Financing exchange studies
All students must be able to cover their personal living expenses while in Sweden.
The average cost of living in Sweden is high. Therefore, you should carefully review your finances and plan your budget before travelling to Sweden.
On this page, you can find information about the minimum amount you need in your bank account to get a residence permit, and see what a monthly student budget might look like.
Non-EU/EEA citizens proof of funds
If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, you will need to prove that you have sufficient funds for your living expenses when you apply for your residence permit from the Swedish Migration Agency. Read more about this and find the monthly living expense requirementat at the Swedish Migration Agency's website. Note that you must enclose a bank statement in your application showing that you have your own bank funds available in an account belonging to you.
Please note that living in Sweden can be costly, and the living expense requirements per month is the minimum amount of money you will require.
Living Costs
Monthly expenses depend on your individual lifestyle and where you live. Aside from rent and food, you will have expenses such as textbooks, transportation and socialising. If you come from a part of the world with a warmer climate, it is strongly recommended that you purchase winter clothing and shoes while you are in Sweden.
Please check the information on the Study in Sweden website to be able to budget and get an approximate estimate of the minimum amount to cover living costs in Sweden.
Swedish bank account
It is hard to open a Swedish bank account without having a Swedish personal identity number, and you can only apply for a Swedish personal identity number if you are going to study here for 12 months or more. It is therefore not feasible for exchange students to open a Swedish bank account.
Alert your bank
International debit and credit cards are widely accepted in Sweden. We advise that you to bring a VISA/Mastercard. However, you need to communicate with your bank at home that you will be travelling and find out the following:
- If you can use your bank/credit card in Sweden. (It can be difficult to pay in cash in Sweden.)
- What fees using your bank/credit card in Sweden will incur.
- If they might issue a card with a chip and a pin code. These are the most commonly used cards in Sweden today, as opposed to the cards you have to swipe and sign.
Scholarships
Uppsala University offers some scholarships for exchange students within ICM. To be eligible, you need to apply for an exchange studies at Uppsala University through one of these programmes at your home university and meet your home universities requirements.