Uppsala University

This exchange partner institution is available to students applying for Subject-specific exchange in the following subjects:

• Biology
• Scandinavian Studies

If you are studying one of the above subjects, you should apply through the Subject-specific exchange route.

Students in other subject areas may also apply to this institution via the University-wide exchange:  

University-wide applicants

All University-wide applicants should check, before applying, that there are sufficient courses available in your subject area(s) and discuss your proposed choices with your School Exchange Coordinator. You must meet the pre-requisite requirements for courses you wish to take. It is understood that quota limitations, normal timetabling and scheduling constraints apply to all students. 

This exchange is suitable for undergraduate students on single and joint honours degree programmes.  

Restricted subject areas

• Clinical Medicine
• Economics
• Philosophy
• Psychology
• Social Anthropology
• Sociology

There is limited course availability in the following subjects:

• Politics 
• History 

No entry level courses are available in the following subject areas so applicants must have strong academic background in these subjects:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Engineering
• Law
• Medicine
• Physics

Entry requirements may vary in the following subjects:

• Business Studies 

Teaching is available in English and Swedish.  

Scandinavian Studies students will be expected to study in Swedish.  

Students on subject-specific exchanges in the subject areas listed in the previous section should be able to take a full course load in English at this institution.

Students applying for University-wide exchange should check course availability to ensure that a full course load will be available in English.

For many courses, Uppsala University uses a three-tier grading system (VG/G/F). CAHSS has confirmed that this grading system is compatible with University of Edinburgh UG DRPS as of Spring 2025.

Find out about courses via the links below.

Housing is provided and managed through the private company Uppsala University Housing Office (UUHO). Uppsala University does not have its own accommodation.

Students can apply for housing between the following dates:

• Autumn term: 15 to 31 May
• Spring term: 15 to 30 November.

The link to the housing application will be emailed out to students in a separate email prior to the opening of the housing application period. 

The UUHO process the online applications for housing in Uppsala and Visby. Offers are made at the beginning of June for the autumn term and at the beginning of December for the spring term. An active response from the applicant is required.

Please note that students should apply for housing as soon as the housing application period opens, even if they have not yet received their Certificate of Acceptance. Applying for housing is not binding but accepting an offer is a binding contract.

Housing is not guaranteed, but accommodation is normally offered for exchange students if their application for housing in Uppsala is submitted on time and the student has accepted the offer by the deadline specified in the housing offer.

Find out more via the links below.

The following information was provided by a Biological Sciences student during her exchange year at Uppsala:

Getting around

Almost everyone cycles to class here, since Uppsala is flatter and there are bike paths everywhere! You can find secondhand bicycles for sale at various small shops around the city, the large flea market held at the beginning of the year, or online platforms like Blocket, Tradera, and Facebook Marketplace.

Uppsala Returcyklar

Blocket

Tradera

Facebook Marketplace

Bicycle is the cheapest way to get around Uppsala – other than walking – and it’s great for the environment. But there are other options.

Electric scooters are conveniently scattered around the city, and can be located and rented using mobile apps. The most common brands are Ryde, Voi, and Lime.

Ryde

Voi

Lime

Students pay for discounted bus tickets; the Mecenat app is widely used for proof of student status. If you're taking a bus to or from Arlanda, there is an extra Arlanda passage fee, but UL buses otherwise feel very similar to Lothian Buses. The UL app lets you plan your journey and track your bus.

Mecenat

UL

I've also noticed a couple of electric cars outside my accommodation, marked as student car shares. Although I've never used them, these can be rented and unlocked through the OurGreenCar app – useful for transporting heavy furniture.

OurGreenCar

Finally, if you’re travelling outside Uppsala, check out SJ for trains to other Swedish cities and neighbouring countries. Make sure your digital Mecenat card has an SJ logo on it to get a valid student discount.

Mecenat

SJ

Buying homeware

It's cheaper and more sustainable to buy secondhand, especially if you're only staying for a year or two!

There are three large secondhand shops clustered together near Boldandsparken: Återbruket, Röda Korsets (Red Cross), and Erikshjälpen. They have everything from clothes to kitchenware to furniture, as does Helping Hand, another large secondhand shop at the other end of Bolandsgatan. A smaller secondhand shop, Myrorna, is located on Vaksalagatan in the city centre.

Second hand i Uppsala - Destination Uppsala

There is also a small student-run secondhand shop called Rackis for Barn, open on certain days from the basement of university housing area Rackarbergsgatan. They sell items from the previous year's students and all proceeds goes to the Barncancerfonden and RBU Uppsala (supporting children with cancer and disabilities respectively). Every sold item from this shop supports a good cause!

Rackis for Barn

When you move out, you can donate items back to any of these secondhand shops!

Certified products

You might recognise the blue Marine Stewardship Council badge on sustainably fished products here.

Marine Stewardship Council (Sweden)

The European Union’s organic logo, the starred green leaf flag or Europalövet, identifies products that have been certified as organic according to EU standards. Sweden also has their own certified organic logo, KRAV.

Europalövet

KRAV

The EU also uses the EU Ecolabel, which looks like a flower made from the stars of the European Union flag. This is for both products and services excelling according to EU environmental standards. Sweden also has a national ecolabel for products and services, Bra Miljöval, from the Swedish Society for Nature and Conservation.

EU Ecolabel

Bra Miljöval

The Svenkst Sigill identifies food and flowers meeting the Swedish IP standard for quality and sustainability. Its logo uses the colours of the Swedish flag to represent a sunny sky above a green field.

Svenkst Sigill

Recycling

Recycling is expected in Sweden – most accommodation buildings have a small hut labelled “miljöstuga”, where you sort your waste into shared recycling bins.

Recycling with Uppsalahem

Anything that can’t be recycled at your miljöstuga should be taken to a recycling centre, where you can dispose of many things from electrical appliances to paint.

Återvinningscentraler i Uppsala kommun

There is also a recycling deposit system called “pant”. When buying drinks bottles and cans, you pay a small deposit. You get this deposit back by returning the empty bottles or cans to a machine in a supermarket.

Pantamera

Free activities

Actively exploring Uppsala can save some of your digital carbon footprint!

Uppsala University keeps a beautiful botanical garden. Its park area and Linnaeum orangery are free for everyone to enjoy, and students of Uppsala universitet get free entry to the tropical greenhouse. At the time of writing, it’s October 2025 and they’ve just harvested a colourful variety of pumpkins!

Botaniska trädgården - Uppsala universitet

The city also has parks scattered throughout. Why not walk or cycle around the cathedral, castle, museums, and 13 student nations? During my first week here, I was surprised to see a few people using roller skis – like cross-country skiing on wheels!

Stadsträdgården, one of the parks near the city centre, is used every Saturday at 9:30am for a free 5km Uppsala parkrun. You can run, jog, walk, or volunteer at the finish line – it’s not competitive and people are welcomed from across the globe.

Uppsala parkrun

If you like gardening, the Uppsala universitet Campus Garden is always looking for students to tend to the community permaculture garden together.

Uppsala Uni Campus Garden

And if you prefer shopping, you could go with some new friends to the secondhand shops listed above!