Exchange studies

The majority of the Department's agreements are part of Erasmus+, with the exception of agreements with universities in Switzerland, and Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which are not part of Erasmus+ but operate in part in the same way.

Some universities offer courses in languages other than English. To go to these universities, you may need to demonstrate knowledge of French, Catalan or Spanish, for example. Even before applying, it is wise to explore the course offerings of partner universities.

The collaboration with many partners has been going on for a long time, but the list may change over time.

Belgium

Louvain-la-Neuve

Université catholique de Louvain
Ecole de Géographie

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are French (B1) and English (B2). Few courses in English.

France

Bordeaux

Université Bordeaux Montaigne (Bordeaux-3)
Département Géographie, science de l'espace et du territoire

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is French. Requires French (B1).

Cergy-Pontoise

Cergy Paris Université
Département de Géographie

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is French (B2).

Limoges

Université de Limoges

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is French.

Paris

Sorbonne Université
Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are French (B2) and English (B2). Few courses in English.
• The University requires French (minimum B2) regardless of whether courses in English are chosen.

Poitiers

Université de Poitiers
Département de Géographie

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is French (B1).

Irland

Dublin

In Dublin, there are two universities to choose between:

Trinity College Dublin
Department of Geography

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is English (B2).
• No courses in urban and regional planning.

University College Dublin
School of Geography

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is English (B1).
• Courses in urban and regional planning.

Latvia

Riga

Latvijas Universitâte
Ģeogrāfijas nodaļa

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are Latvian and English (B1). Some courses are in English.

The Neatherlands

Groningen

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Faculteit der Ruimtelijke Wetenschappen

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are Dutch and English (B2 for undergraduate level and C1 for postgraduate level). Wide range of courses in English.

Utrecht

Universiteit Utrecht
Faculteit Geowetenschappen

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are Dutch and English (B2 for undergraduate level and C1 for postgraduate level). Wide range of courses in English.

Norway

Bergen

Universitetet i Bergen
Institutt for geografi

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are Norwegian and English (B2).

Poland

Gdansk

Uniwersytet Gdański (University of Gdansk)  
Wydział NaukSpołecznych (Faculty of Social Sciences) 

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are Polish and English (B2).

Swizerland

Bern

Universität Bern
Geographisches Institut

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are German and English (B2). Few courses in English.
• Not an Erasmus+ exchange, but with a SEMP scholarship from Switzerland. You cannot get Swedish student finance, i.e. grants and loans for studies, from the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN) and a SEMP scholarship at the same time. Therefore, if you study in Switzerland, you cannot get student finance from CSN.

Spain

Barcelona

Universitat de Barcelona
Departament de Geografia

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are Catalan and Spanish (B1).

Madrid

Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Departamento de Geografía

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is Spanishb (B2). Few courses in English.

Great Britain and Northern Irland

Belfast

Queens University
School of Natural and Built Environment

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is English (B2).
• Not an Erasmus+ exchange. Scholarship not included.

London

Queen Mary University of London
School of Geography

• Studies only at bachelor's level.
• Language of instruction is English (B2).
• Not an Erasmus+ exchange. Scholarship not included.

Czech Republic

Prag

Univerzita Karlova v Praze (Charles University)
Katedra sociální geografie a regionálního rozvoje (Department of Social Geography and Regional Development)

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instructions are English or Czech (B1). Some courses in English.

Germany

Berlin

In Berlin there are two universities to choose between:

Freie Universität Berlin
Institut für Geographische Wissenschaften

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction at the bachelor's level is German (B2). Language of instruction at the master's level is English (B2).

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Geographisches Institut

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are German and English (B2). Some courses in English.

Hannover

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover
Institut für Umweltplanung

• Only courses at the master's level.
• Languages of instruction are German and English (B2). Wide range of courses in English in urban planning at the postgraduate level.

Heidelberg

Ruprecht-Karls-Universität
Geographisches Institut Heidelberg

• Studies at bachelor's and master's level.
• Language of instruction is German (B2).

München

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Department für Geographie

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Language of instruction is German (B1). Some courses in English.

Passau

Universität Passau
Fachbereich Geographie

• Studies at bachelor's and master's levels.
• Languages of instruction are German and English (A2). Few courses in English.

Hungary

Budapest

Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem (Eötvös Loránd University)
Társadalom- és Gazdaságföldrajzi Tanszék (Department of Social and Economic Geography)

• Studies at bachelor's and master's level.
• Languages of instructions are Hungarian and English (B2). Some courses in English.

To apply, you must be studying at Stockholm University in the semester you are applying. Study breaks or ongoing exchange studies do not give eligibility.

Requirements depending on main subject and level

In addition to the eligibility requirements below, some host universities have additional eligibility requirements, such as level of education, subject and language knowledge; you will receive information about this directly from the host university.

Bachelor's level

You must have completed at least 60 credits at Stockholm University before starting the exchange.
In addition, all courses in semester 1 and 2 (or equivalent) must be completed if you are studying:

• Bachelor's Programme in Human Geography – Society, Environment and Global Processes, 180 credits
• Bachelor's Programme in Urban and Regional Planning, 180 credits
• Bachelor's Programme in Geography

If you study independent courses in human geography or geography, the same applies.

If you are studying the Bachelor's Programme in Global Development, 180 credits, in addition to all courses in semester 1 and 2, you need to have the first semester in human geography (Human Geography I - course package, 30 credits) completed before the exchange begins. Thus, 90 credits are required before departure.

Master's level

If you are studying one of the Department of Human Geography's master's programmes, 30 credits must be completed within the master's programme including the program's first course before the exchange begins.

Remember that you need to submit an application about six months before the exchange is due to start.

Bachelor's Programme in Human Geography - Society, Environment and Global Processes, 180 credits, and Bachelor's Programme in Urban and Regional Planning, 180 credits

Semester 3 or 4, or both semesters.

Bachelor's Programme in Geography, 180 credits

Semester 4 or 5, or both semesters.

Bachelor's Programme in Global Development, 180 credits

Semester 4. Please note that it is not possible to go semester 3, during this semester you must instead take Human Geography I - course package, 30 credits, to be eligible for exchange studies semester 4.

Master's Programme in Urban and Regional Planning, 120 credits

Semester 2.

Master's Programme in Human Geography, 120 credits

Semester 2 or 3.

Master's Programme in Globalization, Environment and Social Change, 120 credits

Semester 3.

Exchange studies are applied for via Mobility One. Specifically for the Department of Human Geography, a letter of motivation needs to be uploaded during the application process.

The application is open for two periods each year:

Application period

January 15 – February 15: to go for an autumn semester or a full academic year (autumn and spring).
August 15 – September 15: to go during a spring semester.

Apply for autumn 2026 here!

1. After the deadline, the Department assesses eligibility and makes a selection based on the applicants' first choice, then second choice and so on. The selection process takes into account the quality and quantity of previous university studies, previous exchange studies, letters of motivation, language skills and the scope and importance of the intended studies abroad.
2. Once the exchange coordinator has decided on the nomination, the places are allocated in Mobility One. (Study places that have not been allocated for the coming fall semester are available when applying for the coming spring semester).
3. You will receive an offer in the system. You will need to accept the place you have been allocated, and then the nomination will be sent to the university in question.
4. Once you have accepted the nomination, the host university will contact you by email. What is the next step differs between universities. Usually, you will need to submit additional documents and select courses.

Course selection

Now it's time to look again at the current course offerings of the host university. Exchange studies should be equivalent to full-time studies (100%). Host universities often require that a certain percentage of the courses be offered by the department or faculty with which the Department of Human Geography has an agreement; a requirement of 50% or 75% is common.

Every semester, the Student Office organises information meetings for nominated exchange students. You will be informed about the practical aspects that need to be organised.

Information sessions on studying abroad
Practical information about studying abroad

Accommodation

You are responsible for finding your own accommodation during your student exchange. Some universities offer exchange students assistance in finding accommodation while others do not. See the website of each host university.

Grants

All students admitted to Erasmus+ programmes are offered a mobility grant. The exceptions are Switzerland (which offers its own scholarship) and Great Britain and Northern Ireland (which does not offer a scholarship).

Erasmus+ mobility grant

Insurance

All exchange students are automatically insured through Kammarkollegiet.

Insurance for outgoing students

Withdrawal or cancellation

If you wish to withdraw from your exchange programme, you must immediately inform both the coordinator at your home and host university.

Certificate of study

Before you end your exchange programme, you need to find out how to obtain an Official Transcript of Records. This document is necessary for you to be able to count the courses you have taken during your exchange as extension studies within your bachelor's or master's programme.

Please note that at some universities you will need to order a transcript of records yourself.

Credit transfer

When you return, you will need to apply for a credit transfer by submitting the following documents to the international coordinator at international@humangeo.su.se:

• Learning Agreement
• Changes to Learning Agreement (if applicable)
• Completed application (template for the application document)
• Completed travel report (template for the student report)

Are you interested in going on exchange programmes to other universities in the Nordic countries, in Europe or outside Europe?

Then you can apply for an exchange through Stockholm University's central agreements, including Nordlys Erasmus+, Civis Erasmus+, north2north and other agreements with universities outside Europe:

Central (university-wide) agreements and networks

Do we not have an agreement with the university you want to go to? Then there is the option to apply directly and go on your own, as a ‘free mover’. Please note that Stockholm University does not offer administrative assistance to students who want to study abroad on their own.