International Student Guide 2009/2010 Photo: Carlis Fridlund Photo: Table of Contents PART I A Guide to this Guide .....................5 Your Department = Uppsala University ..........................7 Your Workplace ............................37 This is Sweden .................................8 Your Health and Well-being ........41 The Town of Uppsala ....................10 Influence Your Studies ..................47 Higher Education and Research Your Rights .....................................47 in Sweden........................................13 Students with Disabilities ............48 Student Unions and the Nations... 15 Studying with Children .................49 Study Abroad as an International PART II Student from Uppsala University ...49 Checklist – Before you Leave Getting Around ...............................50 Home! .............................................20 Student Services ...........................23 PART III Planning Your Stay ........................24 For Formal Exchange Arranging Your Housing ..............28 Students Only .................................59 Housing Guide ...............................30 Your Finances .................................32 Addresses and Websites ..........64 Welcome to Uppsala University I would like to congratulate you on selecting Uppsala University for your study period in Sweden. Uppsala University is an internationally well-known compre- Staffan Claesson hensive research university set on advancing science and higher education. For more than 500 years, Uppsala University has been a Photo: renowned seat of learning with rich opportunities for students and researchers at all levels. Our history is part of our strength – but our minds are set on the future. Our most valuable assets are the individuals who make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting places to work and study. Our students and faculty are always stretching the boundaries in their fields. In evolutionary biology, functional genomics, materials science and energy research, peace and conflict studies, and in many other disciplines, Uppsala University is among the world leaders. No other Swedish comprehensive research university is ranked higher internationally. At Uppsala, there are also rich opportunities for culture and cam- pus life. Uppsala is home to many museums, orchestras and choirs, many of them within our University. Our offerings make up a cul- tural universe in itself, where arts and sciences come together. I hope you will be able to sample our cultural life in a way that suits you. The world comes to Uppsala every day, and the university is always looking out into the world. Each year, we invite the most prominent scientists, scholars and personalities. At Uppsala, you are welcome to listen to and learn from Nobel laureates, writers, politicians and many other guests and friends. Again, I wish you welcome and we sincerely hope you will find your time here enjoyable and rewarding both for your studies and for your personal well-being and growth. Anders Hallberg Professor, Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University 4 Photo: Martin Cejie A GUIDE TO THIS GUIDE Part 1 A Guide to this Guide Among all of the different categories of International Students (free-movers, International Master students, formal exchange stu- dents, international doctoral students, etc.), special information has been compiled for Formal Exchange Students in Part III. A Formal Exchange Student comes from a home university which Uppsala University has an exchange agreement with and has been admitted from the nominations submitted by the home university. Special arrangements have been made because of the contract agreement between the partner universities. Not sure if you are a Formal Ex- change Student? Get in touch with your Contact person at Uppsala University to find out. Formal Exchange Students need to stop reading the general information in Part II as soon as they see this headline: Special information for Formal Exchange students in Part III. Part I describes Sweden, particularly the town of Uppsala and unique features about Uppsala University. Part II gives very practical information to begin your adventure, but also how to get the most out of your studies while here. This Guide contains a lot of practical information for getting ori- ented and settled into your studies in Uppsala, Sweden. If you are already well established in Uppsala and can understand Swedish, you may want to refer to the Swedish version of this guide, “Stu- dentguiden”, instead. The terminology, typically used at a traditional and historical university such as Uppsala University, is explained among other useful information. 5 6 Photo: Carlis Fridlund UPPSALA UNIVERSITY Uppsala University Uppsala University is the oldest university In December every year the new Nobel in Scandinavia – founded in 1477. Several Laureates visit Uppsala University and give famous scholars have worked at the Uni- lectures open to the public. In addition, versity, amongst others Carl von Linné, many well-known international guests visit Olof Rudbeck and Anders Celsius. Since Uppsala each year. Uppsala University is 1901 six Nobel prizes have been award- also ranked among the most prominent ed to researchers at Uppsala University. universities in the world. Today research of high international quality is carried out in a wide range of scientific fields. The Univer- sity offers research and education in theol- Figures in brief ogy, law, medicine (including health sciences, – Uppsala University nursing, etc), pharmacy, the humanities, the social and behavioural sciences (including • Three Disciplinary Domains—Arts and economic sciences), technology and natural Social Sciences, Medicine and Pharmacy, sciences. The University has around 40,000 and Science and Technology. students (nearly 3,000 at the doctoral level) • Education and research in nine faculties. and some 6,000 employees in 9 faculties • 40,000 students. and nearly 100 departments. About 50 first • Student exchange agreements with degree programmes are offered as well as 50 countries. about 2,000 single subject courses annu- • More than 370 doctorates per year. ally. No first degree programme is entirely • Some 3,000 international collaborative taught in English but there are more than research projects. 20 master programmes taught in English. • 5,000 academic publications per year. • About 6,000 employees—about 4,000 of them teachers and researchers. Uppsala University was founded in 1477 and is one of the oldest universities in the world. 7 THIS IS SWEDEN This is Sweden Geography of the Sami people (Lapps), some of whom Sweden is situated between the Baltic Sea still make their living by herding reindeer. and the North Sea and is the fifth largest During the 1960s and 1970s more than country in Europe. In terms of area it can half a million immigrants moved to be compared to Spain, Thailand or the state Sweden to work, mostly people from Fin- of California. The distance between the land but also people from the Balkan coun- northern tip and the southern tip is nearly tries, Greece and other countries. In addi- 1,600 km (1,000 miles), and this means tion, Sweden has received refugees from that its natural features are quite varied. many troubled corners of the world and Half of the land surface is covered with for- still receives refugees in acute need est and less than 10 % is farmland. Nearly of protection. 100,000 lakes are connected in a lacework of waterways, and many large rivers flow Language from the northwestern mountains through Swedish belongs to the North Germanic the forests to the sea. The mountains in the branch of the Germanic languages, along northwest reach heights of up to 2,100 m with Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and (7,000 ft). A long coastline with thousands Faroese, and is the largest of the Nordic of islands also contributes to the character languages. In addition to the people liv- of the country. ing in Sweden, Swedish is today spoken by about 300,000 Finns in Finland. Some Population 300,000 Swedish immigrants in the United Sweden has a population of 9 million. States and Canada can also speak Swedish. About 80 % of the inhabitants of Sweden English is taught as a second language in live in cities and urban areas. About 20 % Sweden and most people can speak and un- of the labour force work in industries, more derstand English. Quite a few Swedes can than 30 % in the public sector, and only also get along well in German and some in 4 % in agriculture. French or Spanish. The central and southern parts of Swe- den are the most densely populated. How- Religion ever, as the area of Sweden is large, the 90 % of the population in Sweden belongs overall density is only 54 inhabitants per to the Church of Sweden, which is Lu- square mile (20 per km2). For many years, theran. Around 160,000 Catholics are reg- Sweden was ethnically very homogeneous. istered in Sweden. The Muslim community One special exception is an ethnic and makes up the largest single group of non- 8 linguistic minority in the north, 15,000 Christians. UPPSALA UNIVERSITY, SWEDEN Climate ture in February is -3°C (26°F), although Sweden is located so far north in Europe it may vary a lot from one day to anoth- that the Arctic Circle slices through its er. Spring, with its longer days and spring northern most province, Lapland. But it is flowers that everybody longs for, arrives in not an Arctic country. Thanks to the warm March-April. In Sweden, and especially in Gulf Stream in the Atlantic, Sweden has a Uppsala, we celebrate the arrival of Spring, rather mild climate considering its location. the so-called Valborgsmässoafton (Walpurgis The difference between the southern and Night), on April 30. Summer lasts in general northern parts of Sweden is slight during from May to mid-September, with an aver- the summer but greater during the other age temperature in July of 18°C (64°F). It seasons. Northern Sweden is snow-covered is the season with long days when in June at least between December and March, the sun does not set until 10 p.m. and rises while elsewhere it varies from region to at 2.30 a.m., which means that it really region.