Uppsala University

Uppsala University is one of the top research universities in Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden. Fret not at its age however, as its facilities are a good mix of quaint and modern.  

Each faculty has a building or a series of buildings within which most of its classes are conducted. Business classes are usually held in the Ekonomikum or in the English Park Campus, while Law classes are usually held in Munken. Other faculties may have their classes in a number of other buildings, all of which, save for the laboratories, are within walking distance of the town centre.

School’s Main Website | International / Exchange Student Website (School of Law) | International / Exchange Student Website (Other Faculties)

All photo credits to Mohammad Muzhaffar Bin Omar

GPA Requirement:

School of Law: 3.0/4.0

Other Faculties: N/A

Language of Instruction:

While classes are generally conducted in Swedish, there is a selection of courses available in English for international students. Swedish students have a choice of taking courses in either language – most choose Swedish, leaving the English classes typically filled with exchange students (which can be a great thing!).

Courses:

Classes in Uppsala University are generally very participative, with students regularly speaking up (sometimes very passionately) during class. Class participation is, fortunately, not a graded component.

There are usually a number of small projects throughout the semester, some of which will require group work and involve presentations. These projects are usually not graded. Final assessment can take the form of a major project or a final exam, depending on the course.

Courses offered to exchange students going to the Law school can be found here.

Courses offered can be found here.

Language Courses

The university offers a four week intensive Swedish course for all students a month before the start of every semester – this course does not have credits, attendance requirements, or reported grades.  There is also a series of graded basic Swedish courses during the semester – these are counted just like normal courses.

Flying Chalks’ tips:

• Final examinations can be a huge hassle – pick courses with take-home examinations or projects for a lighter workload.
• The fall semester (i.e. from September to January) may clash with the first few 2-3 weeks of your next semester. You can either request take-home examinations that you can do when you are back in your home country, or you can let your professors in your home university know that you will be absent for the first few weeks.

Course registration process:

Courses can be registered online through the Uppsala University portal. An email will be sent to you by your exchange coordinator a few weeks before the start of the semester to invite you to apply for courses. Take note of who your exchange coordinator is as he or she will be your lifeline for all things related to your courses in Uppsala.

Registration is based on balloting. You will be requested to list the courses you want in order of choice and the school will subsequently inform you of the results. If you do not get your desired courses, you can contact your exchange coordinator to secure a place in another course or to see if more slots can be opened up for you in your desired classes. The university is also normally very accommodating with course changes. Likewise, if you would like to change your registered courses, you can email your exchange coordinator to do so.

Flying Chalks’ tip: Note that the registration results can take some time and some students may receive their results right before or even at the start of the semester!

The semester in Uppsala University is split into two halves, with courses lasting for one half (7.5 - 15 ECTs) or across both halves (30 ECTs). Courses are taken sequentially (i.e. one after another) and not in parallel. Course credits are denominated in European Transfer Credits. As a general rule of thumb (the conversion rates may differ depending on your home university):               

Minimum Credit Load = 22.5 ECTs

Maximum Credit Load = 30 ECTs

Attendance policy:

Courses generally have two types of classes: lectures and seminars. Attendance at lectures is not compulsory, but attendance in seminars is. You are allowed one ‘free’ absence per course. If you are absent for any additional classes, you will be required to write and submit a written task based on the questions in the seminar.

Flying Chalks’ tips:

• Most professors are very accommodating – they understand that you are an exchange student and that you may wish to take some time off to travel. Don’t be afraid to let them know of your plans!
• The university has an odd tradition called the “academic quarter”. Classes normally start 15 minutes after the scheduled time (but try not to be late).

Campus Map:

http://www.uu.se/en/about-uu/campus/

Selected Facilities:

There is also a gym affiliated with the school – called Campus1477. The gym offers pretty competitive rates, is in the middle of the campus, and has excellent facilities including a climbing wall and a pool. They also have group classes (e.g. aerobics, spin, etc.) from time to time and have a court for ball games. They offer a term pass for students at 1790 SEK.

While the location of the Campus1477 gym may be in the middle of the campus, some of you (particularly the law students) may prefer something closer to your home faculty or to your dorms. Fortunately there are other options. Friskis&Svettis is another gym chain that has excellent facilities. More importantly, there is an outlet right in the heart of town and another one that is within walking distance from Flogsta (the dorm where most exchange students stay).

There are other sports facilities in the town, but access to these is usually through a nation or an event (which is usually organised by a nation).

Food on campus:

The university doesn’t really have food places on campus as it is situated in the middle of town with plenty of food places. That being said, some of the larger buildings like the English Park Campus, Ekonomikum, and Blasenhus have an internal cafeteria that is quite affordable.

Campus transportation:

There is no campus specific transportation. This is not a problem as public transportation is excellent and public buses run through and around the entire campus. In any case, most of the university buildings are within walking distance of each other.

Student life is amazing in Uppsala. The city is a college town and as such revolves around student events. Student life revolves around ‘nations’, which are student groups. These ‘nations’ have their own building and organize all sorts of activities from sports to clubs. Sweden has a variety of somewhat odd festivals (e.g. waffle day – when everyone eats waffles and pea soup). These festivals are a thinly veiled excuse for more partying so make sure you get yourself involved!

Flying Chalks' recommendation: One activity that you absolutely must join is a gasque. A gasque is a formal sit-down dinner. This may sound boring but it isn’t – by the end of the night there will be lots of drunken singing and dancing and the night usually ends with an afterparty at one of the nations’ clubs. The gasque is also an awesome way to make friends! There is an international students’ gasque at the start of the semester and each nation will hold its own gasque for new students. There are also other (sometimes oddly) themed gasques held at various points (e.g. the duck gasque where all the food is made of duck).

Orientation program:

The university runs a Welcome Week prior to the start of the semester – you will receive an email asking you to sign up. Attendance isn’t compulsory but it might be a good way to get yourself a fast group of friends!

Buddy programme:

You will receive an email on the International Buddy programme a few weeks prior to the semester. It is highly recommend that you join this – students still keep in contact with their buddy after the semester ends!

Student clubs:

Practically every student activity is run by ‘nations’. While you do not need to join a nation to participate in these activities joining one assures you of a place to hang out and of a group of friends. Each nation has its own building – most have their own cafes, pubs, and restaurants and some even have their own clubs!

Read more here!

University events:

There aren’t really many key school events outside of the Welcome Week and the international gasque.You can find out about university-wide events from the school’s Facebook page.

Uppsala University is located in Uppsala, Sweden’s fourth largest city. This may sound rather involved until you realise that the city only has around 200,000 inhabitants and is actually a rather cozy place! The university itself serves 45,000 students – slightly under quarter of the population of the city itself.

The city itself has a very laid-back atmosphere with lots of cafes and restaurants for you to hang out. The architecture is a good mix of old brick buildings and newer glass and concrete ones. The city is located in a rural area so you can take a short bus ride out and explore the countryside.

For food:

Eating out is generally quite expensive in Sweden – meals regularly cost upward of SGD15.

Flying Chalks' recommendations: The options listed below are worth the money!

For nightlife and entertainment:

Nightlife can be quite happening in Uppsala. Most of the action is in clubs in the various nations – the more popular nations are the Södermanlands-Nerikes (or Snerikes in short) and the Stockholms nations. There are also always corridor parties going on in Flogsta – just keep a lookout on the Flogsta facebook group.

There is also a theatre in Uppsala but it doesn’t really show the latest shows.

The nations also organize all sorts of activities from soccer to board games – check out the individual nation websites to find out more.

For daily necessities and groceries:

There are three main supermarket chains in Uppsala – ICA, Lidl, and COOP. Of the three, Lidl is the cheapest but has the worst quality. ICA has a house brand that is inexpensive and of pretty good quality.

Flying Chalks' fact: Organic products at ICA are only a few cents more than their conventional ones.

If you live in Flogsta, there is an ICA (ICA Vast) within the complex that is open until 11pm at night. Theres also an ICA Maxi (a huge ICA) and a COOP within walking distance in Stenhagen.

If you are intending to purchase in bulk, you can also go to Citygross near IKEA. Citygross is quite a distance away but it has by far the best deals and the largest variety. It’s also near a bunch of wholesale outlets where you can get cheaper stuff (e.g. sportswear and jackets at XXL).

Willy’s is also pretty good. It’s slightly nearer to town than Citygross but its slightly more expensive and is smaller.

For shopping:

Shopping in Uppsala (or in Sweden) is not recommended. Even homegrown brands like H&M are cheaper in other places in Europe. Barcelona in Spain will be the go-to place for all your shopping needs.

For leisure:

Flying Chalks' recommendations:

1. Visit a historic area called Gamla Uppsala (‘Old’ Uppsala), which is a series of old Viking burial mounds. The place is quite scenic and is a great spot for picnics or for looking at the northern lights.
   
   
   Northern Lights from Gamla Uppsala
    
2. You must go up north to Abisko. It’s a 14 hour train ride that’s really scenic and the place itself is amazing – it’s a national park so you can trek in the summer or play in the snow in the winter. The place has almost no light pollution and is really high up north so it’s probably the best place in Sweden to see the Northern Lights!
   
   
   Abisko in the winter

There are a number of airports around Stockholm – Arlanda, Bromma, Skavsta, and Västerås. International flights normally fly into Arlanda while budget flights sometimes fly into Skavsta as well.

Getting from Arlanda airport to Uppsala University:

There are multiple options to get from Arlanda to Uppsala:

• The best by far is bus – cheaper and easier than the other options. Bus 801 can be found at the platform right outside the arrival gate. You can buy the ticket on the UL (the Uppsala bus company) phone application, or you can get a UL card from the Airport Information Counter. The bus ride will cost around 100SEK (SGD16) and will last around 45 minutes. The bus will drop you off at the Uppsala Central Station (Uppsala centralstationen).
  
  Uppsala Central Station
  Flying Chalks' tip: There is a sign in the bus that shows you the next stop so you don’t need to worry!
   
• You can also take the train from Arlanda to Uppsala Central Station. The train is slightly faster than the bus but it’s a bit of a walk from the arrival gate to the train station. The train station is in the Skybridge in the airport. The train will cost you 165SEK (SGD30) and the ride is around 40 minutes long. You can purchase a ticket from the SJ.se (the main train company in Sweden), from the train ticket office, or from the Airport Information Counter.
   
• The most expensive but most convenient option to get to Uppsala is via cab. The cabs charge a fixed rate of 490SEK (SGD80) to anywhere in Uppsala. You can take a cab from the taxi area at the airport.
   
• If you are flying in on the dates designated by the university, there will be a shuttle service provided. The shuttle will take you from the airport to wherever it is that you will need to go in Uppsala to get yourself registered (i.e. to get your student details and house keys). There will also be a shuttle service from that place to your dorms. Check out the latest international students’ guide for the exact dates.

Getting from Skavsta airport to Uppsala University:

The best way to get from Skavsta to Uppsala is via train. Book your trip from Skavsta to Uppsala Central Station on sj.se – the ticket will include a bus ride from Skavsta airport to the train station in the nearby town of Nyköping, where you will transfer over to a train. There will usually be another train transfer in Stockholm. The ride will take around 3 hours (depending on the transfers) and cost around 200 SEK (SGD32).