Information for international students at SLU - autumn semester 2017

There are a few things to keep in mind prior to your arrival and at the start of the semester.

1. Accept your offer

On 13 July students who have applied to the Second admission round will receive their Notification of Selection Results from universityadmissions.se.

You must reply to your offer by 28 July in order to keep places you have been offered.

• More informtion about admission.

2. Accommodation

SLU guarantees accommodation for exchange students and fee-paying students. Other students need to find their own accommodation.

Once you have been accepted as a student at SLU, it is time to think about accommodation options. Finding an appropriate place to stay can be a time-consuming process. Below you find some useful links for each campus.

• SLU accommodation pages.

NB. If you have guaranteed accommodation through SLU, you may have to arrange your own accommodation for the first night if you cannot come during office hours to collect your keys.

Campus Alnarp

Alnarp is close to the two cities Malmö and Lund. It is easy to commute to Campus Alnarp from both Malmö and Lund.

• Apply for student housing in Alnarp.

You can also join Studentlund and a student nation (student social club) in Lund. Studentlund membership gives you access to housing, cultural events, social activities, clubs, sports activities and much more.

To join a nation and get your membership you must travel to Lund and visit your chosen nation. Here is how you do it.

• Student housing in Malmö
• Second-hand housing in Malmö
• How to avoid frauds on the second-hand housing market

Campus Ultuna - Uppsala

Start your search for accommodation by visiting SLU's page on accommodation in Uppsala.

If you have not been able to find anywhere to stay, Studentboet organises emergency housing for the autumn semester. At the Studentboet Facebook page you will also find the most recent ads for accommodation in Uppsala.

You can also join a student nation. The nations offer housing, social activities, sports, clubs, cultural events and much more. There are 13 student nations to choose from in Uppsala.

Umeå

Start your search for accommodation by visiting the SLU accommodation page for Umeå.

Bostaden is Umeå's largest housing company.

2. Residence permit and visas for students from outside the European Union

If you are from a country outside the European Union, you need to get started applying for your residence permit for studies as soon as you have been admitted. See Residence permits and visas for the basics, and head to the Swedish Migration Agency's website to apply. Read more at Study in Sweden.

NB. Be sure to apply for a residence permit for studies.

3. Insurance

Below is information on the different insurances you are covered by as an international student in Sweden. What your insurance covers depends on what student category you belong to, see below what applies to you.

It is important that you address the insurance issue before your travel to Sweden. You may need additional insurance depending on your specific situation. Read more about insurance cover for international students in Sweden.

For more information, and if you have further questions on insurance, please visit Kammarkollegiet's website.

NB. If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, make sure you have a European Health Insurance Card. These are issued by your national health insurance provider.

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

Students who pay tuition fees and scholarship students

The Swedish state provides an insurance called FAS+ which includes property cover. It is available for citizens of countries that are not members of the European Union/EEA, and for citizens of Switzerland, who are studying an undergraduate or Master's level course or programme in Sweden and pay tuition fees for their studies. This includes scholarship students.

Exchange students

As an international student studying in Sweden you are covered by insurance 24 hours/day. The Personal Injury Insurance covers you while you are on the university's premises. The Student IN insurance is a complement to the Personal Injury Insurance. For more information, see Kammarkollegiet's web.

Free movers and non-fee paying students

As a free mover or non-fee paying student in Sweden, you have free insurance that covers you while you are on the university's premises and during the journey to and from university. This insurance is called GIF group and personal insurance.

Additional insurance is highly recommended.

4. Cost of living

It is good to be prepared for the cost of living in Sweden. Sweden is a relatively expensive country. Expect living costs to be between SEK 8,000 and 9,000 a month (appr. EUR 850-950 or USD 900-1,000).

5. Swedish weather

Sweden can have winter temperatures around -30 degrees Celsius, even if this is not common in the southern parts of the country. Summer temperatures can rise to at least +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

6. Banking

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 more than six months and want to open a bank account, this information is a good start:

• Swedish banks – information for international students

7. Learning Swedish

Are you eager to learn some Swedish before you arrive? Here is a free online introduction course you can join: Learning Swedish.

You may also apply for a Swedish course for immigrants (SFI) from Hermods for free. Hermods also offer online courses.

1. How to get to your city and campus

Travel to Uppsala and Campus Ultuna from Arlanda Airport

A cheap and convenient way to reach Uppsala from Arlanda Airport is to take regional bus no 801 from outside Terminal 5 (tickets can be bought at Arlanda). Cash is not accepted on the buses.

You can also travel by train from Arlanda. The trains are faster than the bus but more expensive. There is also the option of taking a taxi. Make sure the taxi company is from Uppsala and not Stockholm as thet will be more costly. You can always pre-book a taxi from Terminal 5 to Campus Ultuna.

You can find travel information and timetables for regional and local buses and trains at the UL web.

At the SJ web, you can search for departures from Arlanda to Uppsala central station and book your trip.

When you have arrived in Uppsala, you can take regional bus number 100 and 101 or local bus number 4 from the station to Campus Ultuna.

You can pay by credit card on the bus, but cash is not accepted. If you are planning on travelling by bus on a regular basis, it is cheaper to buy a bus card (monthly card or a top-up card) than single tickets. You can buy a bus card at Pressbyrån inside the station building. Inside the station, you will also find the travel centre for local buses and trains, UL. Across Kungsgatan (the main street closest to the central station where many local buses leave from), you will find the Uppsala tourist centre.

• Finding your way to Campus Ultuna

Travel to Malmö and Campus Alnarp

From Kastrup/Copenhagen Airport, take the Öresund train to Malmö central station. Take bus number 133 from outside Malmö C to Alnarp Kungsgårdsvägen.

From Sturup/Malmö Airport, take the airport bus to Malmö central station. Take bus number 133 from outside Malmö C to Alnarp Kungsgårdsvägen.

• Find your way to Campus Alnarp

Travel to Umeå

Arriving by air
Umeå is located 640 kilometres north of Stockholm, so the easiest and fastest way is to fly here. Flights from Stockholm take about 60 minutes and there are several airlines to choose from. SAS and Norwegian fly from Arlanda, the largest airport in Sweden and the airport you often arrive at if you fly to Sweden from abroad. Finnair also has departures with direct flights from Helsinki in Finland. If you book well in advance, you can get a single ticket for about SEK 500.

You can also fly to Umeå via another airport called Bromma with BRA airline. Bromma Airport is about 20 minutes by bus from Stockholm central station.

Once you arrive in Umeå, the airport bus leaves from outside the airport.

Arriving by train
The travel time by train from Stockholm varies between 6 and 10 hours depending on the number of train changes and if you choose to take the train from Arlanda Airport or from Stockholm central station.

If you travel by night train, you can choose between a couchette or a sleeping car, where a couchette is a cheaper alternative. If you book well in advance, you can get a single ticket for about SEK 500. An advantage of taking the train is that you arrive in the centre of town and do not need to travel from the airport.

• Finding your way to SLU Umeå
• At SJ you can find timetables, book your trip and read about travelling by train in Sweden.
• Here you can also read about the night trains.

2. Swedish personal identity number

If you are planning to stay in Sweden for a year or longer, you need to be registered in the Swedish Population Register. You will then get a Swedish personal identity number from the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). Visit your local tax agency office.

You need a personal identity number to open a bank account and for other important matters. It will also give you access to healthcare in the same way as a permanent Swedish citizen. For more information, including what documents to bring to the tax agency office, please read Skatteverket's information.

3. How to activate your student IT account

Students without a Swedish personal identity number

If you do not have a Swedish personal identity number, you will need to visit IT support to activate your account. Please have your ID documents and admission decision with you.

You can get your IT account by mid August the earliest.

Students with a Swedish personal identity number

Once you have received your second admission decision, you can activate your account at SLU. You can do this by mid August the earliest.

Click on New account to activate your user account. You will be redirected to Antagning.se, where you can activate your SLU account using your login details for Antagning.se.

Before you get an account, you should read the regulations that apply to the use of IT resources and accept them by checking the box.

If you encounter any problems, please contact IT support at your campus. Please have your ID documents and admission decision with you.

For questions about your IT account, email it-stod@slu.se.

4. Access card

Once you are registered on 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 My studies or 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.

Service centres

• 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.

1. Introduction to the IT environment

The Division of IT offers new students a brief introduction to the university's IT environment. The presentation is aimed at new students who wish to gain an understanding of how the IT environment works at SLU. We will talk about user accounts, the student portal e-mail and user folders on the file server, access to computer labs, the printing system, access to the student network and how to connect to the network from home.

2. SLU Library

If you have any questions about the SLU Library and how it works, please visit their web pages. You may also get help with library issues by booking a librarian.

3. Healthcare

• The emergency number for the whole of Sweden is 112. This is the number you phone in case of immediate danger.

As a student, you can turn to the student health centres if you need to see a doctor or a psychiatrist. Read more about what to do in case of illness or crisis.

You will find information about the Swedish healthcare system in the online healthcare guide, 1177.

For non-emergency healthcare questions, you can call the number 1177 and get medical advice and guidance 24/7. Your call will be answered by a nurse who understands English. The website www.1177.se also has information about healthcare in several other languages.

The website Study in Sweden also has information on health insurance and medical care.