The 13 Student Nations are the heart of Uppsala student’s life. Much more than a student association, a place to get scholarships, or a student housing office, nations are all of these and far, far more - each with their own buildings and long history. 

They are so important to the Uppsala experience, that they have their own guide - For an excellent overview on what each nation is about and what they offer, check KK’s Beginner’s Guide here, or have a look at our explanation of the nation life.

For a quick tip, the website Nationsguiden is offered in English, and shows everything the nations offer each day. Other than Studentportalen (the website for university), consider it the most important webpage for an Uppsala student!

Nation Housing

If you are planning on staying for more than one semester, it can be a great idea to apply for nation housing. Nation housing is often much cheaper and better than the university housing office areas for international students, and especially for those staying 2 years or more can save a lot of money. Often you don’t pay for your corridor room over the summer!

Other than being a member of the particular nation, each nation has their own way of giving out housing. The amount of housing available from each nation and how long the queue times are varies a lot, more information about which nations are currently easiest to get housing at and the requirements for each can be found here. Some nations have housing reserved for new students, and for some nations you can apply for housing before being admitted to Uppsala university or being a member of the nation.

Student Unions

Other than the student nations, the other main social groups for Uppsala students are the student unions, who beyond playing an important social role in each program, protect the interests of students in various contexts. There are six student unions at Uppsala University:

• Uppsala Student Union (Uppsala studentkår)

• Uppsala Union of Engineering and Science Students

• Pharmaceutical Student Association 

• Uppsala Business & Economics Students Association

• Law students’ Association in Uppsala

• Rindi, Gotland’s Student Union

Information on each of these can be found here.

Student Health

Uppsala University

The university provides an excellent outline of the health services available to students here. Their Student Health center is also a good way to ask when you are unsure where to go to get medical help. The advice on getting healthcare for EU and non-EU international students differs slightly, later in the guide will contain more specific information for each. 

1177 and 112

If you fall ill, 1177 is the phone number to call for medical advice, which is available in both English and Swedish. If there is a life threatening emergency, in Sweden 112 is the phone number to call for an ambulance, police and fire department.

If you have a personal number and a BankID, you can log in to 1177.se and book doctor’s appointments and check your medical background, notes from doctors etc.

Transportation

Bikes

In Uppsala, bicycles are king! The city has some of the best bicycle infrastructure and culture in the world, and other than in the coldest part of winter, bicycles are the best way to get from A to B.

If you want to buy a bicycle and don’t want to spend too much money, consider buying second hand. The best places for this are Facebook Marketplace, Blocket and Tradera. There are also several shops in the city where you can buy a bike second hand, and in Flogsta there is a bike flea market at the beginning of each semester. If you want more service, stores like Decathlon and Biltema sell cheap new bikes that can include checkups and service for the first few years. Shop around.

No matter what bicycle you choose - make sure it is safe. By law, bikes in Uppsala (and all over Sweden) have to have working lights, reflectors and a bell, and beyond that, you should make sure your brakes and wheels are in good condition. There are many bicycle repair stores in the city, which vary in quality and prices. Google reviews are a good way to find the best one close to your location.

Public Transport

In Uppsala, the public transport is organised by UL. This includes busses in the city and trains in Uppsala Län. Download the app and use the travel funds there to get cheaper tickets. If you want to explore Sweden, you can use SJ and explore by train. SJ has student prices, for that you need to show that you are studying. This is done by showing your nation card for example. If you want to travel within Stockholm, you have to use SL. With your Studentcard authentication, you can get a discount on the prices.

Airport Transfer 

To get to Uppsala from Arlanda, you can take the Bus 801 to the Central station. If you use the UL app, the ticket costs between 78-100 SEK. The university provides information on how to get to Uppsala as well.

Bureaucratic and Organisational Information 

Migrationsverket

Migrationsverket is the migration agency of Sweden, and your main contact for things such as applying for study residence permits and receiving residence permit cards. Of all the government agencies in Sweden, Migrationsverket is known to be overworked and can be sometimes difficult to deal with.

The best advice we can give you, is that you should be extremely careful with all documents you submit to them, and expect long wait times for decisions. On their website, when they give a recommended timeframe for submitting applications, you should apply as early as possible and follow their instructions to the letter. Far more international students have been sent home because of mistakes in their paperwork than you would expect. Their website contains all the information you will need in English.

When accepted to study at Uppsala, the University provides you with a temporary number that matches the Personal-Number scheme: YYYYMMDD-TXXX. With this number you can do organisational matters with the university and sign up to nations, but it is not an official identifier. Your T-Number can be found easily when logging into studentportalen in the top right by clicking on your name. 

In Sweden, everything runs using the personal number system. It is a 12 digit number containing your birthday and 4 digits (YYYYMMDD-XXXX). Other than being your primary identification for authorities, it is used for countless other things, such as opening bank accounts, sending money through Swish (Important!), mobile BankID and even signing up to grocery store loyalty programs. If you are staying longer than a year, you should apply for a person number as soon as possible, you apply for one at Skatteverket when you register at the Swedish Population Register. Only students who will be in Sweden for a year or more can apply for a personal number. 

Skatteverket

Skatteverket is the Tax Agency of Sweden. Here you apply for a personal number and identity card, register your address and declare your taxes. If you are planning to live in Sweden for longer than a year, you have to be registered at the Swedish Population Register at Skatteverket. Information on how to do this can be found here. 

If you have a Swedish personal number, you can apply for an Identity Card at Skatteverket. You need this card to open an online banking account (Which you need for Swish and to authenticate yourself with BankID). To get an identity card, you need a passport. An identity card, drivers licence etc is not enough. More information on which documents are approved can be found here. The application process includes paying a 400SEK fee in advance. More information about the Identity Card can be found here.

In Sweden, you can identify yourself with BankID online or Mobile BankID on your phone. For this, you need to open a bank account and enable online banking. 

Bureaucratic and Organisational Information: EU International Students

If you are from the EU, other than the advice above regarding personal number and Skatteverket, the advice differs mostly with CSN and The Swedish Social Insurance Agency. 

CSN

CSN is the Swedish board of student finance, who provide grants and loans for studies in Sweden. It is little known, but if you are from the EU it is possible to apply for CSN - Information on how to do this can be found here. If you are from the EU you must work 10 hours a week to apply for the grant and loans. This work can be within the nations, so another reason to check out on how to become active! The grant includes 3 312SEK a month and on top of that you can apply for up to 7 616SEK a month for student loans. 

Försäkringskassan - Housing & Healthcare

Föräkringskassan (The Swedish Social Insurance Agency) is responsible for administering social insurance in Sweden. Through them, it is possible to apply for a young person’s housing allowance (Bostadsbidrag), and also, through reciprocal agreements with other EU countries, healthcare. All information on this can be found on their website.

Bureaucratic and Organisational Information: Non- EU International Students

As an international student from outside the EU, the advice differs mostly in insurance and CSN. 

Insurance 

It is extremely important that as an international student, you have insurance coverage during your stay in Sweden. If you are a full fee paying international student at Uppsala University, the university provides insurance called FAS+. More information on this can be found here. Otherwise, as an exchange student, the university provides insurance called Kammarkollegiet, more information on this can be found here. This is important to read as there are some exemptions where you may need to purchase insurance from your home country.

CSN

In some cases as a non-EU student, it is also possible to apply for CSN. More information can be found in this document here.  

Grants and Scholarships

The university, nations and unions provide numerous scholarships for international students. For most of the scholarships you need to have been studying for one semester full time at the University so your results are in the national higher-education register Ladok. But you can try and apply for scholarships in the first semester.

Uppsala University Grants & Scholarships for Non-EU students

The university itself provides multiple grants and scholarships for international students. These are all quite competitive, as there is a small number and they pay large amounts towards tuition fees for full-fee paying international students. Information on these can be found here. 

Scholarships

The university provides an easy interface at stipendier.uu.se for scholarships. Applications open in the beginning of the semester, and the scholarships are awarded at the end of the semester. Using the filters on the right, track down which scholarships you are eligible for. 

Although many scholarships say they are tied to being from a particular area in Sweden or even being related to a particular family, a good tip is that if it says “preference given to” and not requirement, you are free to apply. Many of these scholarships go unclaimed every year. 

In addition to this, the nations have their own scholarships on their webpage. Check your nation’s website for those scholarships and application procedures.

Working in Sweden

In order to work in Sweden (and get paid), you need to have a working permit (not necessary as a EU-Student) and a personal number. Sometimes companies require a Swedish bank account.

Working at the Nations

At each of the student nations, you have the possibility to become active. It is a big part of the student life in Uppsala and we highly recommend you to try it out. You can become active in many different ways, and each of the nations offer an entirely different experience. Many positions are voluntary, but some positions are paid (often this includes working the pub and gasques). Ask the nations if you can work, but keep in mind that in order to get paid, you need a working permit and a personal number! Some nations have further requirements to work for them.

Note: Nation pay is very low, and should NOT be relied upon to live off of. Working at the nations is really more about making friends and for the experience, and if you don’t like one nation it really is worth trying others!

Working part time during study

In Uppsala, as it is a student city, competition for part-time jobs is extremely high. Most require some form of Swedish skills, and you will be competing against local students. 

Working at the university

If you already studied relevant subjects, it is possible to apply as a teaching assistant. Have a look at your department website!

Banks 

The following banks have offices in Uppsala: DankseBank, SEB, Handelsbanken. On top of that there are some online-only banks like ICA-Banken. Many banks have discounts for students, like no costs for the account or other bonus.

Before applying for a bank account, you will need a personal number, the information on which is above. 

Swish

Swish is a very convenient way to pay cashless in realtime to your swedish bank account. It is extremely popular in Sweden, Swedes don’t like dealing with cash! To get Swish, you need access to online banking and BankID, more information on these topics can be found in the BankID section

International Transfers

To transfer money from your home country to a Swedish bank account, there are many providers who offer international transfers for low fees. Other than using what your bank recommends, some good options are Transferwise and Western Union.

Mobile Subscriptions 

Phone contracts (with or without phone) or prepaid solutions, so-called “kontantkort” are common in Sweden. Some good low cost providers are Vimla, Halebop, Hallon and LycaMobile. Within the EU, you can use your mobile data and calls. 

Language Classes

The university offers language classes in Swedish for international bachelor and master’s students in 4 different levels. For PhD students the university offers 4 levels as well, but the course is called Swedish for Academics. There is also a placement test, which you can take beforehand. We recommend that you take the placement test (about 2 or 3 months before the semester starts) if your mother tongue has germanic roots (dutch, german, norwegian, danish). Uppsala Kommun also offers Swedish courses free of charge, Swedish for immigrants. Folksuniversitetet also offer various Swedish courses.