Exchange studies – increasingly important for universities

The meeting served as a prelude to EAIE 2025, the European Association for International Education's major international conference, which is currently taking place in Gothenburg and has more than 7,000 registered visitors.

For a long time, exchange studies have been a way for students to not only boost their CV with unique academic merits but also to discover the world on their own. Uppsala University has exchange agreements with around 400 universities and offers support for internships in countries both within and outside the EU.

Coco Norén now believes that the role of exchange studies is changing, not because of increasing globalisation, which has long been a fact, but because she sees that many young students starting university today have had a different upbringing than previous generations.

“We have to accept that these students have had their lives shaped by the pandemic, by war, and by the threat of violence. It’s not an upbringing that encourages you to pack your bags and move abroad for a year.”

Hoping that more people will study abroad

But, at the same time as many students feel insecure, Coco Norén still hopes more people will choose to study abroad.

“It might sound idealistic, but I believe that when students from one country study alongside students from other countries, from other cultures, and have the opportunity to immerse themselves in each other's daily lives, the likelihood increases that they will constructively understand each other. The world needs more of that, not less. We can’t wall ourselves off in Uppsala, in Sweden, or in the Nordic region. We need to continue to venture out, and we need to welcome more students from abroad to Sweden,” says Coco Norén.

But what if the students don’t want to, if they feel unsafe?

“Then it's our job as a university to find places that they perceive as safe. And we can do that. All the contacts that Uppsala University has built up with partner universities around the world over the years are a resource for our students.”

Secure places for students

She says the advantage of going as an exchange student is that the university has already made many of the necessary safety considerations.

“Our partnerships with other universities are a way for us to offer secure places for students to travel to. Students can trust that they will be well received at the partner university.”

Marie-Louise Olsen