more. In order to purchase bus/train tickets at the discounted student price, you must have a valid student ID from Sweden which shows the SL/UL logo on it. If you do not have the Mecenat card and you purchase the discounted bus/train tickets, you could be subject to a fine if you get caught by the ticket control.

Joining the student union is the easiest way to get the Mecenat card. If you want to join or are already a member of a student union at SLU, contact them for help getting your Mecenat card, as all student union members receive the card automatically. The student unions do not give out the physical cards, instead they use the Mercenatkort mobile app, and they will give you instructions on how to download your card. If you prefer to have a physical card however, you can request one once you have received your digital one. Please see the website of the Student Unions for more information. The digital card is sufficient all over Sweden for discounts, but if you travel abroad, the physical card is often preferred.

As a student, your have access to the SLU University Library. You can borrow course literature, books, use search tools and databases, get useful search tips and other support.

• Alnarp: Alnarpsgården, Sundsvägen 6
• Uppsala: Ulls hus, Almas allé 8
• Umeå: Skogishuset,  Skogmarksgränd 17

You can turn to the service centre (see addresses above) at each campus for any questions related to SLU and they will guide you to the right place.

During study hours, all students and doctoral students are covered by the personal injury insurance for students via Kammarkollegiet (the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency).

If you are a foreign student or doctoral student, exchange student, fee-paying student or Erasmus Mundus student, SLU provides various supplementary insurance policies. Your insurance policy will vary based on which category of student you are. Click the links below to read the full terms and conditions for each category:

• Fee-paying and scholarship students: You are covered 24 hours/day by the FAS+ insurance and the Personal Injury Insurance for students.
• Exchange students: You are covered 24 hours/day by the Personal Injury Insurance and the Student IN insurance.
• Free movers and non-fee paying students: You are covered only on university premises and during the journey to/from university by the Insurance for Foreign Visitors (formerly known as GIF insurance) and the Personal Injury Insurance for students. Additional insurance is highly recommended.
• Erasmus Mundus students: You are covered 24 hours/day by the Personal Injury Insurance for students and the Erasmus Mundus insurance.

Note: If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, make sure you have a European Health Insurance Card. The national health insurance provider from your country issues this card.

We also suggest that you visit SLU's web page on insurance. Additional information is available at Study in Sweden. 

We recommend you to look over your insurance coverage before you arrive in Sweden. If the insurances above are not sufficient, you should take out your own insurance policy.

It is good to be prepared for the cost of living in Sweden. Sweden is a relatively expensive country. You’ll need a minimum of SEK 10,314 per month to cover your living costs. Study in Sweden has good information about the cost of living and the average student budget.

For students staying in Sweden for less than six months, it is easier to make banking arrangements with your home bank than opening a bank account in Sweden. If you are staying in Sweden for one year or longer, you can apply for a Swedish personal identity number, which makes the process easier.

To become a bank customer, you need to be able to identify yourself, and answer questions about why you want to open an account.  The Swedish Bankers Association has more information about what the bank requires from you when you visit a bank branch: Becoming a bank customer

Sweden has four distinct seasons: spring (March to May), summer (June to August), autumn (September to October) and winter (November/December to February/March). Sweden can have winter temperatures around -30 degrees Celsius, even if this is not common in the southern parts of the country. The average temperature during the winter in the southern parts of the country is around +2 degrees. Summer temperatures in Sweden can rise to 30 degrees Celsius, and everything in between.

To have appropriate clothes for every season can be costly. Second-hand shops often offer cheaper alternatives. Mittens, hat, a winter coat/jacket and padded boots are recommended if you are staying for winter. Rain clothes are also very useful even during summertime. Since Sweden is a long country, depending on if you are staying in Umeå, Uppsala or Alnarp, winter temperatures will differ and the spring will arrive later the further north you are.

Swedish weather and nature

If you have moved to Sweden from abroad and are planning to live in Sweden for one year or more, you need to register in the Swedish Population Register. You will then get a Swedish personal identity number from the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). In order to register in the Swedish Population Register (become ’folkbokförd’), you must personally visit a Tax Agency office.

For more information, including what documents to bring to the tax agency office, please read the information on Skatteverket's website.

You can enter all your personal details in a digital form before your visit to the Tax Agency office. You need to print out the form and bring it to the Tax Agency office.

After receiving your personal identity number

When you have received your personal identity number, please send an email to Ladok@slu.se. This to make sure to update your temporary registration number in the SLU database of student records (Ladok).

In the email, please state:

• Your name
• Your current temporary student registration number listed in Ladok
• Your new 10-digit Swedish personal identity number
• Your study programme

Are you eager to learn some Swedish before you arrive? There are many tutorials online or check at Study in Sweden. You may also apply for a Swedish course for immigrants (SFI) from Hermods for free.

If you move abroad from Sweden and plan to stay away for a year or longer, you should not remain registered in Sweden. In this case, you must notify the Swedish Tax Agency that you are moving abroad at least one week before departure. If you forget to submit the notification on time, you should send it as soon as possible. You will find the form SKV 7665 Notification, Moving Abroad for download. Please fill in as much information as possible, as it will ease the handling of your notification.

If you move to another Nordic country

If you move to another Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Norway), the regulations of that country determine whether you are entered into its population register. You must notify the authorities in the other Nordic country of your move there, and inform the Swedish Tax Agency that you are leaving Sweden. You will be removed from the population register in Sweden once the other Nordic country has decided to register you in its population register.

When do you cease being registered in Sweden?

When you move to another country, you cease to be registered in Sweden as of the day you move away, as long as you have reported your move no later than on that day. If the notification is received by the Swedish Tax Agency later than that day, you cease to be registered in Sweden as of the day that the Agency received your notification.

If you move back to Sweden for further studies, work or other reasons you should again notify the Swedish Tax Agency.