Checklist for incoming exchange students

Your acceptance letter (notification of selection results) will be sent out around one month after the application deadline. You will need to log in to your University Admissions account to view the letter. The letter can also be downloaded as a PDF.

If you are not a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you will need to apply for a residence permit from the Swedish Migration Agency. Visit  their website to read more and apply.

Study in Sweden and the Migration Agency have created a series of videos to guide you through your resident permit application process. The application process can take at least three months, so you should apply as soon as possible.

SLU will not sign a learning agreement until you have been admitted onto your courses. Once you are admitted, you can send us your Erasmus+ learning agreement, if applicable. SLU is a member of the Erasmus Without Papers initiative, enabling us to sign learning agreements electronically, as long as your home university is also a member. You must make sure that your university will accept the courses you have been admitted to before sending your learning agreement to us.

SLU has campuses all over Sweden. The three main campuses are located in Uppsala (Ultuna), Alnarp (Malmö/Lomma) and Umeå. View the campus maps and read more here.

Directions to each campus are available here.

Your university will provide you with a certificate of arrival and departure. If you have not received the document, contact your university. Fill in as much information as possible before sending the certificate to us to be signed. SLU’s Erasmus code is S UPPSALA 02.

SLU can sign your certificate of arrival during the meet and greet session. Alternatively, you can email it to us and we will sign it once you have registered for your courses first in Ladok. Use the date of your first day on campus for orientation/your first lesson as your arrival date. The same applies for certificate of departure; your departure date is the last date of your studies – not the date you intend to leave Sweden. If you will be staying after the end of the semester, either to re-sit an exam or finish your thesis, write the date of your final exam on the certificate.

You must submit your accommodation application to the SLU Housing Office by the deadline. Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee accommodation.

• Apply for SLU student accommodation

The SLU Housing webpage has more information about SLU’s accommodation. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer housing for families/partners. If you require larger accommodation than single room in a hall of residence, you will need to organise your own housing for the duration of your exchange. If you would like to bring a pet, please contact housing@slu.se to see if this is possible.

Once you have received your acceptance letter, you will be sent information about your assigned accommodation together with the move in date and how/when to collect your keys.

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. 

Study support is available if you have a permanent disability that affects your studies. A disability is a physical or mental impairment that has a long-term effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Disabilities include dyslexia, physical impairments, mental and neuropsychiatric disorders, visual or hearing impairments and certain chronic illnesses. More information about study support for permanent disabilities is available on the student web.

Students without a Swedish personal identity number

With the student IT account, you can log in to student computers, the student web, use the library's resources and log in to your SLU email account.

If someone at SLU like to contact you or inform you about something, this is the email address they will use. Therefore, make it a habit to read emails sent to your SLU email address.

Take the following steps to get your student login:

1. Read and sign the IT-login contract, which outlines the rules applicable to your account. By acknowledging the account, you accept these rules. You can find more information about it here: New student - information about student IT account. You can create your student IT account now by following the instructions below.
   
   
2. Contact the IT Service desk at phone number +46 18676600, choose option 1, and provide the case number above. We will conduct an ID check via video before providing you with your account details. Please ensure you have your ID readily available. Our service desk is open 8:00-16:00, Monday-Friday, CEST.
   
   
3. During the call, you will be prompted to join https://join.video.slu.se/webapp/#/?conference=it-stod

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  for courses starting in the autumn semester. And in January for courses in the spring semester.

Click on New account to activate your user account.

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, contact support@slu.se.

Contact IT Support

Contact IT Support on your campus if you experience any problems. Please note that they do not offer IT Support for your personal devices.

If you have any questions about your student IT account, contact support@slu.se.

Once you have been admitted to courses at SLU, you will be unable to apply for new courses through University Admissions. The possibility of changing courses is limited and not guaranteed, however you can email your request to mobility@slu.se. In your email, please state the reason for your request and make sure to suggest alternative courses – you must meet any entry requirements. Look for courses in the course list for incoming exchange students.

Once you have registered for an SLU course, you will receive an email informing you that you can collect your access card from the service centre. It may take up to two days after registration before you can pick up the card.

Service Centres:

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

Please ensure you bring identification with you when you go to collect your access card. When you sign for your card, you will also receive a copy of the terms of use and an automatically generated PIN. Please note that this PIN cannot be changed.

More information about the access card is available on the student web.

Visit student.slu.se/canvas and use your student account to log in.

All SLU students have access to Canvas. However, it is up to the course coordinator if they will be using the platform for their particular course. Contact them to find out more.

Your course coordinator decides what will be available in Canvas. Generally, you will be given read-only access to the course once you have been admitted. You will not be able to submit assignments, take quizzes or make posts until you have registered on the course. Keep in mind that the content of each Canvas course may vary.

If you have questions about Canvas, contact IT Support via support@slu.se or the course coordinator.

Read more about Canvas.

On the first day of your course, you will be given important information about the course and the examination and grading requirements. Notify the course coordinator if you are unable to attend this first session. If you do not register for the course, you will not be able to receive any credits. By registering on the course, you will also activate the Kammarkollegiet insurance policy.

Find your schedule

Your schedule will be published on the course page and on Canvas. Use the course search tool to find the relevant course page. Here you see where and when your course starts. You can always ask the Service Centre for directions if you are unsure of where to find the teaching room.

Course registration in Ladok Student

Register for courses in Ladok Student. If you are unable to register for a course yourself, ask the course coordinator or administrator to register you at the start of the course.

How to register in Ladok Student:

1. Go to Ladok Student.
2. Select ‘Login via your university’.
3. Search and select ‘Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences’.
4. Log in using your SLU student account details.
5. A list of courses open for registration can be found under ‘Registration’.
6. Click ‘Register’ under the title of the course you want to take.

If you are admitted after the semester has started

If you have been admitted to a course that has already started, it is important that you participate in the classes as soon as possible. 

You will find your schedule on the course page. Use the course search tool to find your course page.

Your Course Coordinator also need to extend the registration in Ladok

As an SLU student, you are welcome to join a student union. You can read about the different unions here. By joining a union, you will be eligible for the Mecenat student discount card, read more below.

Read about student life in Umeå.
Read about student life in Alnarp. The student union in Alnarp’s webpage has a lot of useful information for incoming students.
Read about the student union in Ultuna (Uppsala).

If you are a member of the Ultuna student union, you will also have access to the student nations (social clubs) in Uppsala. You will need to visit the nation in person to join and show them your union membership and proof of registration at SLU.

Here you can read about events taking place on all the SLU campuses.

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.

• 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.

Certificate of departure/attendance

Your home university is responsible for proving you with your certificate of departure/attendance. Please contact them if you do not have one. Fill in as much information on the certificate as possible before sending it to us for signing. SLU’s Erasmus code is S UPPSALA 02. You need to include the final date of your studies at SLU – not the date you intend to leave Sweden. If you will be staying after the end of the semester, either to re-sit an exam or finish your thesis, write the date of your final exam on the certificate.

Transcripts

Make sure your grades have been registered in Ladok. It might take up to 15 working days before results have been registered for a course. You can download your transcripts from SLU Ladok. If you need an official transcript, please email the Service Centre, servicecenter@slu.se. Read more here.

Grading scales

SLU generally uses a four-point grading scale:

• 5 (Pass with special distinction)
• 4 (Pass with credit)
• 3 (Pass)
• U (Fail)

In some instances, a two-point grading scale is used:

• G (Pass)
• U (fail)

SLU cannot convert grades to other universities’ grading scales. Your home university will oversee the conversion of any transferred credits.

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 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

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

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.