What it is like to study in Sweden as an exchange and international student

I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to study in Sweden twice. Once as an exchange student as a part of my bachelor’s degree, and once as an international masters student. I have lived in two different cities for almost 3 years and can say that studying in Sweden was one of the best things I have ever done. Before I moved to Sweden for the first time to study, I was so nervous. I had never even really heard of Sweden, let alone the small city of Jönköping, so had absolutely no idea what lay ahead. Luckily, I made some of my best friends in that city, and we had some of the best adventures.

So I thought I would write a blog post about my experience, things I did and things I wish I had known when preparing to study in Sweden. I hope it helps you plan your studies or inspires you to take a leap and discover this amazing country.

My experiences studying in Sweden

Studying as an exchange student in Jönköping, Sweden

Jönköping is quite a small city in the middle of Småland, a county in Southern Sweden. Although it is a small city, it has a thriving student life and is a great place to study on exchange. The university, Jönköping Högskolan offers courses in business, education, engineering, healthcare, and other areas. I studied in the Engineering faculty (JTH) with subjects related to media communication and graphic design. These included web coding, information architecture, and interface design.

Studying as an international student in Gothenburg, Sweden

After moving back to Sweden, two years after my exchange, I decided to start studying for my master’s in communication at Gothenburg University (Göteborgs Universitet). As an international Masters student, you stay in Sweden for 2 years, with the option to go on an exchange semester during the course. I love living in Gothenburg and love being an international student at Gothenburg University. The majority of the masters programs are in English and attract a lot of international students from all over Europe so it is a fun way to meet a lot of new people. My campus is on Lindholmen so I take the ferry to school, a trip that makes me truly grateful to live here every single day. The course itself is great, but very theoretical and requires a lot of reading.

Things to know before arriving to study in Sweden

The semesters are set up differently

The Swedish university school year usually runs from the end of August to the end of May/the start of June. The school year is split up into two semesters and each semester is split up into two terms. The first semester runs from August to January and the second from January to June. There are no official breaks between semesters or terms so it often depends on your course whether you have any holiday over Christmas. However, many courses finish up classes around the 20th of December and leave the following 2-3 weeks as an assessment/ exam period where you will either be studying for an exam in January or have an essay to write.

During each semester you take a total of 4 courses however they usually run two courses at a time. So during each term, you do two courses, and then two different courses the following term. I think this is a great system because it means you can really focus on the subjects you are studying without having to juggle too many different assessments from different disciplines at the same time!

Assessments and exams can be retaken without problem

This is something I love about studying in Sweden – Everything can be re-taken at least twice. If you fail an exam, or even just fail to hand it in there will always be 2 set dates for future reexaminations which come at no cost to your final grade. If you fail an assignment the same applies but sometimes you are simply required to hand in an additional piece of work or make changes to your original hand in. It makes everything way less stressful!

Another plus with the Swedish grading system is that a lot of assessments (especially group assignments) has a pass/ fail grade only. This is GREAT when it is the middle of a busy semester and you’re stressing over several assignments at once because it means you only have to fill the criteria to pass! There is no bonus for going beyond expectations!

Make sure to participate in the “kick off” activities

The “kick-off” is the festival which happens 1 to 2 weeks before the start of the year where new students join teams made up for each faculty to play games and compete in competitions. This is more popular for bachelor programs, however, there is always an additional team for international students! It is the absolute best way to make friends in and outside of your program and a great way to get to learn about the city you are in!

kick off international student jönköping sweden

Not all universities offer accommodation

This is especially true for international students, but occasionally the same happens with exchange students. While some Universities have dedicated accommodation, it can be hard to secure an apartment this way! If you are planning to come as an international student for 1-2 years, it’s always best to search for other accommodation just incase! Renting in Sweden is a bit of a strange system and the easiest way to find an apartment is usually through Facebook groups of Blocket Bostad! There are quite a lot of scams about though so make sure to have seen the apartment before putting down any money.

Sweden is expensive

This is one of the worst things about studying in Sweden as an international or exchange student. Sweden is quite expensive. Housing in big cities is okay on a student budget, but make sure you save up a lot before moving over unless you want to be working alongside your studies.

What’s it like to study in Sweden?

Overall I have had a great experience! The education has been of high quality and the schooling system is set up really well. As taking one or a few gap years is encouraged in Sweden, while people decide what they want to study, I have found generally that the people in my courses have been much more driven and interested in the studies and therefore group work is much easier and overall the classes have been more fun!

Top tips for enjoying your exchange/ international studies in Sweden

Make the most of the Swedish classes offered

It is well known that you can get by in Sweden by only speaking English, however, to really immerse yourself here, Swedish is important. I know, after living here for 3 years, that life in Sweden is really enriched with Swedish knowledge. Not only is it easier to communicate with official services like the tax agency etc. it is also easier to integrate into society. It’s so nice to be able to interact with my neighbours and people on the street without feeling like they have to speak English to me.

Most universities offer free Swedish classes to international and exchange students. These courses are usually quite fast paced and teach you really important basics such as how to structure sentences, vocabulary, and sequences like ordering a meal or buying a train ticket. I cannot recommend this more, especially if you are in Sweden for a master’s program, or intent to remain here after your studies.

Travel as much as you can (especially on exchange)

For me, traveling on the weekends was one of the best parts of my exchange in Sweden! Not only did we spend weekends visiting other countries in Europe (like Norway, Denmark, Poland, and Russia) but we also did trips around Sweden which was a great way to see a little more of the country and see a bit of what life is like outside of the student cities! One of the best trips was to Kiruna in the middle of November where we stayed in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with only water from a frozen lake and heat from the sauna! We saw the northern lights every day, rode snow mobiles to reindeer farms and walked around Abisko national Park! Otherwise we had a great road trip down the West Coast and enjoyed more than one weekend in Stockholm! It can be hard to find travel destinations in Sweden as it seems like not that much is advertised! So make sure to check out all my tips for travel in Sweden here!

Do things outside of the University

Most Swedish universities have great event programs for exchange and international students where you can take international trips, or attend things like game nights. The University student unions will also hold a lot of activities, parties and the like that you can attend with your school friends! However, one of my top tips for experiencing your time in Sweden is stepping outside of these programs and joining things that are set up for the wider community! This way you get much more of an insight into Sweden and how life really is! Some things you can do are go to quiz nights at local pubs (in big cities there are always several quizzes in English!), find Facebook groups where you can meet up with other international students or people (groups like Expats in Gothenburg or Gothenburg Girls Gone International).