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.

Once you have registered for an SLU course, you will be eligible for the Mecenat student discount card. Discounts include travel on public transport throughout Sweden. To be eligible for student travel discounts you must have a valid Mecenat card with the logo of your regional transport provider (e.g. Skånetrafiken, SL/UL, Länstrafiken). If you buy a discounted ticket without having the Mecenat card, you may be fined. Therefore, you will be unable to access these discounts upon arrival in Sweden – you must first register at SLU.

The easiest way to get the Mecenat card is by joining a student union, as all student union members receive the card automatically. The student unions do not issue physical cards, instead you will be given instructions on how to download the Mecenatkort app and activate your digital card. If you would prefer a physical card, you can request one once you have activated your digital card. The student unions’ page on the student web has more information. The digital card is accepted all over Sweden, but you may prefer a physical card when travelling abroad.

Visit Mecenat’s website for more information about the card for SLU students.

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.

We recommend that all incoming exchange students have comprehensive health and accident insurance from their home university/country.

Exchange students at SLU are covered by the Student IN supplementary insurance policy from Kammarkollegiet. This policy covers accidents and is only valid in Sweden.

If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, make sure you have a European Health Insurance Card issued by your country’s social insurance agency.

The SLU student web has a page on insurance and further information is available on the Study in Sweden site. 

Sweden has a relatively high cost of living, so it is a good idea to be prepared. Study in Sweden has helpful information about the cost of living and suggests an average student budget.

If you will be staying in Sweden for less than six months, it is easier to make banking arrangements with your home bank than to open a Swedish bank account. If you will be staying in Sweden for one year or more, you need to apply for a Swedish personal identity number. Having a personal identity number will make opening a bank account easier.

To be able to open a bank account, you must be able to provide proof of identity and explain why you want a Swedish account. The Swedish Bankers’ Association has more information about what banks require when opening an account. Read 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 Swedish state service centre.

For more information, including what documents to bring to thea Swedish state service centre, please read the information on Skatteverket's website.

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 visit Study in Sweden.
The SLU libraries organise language cafés, where you can meet with Swedish students and staff and practise your Swedish. The libraries also arrange other exciting activities.

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. 

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.