Uppsala University: Admission, Fees and Scholarships for International Students

Uppsala University, founded in 1477, is the oldest university in the Nordic countries and ranks 87th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, third among Swedish universities. Most international students come for a master's degree: there are about 80 international master's programmes taught in English, and applications for autumn 2027 are open on universityadmissions.se from 16 October 2026 to 15 January 2027. For the 2026/27 intake, a semester of full-time study cost non-EU students between $4,960 and $9,030 (SEK 49,500–90,000) depending on the programme; the university publishes 2027/28 rates in autumn 2026. English-taught bachelor's programmes exist too, but there are few of them, most are on the island of Gotland, and school leavers cannot apply before they have their final certificate.

What makes Uppsala different

A comprehensive university. Nine faculties cover the humanities and social sciences, medicine and pharmacy, and science and technology. Its most popular programmes, such as law, business and economics, medicine, nursing and social work, are taught in Swedish, so international applicants choose from the international programme list.

Two campuses. Most students live in Uppsala, a student city north of Stockholm with more than 50,000 students, where university buildings are spread across town rather than on one site. Campus Gotland in Visby is small, on an island in the Baltic Sea, in a medieval UNESCO World Heritage town. It hosts game design, energy transition, archaeology and wind power project management programmes.

Student nations. Uppsala has 13 nations: student societies with their own pubs, clubs, formal dinners and some housing. They are the quickest way for newcomers to build a social circle. A shift at a nation pub helps you make friends but will not balance a budget: the university warns that part-time work in Uppsala and Visby is very hard to find and that many employers expect Swedish.

Housing for fee-payers. Uppsala provides a dormitory room to every fee-paying student who applies for housing and accepts the offer on time, which removes the biggest first-year risk for non-EU students.

English-taught bachelor's programmes

The admissions page lists nine English-taught bachelor's programmes, while the university's facts-and-figures page counts eight. Six are in Visby; all last three years (180 ECTS) and start in autumn:

Several programmes with English names on Uppsala's website, including Business and Economics, Computer Science, Physics and Peace and Development Studies, are actually taught in Swedish. Always check the "Language of instruction" line for the intake you want.

Selection is based on completed upper secondary grades. Fee-paying and non-paying students are assessed on the same criteria but in separate selection groups, so non-EU applicants compete with each other.

Timing for school leavers. Uppsala states plainly that students in their final year of upper secondary school cannot apply for its bachelor's programmes. Your certificate must be uploaded by 1 February, so someone finishing school in 2027 applies in autumn 2027 and starts in 2028. For Russian applicants, University Admissions accepts the attestat with its grade supplement for general eligibility; a Russian school English grade is enough only at profile level, for 2008 graduates onwards, and when the grade documents show the profile. Otherwise you need IELTS Academic 6.5 with no section below 5.5, or TOEFL.

If you would rather study in the capital, compare Uppsala with Stockholm University, which offers seven English-taught bachelor's programmes; the overall route is covered in bachelor's in Sweden.

Master's programmes: requirements, documents and selection

Eligibility. You need the equivalent of a Swedish kandidatexamen; for Russian degrees that means a bakalavr of at least four years. Final-year bachelor's students can apply by uploading:

• a passport copy
• an official transcript for all completed semesters
• confirmation from their university that they are in the final year (Uppsala recommends its own Statement of enrollment status form)
• proof of English
• any programme-specific documents

Conditional admissions must be fully met, including the degree being awarded, before the semester starts.

Specific requirements are stated in credits and vary more than programme names suggest. Two examples from the 2026 intake:

• Computer Science: 90 credits in computer science, including programming, algorithms, data structures, computer architecture and operating systems, plus 30 credits of mathematics. Selection is an overall appraisal of previous university studies and a statement of purpose, and an application summary sheet is required
• Peace and Conflict Studies: 30 credits in peace and conflict studies or equivalent and an independent written work in English or Swedish of which you are the sole author. Selection places particular weight on the quality of that thesis, which you upload with a summary sheet

How to apply. Everything goes through universityadmissions.se; Uppsala does not accept documents sent to it directly. You can list up to four programmes but can be admitted to only one, so fix your order before 15 January. Russian documents are uploaded in the original language with an official translation into English or Swedish; record books are not accepted as transcripts. Most master's programmes do not take late applications, and only a few with places left accept late applications from non-EU citizens.

For an overview of master's options across the country, see master's in Sweden.

Admission calendar for autumn 2027

What studying at Uppsala costs

Uppsala invoices each semester, payable by card on the university website or by bank transfer, and the exact amount appears in each programme's intake box. On 29 September 2026 the website shows autumn 2026 fees; according to Campus Gotland, autumn 2027 terms will appear around 1 October 2026.

Fees are refunded only if extraordinary circumstances prevent you from starting. A residence permit for studies does not exempt you from fees; EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and holders of Swedish residence permits on other grounds do not pay.

First-year budget example. For the Computer Science master's at 2026/27 rates, tuition of $15,050, the Migration Agency's 12-month living-cost requirement of $12,830 (SEK 127,872), the $150 (SEK 1,500) permit fee and the $90 application fee add up to about $28,120 before travel. Uppsala's own sample student budget, which it notes does not reflect current inflation, is $950–1,160 (SEK 9,500–11,600) a month, with no academic year attached: a room at $400–650 (SEK 4,000–6,500), food $340 (SEK 3,400), transport $50 (SEK 500), phone and internet $30 (SEK 300), clothing $50 (SEK 500) and leisure $80 (SEK 800).

Russian-issued Visa and Mastercard cards do not work outside Russia, so Russian applicants usually pay from an account or card held abroad; see paying for studies abroad from Russia. A comparison with other universities is in the cost of studying in Sweden.

Scholarships for fee-paying students

The Uppsala University Global Scholarship covers full tuition for an international master's programme but not living costs. It is funded by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). Conditions:

• citizenship of a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; Russia and other CIS countries qualify
• an Uppsala programme ranked first on universityadmissions.se
• an on-time application, with the fee and complete documents received by the deadline; a late fee payment disqualifies you
• a separate online form with a motivation letter of up to 350 words, no documents and no fee

Selection is merit-based and financial need is not considered. Competition is intense: about 2% of applicants are awarded. Some joint programmes, such as Environmental Law, MEME, Turkic Studies and Transformative Game Design, are excluded. The university advises not to apply if you could not show the required living funds without the scholarship.

Swedish Institute. The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals covers tuition and living costs, but Russia and Kazakhstan are not on the 2026/27 country list. Eligible countries include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Uzbekistan, and work plus leadership experience is required.

Bachelor's scholarships at Uppsala are very limited. More funding options are listed in scholarships in Sweden.

Housing, insurance and daily life

The university Housing Office provides the room and the student pays the rent; the only condition is applying for housing and accepting the offer on time, and scholarship holders are included. Non-fee-paying students find housing themselves, and competition peaks in August and September. Visby has its own housing market, with separate advice from the university.

Fee-paying students are insured by the university through the state agency Kammarkollegiet (FAS+ policy), covering illness, accidents, dental care, emergency transport home, liability and property from two weeks before registration until two weeks after the semester ends. There is no insurance card, but a certificate can be requested through the university. With a permit of 12 months or more you register with the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), receive a personal identity number and pay local patient fees.

Uppsala's financing page still says there are no restrictions on working during studies. That is out of date: permits granted from 11 June 2026 carry the Migration Agency's 15-hour weekly limit during semesters.

Residence permit

The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) issues study permits. Check your passport first: since 1 October 2026 Sweden has stopped recognising ordinary non-biometric Russian passports, and no study permit is issued on one. The only exception, until 31 December 2026, covers passports already holding a valid Schengen visa or EU residence permit issued before 1 October.

After that, the sequence for an applicant from Russia is:

1. Pay Uppsala's first-semester invoice; until then the agency does not treat you as admitted.
2. Apply online and pay $150 (SEK 1,500) by Visa or Mastercard. Without such a card, a paper application can be filed at the Swedish Embassy in Moscow (60 Mosfilmovskaya Street) with a cash fee of 13,400 roubles; the embassy serves citizens of Russia and Belarus and foreigners legally resident in Russia.
3. Attach a statement from your own account showing at least $1,070 (SEK 10,656) per month of the permit, issued no earlier than four months before the permit starts. Relatives' money has to be moved to the student's account first.
4. After the decision, give fingerprints and a photo at the embassy: Russian citizens need a visa to enter Sweden, so the permit card is produced and collected in Moscow.

Uppsala students can be granted a permit covering two years at once, and Migrationsverket reports that 75% of recent cases were decided within three months. Permits granted from 11 June 2026 come with a 15-hour weekly work cap in term time (none in summer), progress requirements of 37.5 credits in the first year and 45 thereafter for extensions, and a duty to report your address within 30 days of receiving the permit and after each move. See the Sweden student residence permit guide for the full process.

Once you finish a programme of two semesters or longer, a job-seeker permit of up to 12 months is available, provided you apply before the study permit runs out.

Uppsala, KTH or Stockholm University?

For an engineering master's with many specialisations, see our KTH profile; for the capital and moderate fees in social sciences and humanities, Stockholm University. Another classic university with student nations is Lund University. For the full picture, read universities in Sweden and our study in Sweden page.

Mistakes that cost a place or a scholarship

• Applying for a bachelor's while still at school: Uppsala does not consider such applications.
• Trusting an English programme name: several are taught in Swedish.
• Emailing documents to the university: only uploads to universityadmissions.se by 1 February count.
• Ranking Uppsala second and applying for the Global Scholarship, which only considers first choices.
• Paying the fee at the last minute: a late payment makes the application late and rules out the scholarship.
• Missing the housing deadline: the room is offered only to those who apply and accept on time.
• Counting on part-time work: the university itself says jobs in Uppsala and Visby are very hard to find, and term-time hours are capped at 15 a week.
• Leaving an old-style passport in place: Sweden has not recognised non-biometric Russian passports since 1 October 2026.

FAQ

Can I apply to Uppsala University straight after school?

Not while you are still in your final year: Uppsala does not accept bachelor's applications from current school students. A 2027 graduate applies from 16 October 2027 and starts in August 2028, and most English-taught bachelor's programmes are in Visby on Gotland.

How much does Uppsala cost for non-EU students?

For the 2026/27 intake a semester cost $4,960–9,030 (SEK 49,500–90,000); the Economics master's cost $22,870 (SEK 228,000) for two years and Computer Science $30,090 (SEK 300,000). There is no tuition-free option for non-EU citizens.

What English level do I need?

For bachelor's and almost all master's programmes, Swedish English 6: IELTS Academic 6.5 with no section below 5.5, or TOEFL iBT at 90 with 20 in writing for tests taken up to 20 January 2026 and 4.5 on the new scale with no section below 4 for later tests. Russian school English counts only at profile level.

How likely is an Uppsala scholarship?

Unlikely for most: about 2% of applicants receive the Uppsala University Global Scholarship. It covers tuition only, is limited to your first-choice programme and requires the application, documents and fee to arrive on time. You still have to show living funds for the permit yourself.

Does Uppsala provide housing for international students?

Every fee-paying student is offered a room by the university Housing Office, provided the housing application and acceptance are made on time. Students pay the rent themselves, while EU and other non-paying students have to arrange housing on their own.

Can I work while studying at Uppsala?

Under the rules for permits issued since 11 June 2026, term-time work is capped at 15 hours a week, while June, July and August have no cap. Part-time jobs in Uppsala and Visby are scarce without Swedish, so the university recommends having your whole budget in place before arrival.

How does StudyU help with Uppsala applications?

Selecting international programmes that match your degree, checking subject credits and teaching language, and preparing the motivation letter, summary sheet, translations and permit documents are provided under an agreement with StudyU. Admission and scholarship decisions rest with Uppsala University, and the permit decision with the Swedish Migration Agency.

Sources

• Uppsala University: Bachelor's studies, bachelor's entry requirements, tuition fees
• Uppsala University: Master's studies, Application guide, tuition fees
• Programme pages: Game Design and Programming, Game Design and Graphics, Energy Transition, Leadership – Quality Management – Improvement, Computer Science (master's), Peace and Conflict Studies, Economics, Sustainable Development, Biomedicine, Business and Economics (Swedish-taught)
• Campus Gotland: programmes 2026/2027
• Uppsala University: master's scholarships, scholarship application guide
• Uppsala University: housing, financing and budget, insurance, study and live in Uppsala, facts and figures, QS 2027
• University Admissions: autumn 2027 dates, application fee, English requirements, Russia, bachelor's, Russia, master's
• Migrationsverket: study permit for university studies, changes of 11 June 2026, job-seeker permit after graduation, Russian non-biometric passports
• Swedish Embassy in Moscow: filing a study permit application, fees
• Swedish Institute: SI Scholarship for Global Professionals
• Times Higher Education: World University Rankings 2027, Uppsala profile

Conversions use the ECB reference rate of 29.09.2026: €1 = $1.1355 = SEK 11.3210, giving SEK 1 ≈ $0.1003. Anything below $100 is rounded to the dollar, larger sums to the nearest $10.

If you want to know which Uppsala international programmes fit your degree and whether you can make the 15 January 2027 deadline, send us a request.

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