International opportunities for everyone
All students, regardless of their background, should have equal and easy access to our exchange programmes and the opportunity to participate in international mobility.
You are always welcome to contact us if you have any questions or concerns or if you need a certain type of support or have a disability. The Erasmus+ programme provides the possibility to apply for extra funding if you are studying abroad with children or have a disability.
Support for students with disabilities
Do you have a disability and want to study abroad? If you who have a disability and receive support during your studies at Stockholm University you can also receive support during your studies abroad.
- Contact your international coordinator at your department for more information about your possibilities to study abroad.
- Students with disabilities can benefit from the support services that the receiving institution offers to its local students. You can check the accessibility and support services here: inclusivemobility.eu/
- The international coordinator at your department is responsible for contacting the partner university and ask which support they offer. If you want to go abroad through a central agreement or network you need to contact studentubyte@su.se.
- If you need a certificate for your needed support, you can contact the Disability Services: disability@su.se.
- At Allastudier.se (page in Swedish) you find information about what help you can get in Sweden, what scholarships and study grants you can apply for as a disabled person and how it works with personal assistance abroad.
- An international guide and a database with information on opportunities for studies and internships around the world is available on the Independent Living Institute's website (page in Swedish)
- On the Nordic Welfare Center's website, you will find comprehensive information about the work with disabilities in the Nordic countries. There is also a page that specifically addresses student mobility.
Erasmus+: Financing for students with disabilities who are studying abroad via the Erasmus programme
Students with permanent or long-term disabilities, including disabilities caused by physical or psychological illness can receive a top-up of EUR 250 per month, added to the original grant amount.
If there are extra expenses during the exchange, due to disability, not covered by the top-up, students can apply for up to 100 percent coverage of actual costs. Expenses may include additional costs that the student or the host university may have that are not covered in another way. This can for example be transportation, teaching aids, special accommodation, assistants, or medical assistance in the country of the students host university.
Students who wish to apply for funding for extra expenses due to disability should contact their International Coordinator or the Erasmus team at the International Office as soon as possible for more information on how to apply.
Students with disabilities can benefit from the support services that the receiving institution offers its local students. You can check the availability and support services here: inclusivemobility.eu/
Contact the International Office for more information: erasmusutbyte@su.se
NOTE: Do not specify details about your disability in the email. Do not attach a medical certificate.
Preparatory visit to partner university
It is possible to apply for an Erasmus+ grant for a visit of the host organizations prior to the stay.
Checklist for outgoing Erasmus students with disabilities
Erasmus+: Interpreters for students studying abroad via the Erasmus programme
Students who are deaf, hearing-impaired and deaf-blind should be able to participate in exchange studies on the same terms as hearing students. Our sign language interpreters interpret between spoken Swedish/English and Swedish sign language.
More information can be found here: Studying with an interpreter
Students who need interpretation support during their exchange studies, can apply for an Erasmus+ grant for the additional costs that may arise.
In the first instance, we will investigate the possibility of using the support from an interpreter in the host country. This is only possible if you know the country's national sign language.
Contact us well in advance (preferably one year in advance) for support: erasmusutbyte@su.se
Preparatory visit to a partner university
It is possible to apply for an Erasmus+ grant for a visit of the host university prior to the stay.
We recommend that you visit the host university prior to your exchange studies and get access to the deaf community on site. Partly to get in contact with the city's deaf association and partly to learn, and if possible, to study the country's national sign language.
Language support
The language level specified by the host university is the requirement for application to the exchange mobility. However, in order to pass higher education satisfactorily, you may need to be at language level C1 in the language of instruction.
You can also take a diagnostic test in order to find out which skill you need to practice, for example through:
- Dialang: dialangweb.lancaster.ac.uk/
- Folkuniversitetet: folkuniversitetet.se/in-english/language-level-test/
Language Courses at Stockholm University
To strengthen your languages, you can take language courses and participate in informal language activities:
Find language courses at Stockholm University through our course catalogue
Språkstudion
Språkstudion at the Department of Language Education offers free language activities for students. You can also contact Språkstudion for tips on links or apps you can use in your studies.
Find further information on their website
Språkstudion offer for example the following:
More options outside Stockholm University
Several cultural institutes' websites offer tips on literature, language courses and cultural activities:
- German: Goethe Institute
- Italian: Institute of Culture
- Spanish: Institute Cervantes
- French: Institute Français
There are also many good language and culture courses at Folkuniversitetet
Erasmus+: Language support for students studying abroad via the Erasmus programme
Erasmus Online Linguistic Support (OLS)
Students studying through Erasmus+ must complete a language assessment in connection with the mobility period (link to the test is sent to nominated students). Once you have taken the language test, it is possible to take a language course online in the language of instruction or in the official language of the host country. You can participate in various courses and tests with a focus on reading and listening, grammar, and pronunciation. You can also ask questions to language teachers (answers within 24 hours). In addition to the courses, there is also learning material available such as articles, vocabulary and grammar material.
Erasmus+: Financing for language courses in the host country before the exchange
You can also apply for an Erasmus+ grant for a preparatory language courses in the host country. The grant is based on the number of days of the course. The requirement is that you study a course either in the language of the country or in your language of instruction. The language course can be arranged either by a university or by another organisation and it does not have to be credit-based. Check with your department or host university if the host university offers preparatory language courses for international students prior to the exchange.
Financing of exchange studies
You may be entitled to student grants and loans when studying abroad from CSN. When studying abroad, there are often additional costs, such as for travel, insurance and tuition fees. You can apply for an additional loan for these costs.
More information can be found on CSN's website.
Students who are not able to go abroad for an entire semester have the opportunity to participate in a blended mobility or short term mobility within Civis - European Civic University Alliance financed by a Civis grant.
Erasmus +: Funding for students going abroad through the Erasmus programme
All students going on an exchange through Erasmus+ can apply for an Erasmus+ grant. Language studies before the start of the semester can also be financed. You can only apply for the Erasmus+ grant once you have been admitted to a partner university. The Erasmus + grant will not affect your CSN grant.
Read more about how and when you apply for a grant for Erasmus+ exchange studies
If you are going on an Erasmus exchange and need special arrangement during your time abroad, it is possible to apply for a Erasmus+ top-up grant of 250 € /month. If the top-up grant does not cover all additional costs, it is also possible to apply for a grant for up to 100 percent coverage of the additional costs that arise in connection with the stay abroad.
Support for Erasmus students studying abroad with children
Students who have children and are participating in an Erasmus mobility, can receive a top-up of EUR 250 a month, added to the original grant amount and regardless of whether the child accompanies the student during the studies abroad or not.
Students who have children and are participating in an Erasmus mobility and where the extra costs because of this exceeds the amount of the top-up can apply for up to 100 percent coverage for actual costs. Please contact the Erasmus team at the International Office as soon as possible if there are additional costs because of children that are not covered by the top-up: erasmusutbyte@su.se
Student support
All students have the opportunity to apply for exchange studies regardless of their background. Certain selection criteria or grading requirements from partner universities may give some students priority. However, the pressure on the number of places looks different at each institution. Contact your department to find out more information about the application process and the partner universities at the department: International coordinators
We offer a large number of exchange places within the central agreements and network, but students might have to be flexible in their choice. Contact us if you want to know more about the application process and our partner universities: studentutbyte@su.se
Academic Writing Service
The Academic Writing Service provides English-language support for writing and study skills. They give talks and seminars and offer individual guidance. Their services are available free of charge to all students at Stockholm University: Academic Writing Service
When choosing the host country for your study abroad semester, think about which education system would suit you and which language of instruction you would prefer.
Mobility windows
You can get support from your department to decide which semester would be suitable for an exchange period within your study programme and which courses you should choose within your studies: International coordinators
For study programmes where it is difficult to complete an entire semester of exchange studies, students have the following possibilities to participate international mobility:
Erasmus+ traineeship abroad during summer
You have the opportunity to apply for funding for an Erasmus+ grant for an internship, work placement, data collection or for doing your degree project at an organization, enterprise, education or research center abroad during the summer.
More information is available here: Erasmus+ traineeship abroad
Erasmus+ short term mobilities
Within Erasmus+, you can participate in a blended mobility which consists of a physical mobility of 5-30 days in the host country connected with a virtual part before, during or after the physical mobility. The mobility is organized by your department. Once you have been admitted to a blended mobility, you can apply for funding through Erasmus+: Read more about how and when to apply for an Erasmus+ grant
Short term mobility within CIVIS- European Civic University Alliance
The CIVIS alliance, in which Stockholm University participates, offers several courses for students who want to study a short course at one of our CIVIS-partner universities in Europe.
More information about the courses and funding can be found here:
- Course offerings: CIVIS courses
- Funding: Information on CIVIS grant
Participation in a virtual course in Sweden together with international students also gives you intercultural experiences without you having to go abroad.
Contact
- Student support for disability: disability@su.se
- Sign language interpretation: tolksamordning@su.se
- Departmental international coordinators
- Central agreements: studentutbyte@su.se
- Erasmus team: erasmusutbyte@su.se
Last updated: February 12, 2024
Source: Student Services