Details

• Sweden
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

At first I want to note here that it can be very helpful to find students that had the same interviewer as you’re assigned to. I learned that the experience differs extremely depending on who interviews you. I personally did not have the best experience with my interview, because almost nothing about the exchange semester or my choices were asked. It was more random questions about the WU principal and studies, Austrias finance minister or EU related questions, to provide an insight into my experience. Talking about Gothenburg specifically, you do not really need to prepare anything. I traveled by plane from Germany on my way there and back. I would recommend to not overpack, you will probably not even wear everything that you bring (never thought that would happen to me haha but u really only need to pack clothes that u will wear often) and will still buy new things as well and do some shopping :) Just remember to bring some clothes for rainy or snowy weather (rain jacket and waterproof shoes), as well as some thermal clothes for some freezing winter days.

2. Accommodation

With the application at the university you could note if you are interested in student accommodations or not. I was interested and then also got a notification that I received a place and then we could choose from many different ones (varying in price, location, size, equipment…) in a first come first serve principle, so be fast as soon as you get the notification and inform yourself beforehand about the different options. I stayed at the student accommodation called Olofshöjd as was overall happy with my choice. You have a small private room with your own bathroom but share a kitchen with 7 other people. My shared kitchen was rather messy and dirty but this can of course differ in every house with different people. Olofshöjd is the biggest student accommodation in Gothenburg with a huge area and many buildings. There is a yoga class every week, arts & crafts room, saunas, a cafe to hang out with others, a volleyball field, a gym (for a small single fee), motion hall and more to meet others and stay active. It was pretty close to the city center, maybe 25 minutes walking distance which was nice in the warmer days, and bus and tram stop close to the buildings taking you everywhere in the city. There are supermarkets close by and I got a membership at a gym close by (Fysiken) as well. This accommodation is also the cheapest and biggest one by the way! According to safety, I personally felt very safe in my neighborhood as it is in a family house area, but also in Gothenburg overall I always felt safe, day and night, outside and in public transport. Also in the student housing area, you will always find other students on your way as it is very big and hosts many students so you will never really feel alone.

3. Academic life at host university

The campus for the business and law students was just one building with bigger and smaller lecture halls, a good mensa (and very many microwaves to heat your own food), a library and a student pub that offers cheap drinks (opens every Wednesday). There is another library building right across the street. The campus has a perfect location, as it is right in the Haga district, which is the old town of Gothenburg with many cute cafés to have your fika :) There are many events planned by ESN and INTU, especially in the first weeks, which are great to meet other Erasmus students. Everyone will find an event they are interested in, from bar hopping, theme dinners, city tours, scavenger hunts, climbing, museum tours, karaoke and so much more. ESN also plans some trips to for example Lapland, Norway, Iceland or Gotland. The structure of the semester is quite different to the WU semester, as it is split into 4 quarters. Every quarter you will have one course, then the exam after and then the new course will start.. Usually the courses have around 7,5 ECTS each. I also did one course that was in two quartes and had 15 ECTS. The exams were all around 3 to 4 hours and essay based, which was very different after getting used to WU exams. The overall teaching style however was more “chill” and informal than at WU (addressing profs by their first name, breaks every 45 minutes for 15 minutes, relaxing atmosphere, almost no attendance at least in my courses…), which was a very pleasant experience for me. I can recommend the course Consumer Behavior, as the prof was super nice and it was quite easy to get a good grade. Just keep in mind that there is always group work in every course. I had to do a presentation and group work in all of my courses, but they are mostly just pass/fail and only the exam will be graded.

5. Every day life in the host country

Public transport was quite expensive in Gothenburg but you will get a discount once you have your student card (and mecenat card) and can buy either a 1 month or 3 month ticket. With the ticket (Zone A) you can get almost everywhere and I personally never needed another one, as they also include the ferries to the islands nearby. I signed up at the gym Fysiken which was very nice and big and offered many different kinds of classes such as Yoga, Pilates, Cycling, Football, Basketball… There is also a very big park (Slottskogen) which a small free zoo that is cute to visit; an amusement park right in the city that is definitely worth a visit if you like rollercoasters; also definetely recommend going to the sauna and pool at jubileumsparken which is free all year around (in winter months you need to book in advance) and right next to the sea. I always felt very safe no matter where I was or what time it was, I never had a strange encounter. I really loved staying in Gothenburg, even though I never heard anything about this city before haha. For me it was the perfect size for a city to stay in for 5 months. You have everything you need from nice cafés, many restaurants, shopping opportunities and islands nearby for day trips. It is a very walkable city with much nature which I loved. You are also only about 3,5 hours away from cities like Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo by train or bus.

6. Testimonial

I am very happy I went to Gothenburg and I fell in love with the city. It was such a peaceful environment, everyone was truly nice and helpful no matter where you go, which is why I really enjoyed living there. My highlight was truly the everyday life with many different people I met. Apart from that of course I loved the trips I made, such as to Stockholm and Copenhagen.