New master student

Welcome to Uppsala University and the Department of Mathematics!

To get a first impression, enjoy the following video describing student life by one of our former students who studied in the master programme.

 

The following email will be sent to all admitted students shortly after the first admission results have been published:

Congratulations on your admission to the Master’s Programme in Mathematics at Uppsala University! We are delighted to welcome you to the programme and look forward to meeting you in Uppsala this autumn.

Please note that all conditions stated in your admission notification must be fulfilled by 31 August in order for you to be registered at the start of the semester. In all cases, the conditions must be fulfilled no later than two weeks after the start of the semester in order to remain in the programme.

Course Planning Meeting and Course Registration

To be registered on your first courses and begin your studies in the Master's Programme in Mathematics, we ask you to book an individual course planning meeting with our Study Counsellor, Kibret Sigstam.

The meeting should take place no later than the start of the semester on 31 August, and preferably before Welcome Week begins on 24 August to allow sufficient time for course registration before the semester starts.. The meeting is normally conducted in person rather than online. You will find the booking link at the end of this section.

During the meeting, you will discuss your academic background, study goals, and course choices for the first semester. You are also welcome to ask other questions. If we are unable to cover everything during the meeting, we will be happy to arrange a follow-up meeting.

To make the most of this 25-minute meeting, it is important that you come prepared. Please read the information about course selection on our student website.

In particular, please make sure that you:

  • Familiarise yourself with the programme structure and the different study tracks.
  • Read the degree requirements for the Master's Programme in Mathematics.
  • Consider which study track best matches your interests and goals: Mathematics, Financial Mathematics, or Applied Mathematics and Statistics.
  • Consider which courses you would like to take during your first semester. We strongly recommend that first-semester students choose from the courses listed in the study plan for Semester 1.
  • If necessary, you may include one bridge course in your first-semester study plan to fulfil the entry requirements for a course in the programme.
  • Check for potential timetable clashes between your planned courses and consider whether they would be manageable for you.

This is how the course selection works in practice:

  • You prepare a list of courses you are interested in taking (often more than 30 credits in total).
  • In the course planning meeting, your courses for the semester are finalised (normally 30 credits)
  • The Study Counsellor ensures that entry requirements and programme requirements are met.
  • After the meeting, the Department will register you for your courses.

Book your course planning meeting with Kibret

Introductory Meeting on 24 August

The Master's Programme in Mathematics begins with a Welcome Meeting for all new students. This is an opportunity to meet fellow students, teachers, and staff, learn more about the programme, and get ready for the start of your studies.

Date: 24 August 2026
Time: Check-in: 13:00 – 13:15, Meeting: 13:15–15:00, Campus Tour: 15:00–16:00, Welcome Reception: 16:00–17:00
Location: Polhemsalen, Ångström Laboratory

At the meeting, we will welcome you to the Department of Mathematics and the Ångström Laboratory, which will be your academic home during your studies. You will meet representatives from the Department, including the Head of Department, the Director of Studies, the Programme Coordinator, the Study Counsellor, and representatives from the student union UTN and the student mathematics society Möbius. We will introduce the programme, explain how your studies are organised, and provide practical information to help you get started.

Attendance at the Introductory Meeting is required for all new students and will be recorded during check-in. If you are unable to attend, please contact us in advance at masters@math.uu.se.

Campus Tour and Welcome Reception

After the introductory meeting, we will organise a campus tour in small groups. Along the way, you will visit different parts of the Ångström Laboratory, learn more about the Department and student life, and get to know your fellow students.

The tour concludes with an informal welcome reception and a buffet of finger food, offering an opportunity to continue conversations, ask questions, and get to know fellow students and teachers from the programme in a relaxed setting.

All participants will receive a welcome gift from the Department of Mathematics.

Welcome Week

Teaching begins on 31 August, but we strongly encourage you to take part in the Welcome Week activities, which begin on 24 August.

During this week, Uppsala University and senior students organise a variety of social events and activities for new Master's students. It is a great opportunity to meet fellow students, get settled in Uppsala, and become familiar with your new university environment.

Several welcome activities are available before the start of the semester:

  • Uppsala University Welcome Programme – organised by the University and aimed at helping international students settle into life in Uppsala and Sweden.
  • Master & Exchange Reception (MER) – organised by the Engineering and Science Student Union (UTN) and aimed specifically at Master's and exchange students within science and technology programmes. The website will be updated during the summer with information about this year's activities.
  • Uppsala Student Nations – For hundreds of years, the student nations have been a central part of student life in Uppsala. The 13 student nations organise welcome activities for new students before the semester begins, followed by a wide range of social, cultural, and sporting events throughout the year. Information about this year's welcome activities will be published on the student nations' websites during the summer.

Full-Time Studies, Work and Residence Permit Requirements

Recent changes to Swedish migration regulations mean that students who require a residence permit must make satisfactory progress in their studies in order to extend their permit. The new rules also limit paid work during the semester to a maximum of 15 hours per week.

Full-time studies in Sweden correspond to 60 credits per academic year (30 credits per semester). All new students are required to complete at least 37.5 credits during their first year of study in order to qualify for an extension of their residence permit. From the second year onwards, the requirement is 45 credits per academic year.

Full-time studies are expected to correspond to approximately 40 hours per week. While some of this time consists of scheduled teaching, a large part is independent study. You should expect to spend significant time reading course literature, solving exercises, preparing assignments, and working on your own or to some extent together with classmates.

Swedish universities place a high level of responsibility on students to plan and manage their own studies. This independence is an important and valued part of the educational approach, and many students find that it gives them the opportunity to take ownership of their learning and deepen their understanding of the subject.

To get the most out of your studies, we encourage you to attend scheduled classes, work with mathematics regularly rather than only before deadlines, and ask questions whenever something is unclear. Our teachers welcome questions and are happy to discuss both course material and mathematics more broadly.

If you are coming from an educational system with more scheduled teaching hours or closer supervision, this may require some adjustment during your first semester. Should you experience difficulties that affect your studies, it is important not to wait too long before discussing them with someone at the Department or the University. Challenges that seem overwhelming at first can often be addressed with the right advice, support, or adjustments.

For more information, please see:
Swedish Migration Agency: New rules for residence permits for higher education studies

Important Dates During Your First Weeks

Before 24 August – Course Planning Meeting
Students should preferably have completed their individual course planning meeting with the Study Counsellor, Kibret Sigstam, by this date.

24 August - Introductory Meeting (attendance required)
For further details, please see the information above.

31 August – Start of the semester
Teaching begins.

2 September – Access Card Information and Collection (attendance required)
You will receive information about how the access card (=campus card) is used. After that a photograph will be taken, you will be asked to present a valid form of identification (passport, national ID or driving licence), and your access card will be issued. This takes place at the Access Card and Key Service located next to the main reception desk at the Ångström Laboratory at 9:15 – 10:00.

Please make sure that you have activated your student account before this event, as an active student account is required for your access card to be issued. Instructions for activating your student account can be found here: activate your student account

If you prefer ordering your access card online in advance and upload your own photo you can do so but still join this event to get information and collect your card.

10 September – Breakfast with the Department
The Department of Mathematics invites all new programme students to breakfast together with teachers from first-semester courses and some students from higher years. This is an opportunity to meet other students and staff in an informal setting. Information about the time and location will be published on the programme page in Studium (see the Useful Links section below)

14 September – Final deadline for fulfilling admission requirements
By this date, all admission requirements must have been fulfilled in order to remain registered in the programme.

17 September – Board Game Evening
The Department of Mathematics invites both students and staff to a relaxed board game evening in the staff lunch room. Information about the event will be published on the programme page in Studium (see the Useful Links section below).

18 September – Information Meeting for First-Year Master's Students
We will provide additional information about courses within the programme, study planning, and other practical and academic matters that are important during your first year of studies. This meeting takes place at 13:15 – 15:00 in room 11134 at Ångström.

Late Arrival

If you are unable to arrive in Uppsala before the Introductory Meeting on 24 August, you must inform us. Because it can be difficult to catch up on missed coursework, we can normally only accept arrivals up to one or two weeks after the start of the semester.

If you have any questions before your arrival, please contact us at masters@math.uu.se.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to Uppsala and to the Department of Mathematics.

Best wishes,

Benny Avelin
Programme Coordinator

Kibret Sigstam
Study Counsellor

Marie Chajara Svensson
Communications Officer

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