Details

• Sweden
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Inform yourself about courses beforehand, maybe even email the university to double-check. I, for example, didn't know that this semester economics classes were only offered in Swedish, so I had to do different courses than what I planned on

2. Accommodation

You get a lot of support in finding accommodation by the host university. There are a lot of different student houses all over Uppsala, ranging in price and comfort. I didn't know anyone who lived in a private apartment. The student nations also offer housing but that is difficult to get as an international student since you have to be a member in order to get it. I lived in Flogsta, the cheapest and also oldest student housing. I got really lucky with my roommates, since they later became very close friends, so the living experience was amazing largely due to that. Apart from that Flogsta is very run down and also a bit far out. For me it was okay, since I really wanted a social dorm rather than an individual room that was closer to the center. We would usually just bike into town but there is also a bus.

3. Academic life at host university

My classes all took place at ekonomikum. It's situated pretty central. We would often hang out there for the whole day in between classes since there is a library, study rooms and social areas. The classes didn't really take up too much of my time, and overall I would say they are very doable. I mostly took economic history classes which were held in a seminar format. That requires you doing quite a bit of reading beforehand because the groups are very small and it's expected of you to participate. My professors and teachers were very engaged, the hierarchy is much lower than in Vienna I would say.

5. Every day life in the host country

The bus is quite expensive (2,90€ per ride) but gets you everywhere. We usually just biked everywhere, so I would definitely recommend getting a bike as soon as possible. Uppsala is, in my opinion, the perfect student town. It's very difficult not to find friends. There are 13 different student nations which you can and should join - that's where all the fun stuff is happening. Most of them have their own pub, club, and events, so despite Uppsala being a small city, there is a lot going on. Prices for food and drinks are also a lot cheaper there, so this is where we would usually go to. Uppsala has a great campus gym. While the gym itself is nothing special, they have a lot of classes and events that are a lot of fun and a great way to meet people.

6. Testimonial

This exchange was an amazing experience, mostly due to the amazing social life I found in Uppsala. I met amazing people from all over the world. I must admit that my studies were not my main focus during this time but since the courses weren't that challenging I was able to have both a full social life and still keep up with my classes. I can only recommend Uppsala as an exchange city. I think the student life is truly unique and an amazing experience!