Travelling as an exchange student
Exchange students study abroad as part of their Swedish education. You don’t have to pay tuition fees and a scholarship or grant is often included. There are also traineeship or placement programmes where you may receive a grant for placements at overseas businesses and organisations.
Most Swedish universities and have partnerships with overseas universities through various exchange programmes. For students, this means that an exchange programme provides the opportunity to study abroad for a fixed period as part of a Swedish programme.
Common exchange programmes
There are a number of international student exchange programmes. Erasmus+ and Nordplus are two programmes in which the majority of Swedish universities participate.
Erasmus+
The Erasmus+ programme offers studies in Europe as well as a few other countries. Contact your university to find out more about in which countries you can study. Erasmus+ students receive a grant from their university and don't need to pay any tuition fees.
The programme is financed by the European Commission. In Sweden, Erasmus+ is administered by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) and the universities that participate in the programme. Students apply via their universities.
Contact information for Sweden's universities
Nordplus
Nordplus is a programme that provides you with the opportunity to apply for a scholarship and travel grant to study in another Nordic or Baltic country.
The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) has overall responsibility for this exchange programme in Sweden, but students apply via their universities.
Contact information for Sweden's universities
ASEM-DUO
ASEM-DUO provides students with the opportunity to participate in exchange studies in Asia. Students registered at Swedish universities can apply. To participate in the programme, the Swedish university must have a partnership agreement with the university in Asia at which you want to study.
Erasmus+ Joint Master’s Programmes
The joint Master’s programmes have their own application process. You apply directly to the consortium responsible for the programme. As Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are programmes of excellence, the admissions requirements are generally tough.
Students in Sweden can apply to all joint Master’s programmes within Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. There is no need for a Swedish university to be part of the partnership.
A list of Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programmes is available on the European Commission’s website. Find the website of the programme you are interested in and read more about its content, admission requirements and application procedure.
List of EMJMD programmes on the EC website:
https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en
Local exchange programmes
Most universities have their own agreements for student exchanges with universities around the world. Many universities also offer courses or modules abroad.
Talk to your department or an international coordinator at your university to find out about the available exchanges.
Contact information for Sweden's universities
Overseas placements
Do you want to see what it’s like to work in the EU’s corridors of power? Do you want to deal with development issues and human rights at the UN or other international organisations? Or are you looking for a place at a company at which you can do your degree project? These and much more are possible thanks to a variety of placement programmes.
Erasmus+ traineeships
The Erasmus+ traineeship grant gives you the chance to go on a placement at a company or organisation in another European country or to write your degree essay at a company in another country participating in the Erasmus+ programme. If you aren't able to study abroad for a longer period of time, you can also participate in a blended mobility. A blended mobility means that you study abroad for a shorter period combined with a virtual component.
You apply for a grant at the university at which you are studying in Sweden. Talk to your department, the international office or a study guidance counsellor at the university.
Current advertisements for Erasmus+ traineeships
If you're studying in a teaching programme, you can also apply for teaching assistant positions at schools in other countries at European School education platform
Traineeships at EU institutions
A traineeship at an EU institution gives you the opportunity to learn more about how the EU works, improve your language skills and build a new contact network. You'll receive a monthly grant.
Application dates and placement periods for EU traineeship programmes are published on the EU Careers Sweden Facebook page
If you have any questions, please contact:
Asia Riazantceva, Swedish Council for Higher Education
Email: concours@uhr.se
IAESTE
IAESTE provides placements in more than 80 countries, primarily for engineers, natural scientists and architects. IAESTE Sweden’s office is at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. Their website has information about how to apply for a placement.
Find out more at IAESTE Sweden
Studying abroad for people with disabilities
The majority of universities in Sweden have a coordinator for students with disabilities. You can discuss your opportunities for special support when studying abroad with them.
The Erasmus and Nordplus exchange programmes offer special support. If your disability means you need extra aids to be able to go on the exchange, it's possible to receive extra funding to cover these costs. Talk to your study guidance counsellor or the disabilities officer at your university for more information and help with your application.