Financing

All students, regardless of whether they are required to pay application and tuition fees, must be able to cover their personal living expenses while in Sweden. To obtain a Swedish residence permit, students are required to have a minimum amount per month. When you apply for your residence permit you must enclose a bank statement showing that you have your own bank funds available in an account belonging to you.

Cost of living in Sweden

For an approximate estimate of the minimum amount to cover living costs in Sweden, please check the information on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website or Studying in Sweden. Your actual living costs depend on your lifestyle of course, but you should budget for about SEK 10,000 / month.

Should I open a bank account?

No. It is extremely difficult to open a bank account without a Swedish identity number (you can only receive this number if you stay for more than 12 months). It is not worth it for students coming to Uppsala for one or two semesters. You should plan on using your bank / credit card for payments and cash withdrawals at ATMs.

You need to let your bank at home know that you will be travelling and check with them whether you can use your bank / credit card abroad, as well as what fees you would incur. If you can, ask your bank to issue a card with a chip and a pin code (rather than the cards you have to swipe and sign).

Scholarships to finance exchange

Uppsala University does not offer scholarships or funding for exchange students outside of the Erasmus, Erasmus +, ICM, or Nordlys programs. If eligible, you need to have applied for an exchange at Uppsala University through one of these programmes at your home university.