About
Stockholm University (SU) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, and is the largest university in the Scandinavian region. It is renowned for its facilities and strength in numerous disciplines, including geography, business and law, and for its focus on international collaboration and partnerships as a force for a better world.
SU was founded in 1878 as Stockholm University College, radical alternative to traditional educational establishments. It began without exams or diplomas, offering open lectures to any interested member of the public, a form of democratic education that is continued at the university today. It gained the ability to issue degrees in 1904 and was granted university status in 1960. In 1889 Sonja Kovalevsky (born Sofja Krujukovsky) became a professor in the mathematics department, becoming the first female professor in Sweden and the world’s first female professor of mathematics.
Today, SU has close to 30,000 students, 5 campuses and 5,500 members of staff.
Consult SU on QS World Rankings to learn more about their current world ranking and academic reputation in different subject areas.
This page serves as an overview for SU Exchange students.
Location
Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden. Located by the Baltic Sea and built on 14 islands, Stockholm is one of Europe’s largest and best-preserved medieval city centres. The capital is lively, vibrant and there is always something to do. Besides the wonderful museums and galleries, architecture, art and history are interwoven into the fabric of Stockholm, from the subway stations to the street corners. There are 5 university campuses, all in the north of the city and easily accessible by public transport.
Summers in Stockholm are on the cool side at an average of 16 degrees Celsius. Make sure to bring a light jacket along with your summer clothes. Due to its latitude Stockholm experiences up to 18 hours of daylight in midsummer – if you struggle to sleep when it’s light, consider bringing an eye mask.
The Department of Human Geography is located in the Geo Science Building on Campus Frescati, within the Royal National City Park, and the Stockholm Business School is located in House 2 on Campus Albano.
Learn more here about how to find your way around SU’s campus.
Level of competitiveness
This exchange is only open to students in (2): the School of Business and Management and the School of Geography.
- School of Business and Management (for Stockholm Business School) -– Very competitive ***
- School of Geography (for the Department of Human Geography) -– Very competitive ***
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Language of Instruction
All degree programmes offered in partnership with Queen Mary are taught in English, and English is widely spoken in Stockholm – it is hard to find anyone resident in Stockholm who does not have an intermediate level of English. However, learning a local language is a great way to get to know and get integrated within a new place. The university provides many language-learning resources including formal Swedish classes, a language café, language exchanges and informal group classes (eg. The Swedish film club). This webpage has information about all the resources on offer.
Academic Calendar
- Semester one: – August – January
- Semester two: – January – June
Find SU’s full academic calendar here. SU also organises a programme of Welcome activities at the start of each semester that Queen Mary students going to SU on exchange are expected to attend.
Courses
Students in both the Stockholm Business School (SBS) or the Department of Human Geography may study the equivalent of 25%-50% of their module credits outside of their host department but within the same faculty (subject to SU availability, capacity and pre-requisites being met). Nevertheless, students must still respect the creditload subject-area requirements to progress on their Queen Mary degree programme, so students may only take advantage of this flexibile module offering within the framework of their Queen Mary degree requirements.
Both SBS and Human Geography are within SU’s Faculty of Social Sciences, so students may have access to modules within any of the departments within the faculty. This webpage gives a full list of departments and centres, or you can find courses and programmes via search function.
More information about selecting modules as an exchange student at SU can be found here.
Credits
Students must enrol on a full courseload: 30 ECTS per semester / 60 ECTS for the full academic year (equivalent to 60 Queen Mary credits per semester / 120 Queen mary credits for the full academic year).
Many SU modules are approximately 6 ECTS credits but not all, so students must select sufficient modules to reach the required creditload without under/overloading.
SU uses a seven-point grading system of A-F, with A-E being a pass and FX-F being a fail.
SU maintains a useful Practicalities page with resources and information about many aspects of coming to Stockholm, including banking, accommodation, insurance, language courses, etc.
Moreover, SU’s New Student pages contain extensive information and support for anyone newly arriving to study in Stockholm.
Queen Mary student feedback
Blog posts on Queen Mary Global Bloggers:
YouTube videos/vlogs:
- Victoria in Sweden (different host institution but relevant for the greater Stockholm area and Sweden)
Accommodation
All admitted exchange students will receive information via email on how to apply for accommodation through the Housing Office. SU provides some on-campus accommodation for exchange students in university-owned halls of residence, but this is limited. This page details the full accommodation process.
Alternatively, the university provides information on how to rent privately on this webpage.
Cost of living
Stockholm University provides information on the cost of living as a student here. You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Stockholm here.
Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
Support services
For Disabled students, SU may be able to provide help and support during your time abroad. Further details specifically for students from the School of Business and Management joining the Stockholm Business School (SBS) are available here.
Study and Career counsellors are also available for all exchange students.
Student life
Stockholm is an interesting and accessible city to be a student – particularly on a budget. Many of the museums and galleries are free – if you can’t walk across one of the many bridges to your destination, public transport is widely used, very affordable and in some cases free. If you are visiting in June be sure not to miss Midsummer, the national holiday at the end of the month.
Student union and societies
SU has an active student union, with smaller branches for each educational department, as well as faculty clubs for specific subjects. These groups organise social and learning events for their students on a regular basis.
The cost of Student membership is very reasonable and entitles students to a student ID, multiple student discounts and free drop-in to the SUS students’ sport centre.
More information can be found on this webpage.
Sports and fitness
SU has many sports facilities and clubs including an outdoor gym, an instructor-led training centre, a 24/7 gym and a sports centre free to students with student union membership. More information is located on this webpage. Stockholm is an interesting and accessible city to be a student – particularly on a budget.
