International opportunities
As a current student at Lund University, you have several opportunities to gain more international experience and intercultural competence, both on campus and abroad.
If you are an international student at Lund University, you are already aware that international experience and intercultural competence are valuable. You have found out for yourself that international experience boosts your personal growth as well as your intercultural, subject-specific and language skills. In turn, this opens doors for future career opportunities.
If you want to continue on this track and broaden your international experience at Lund or abroad, there are plenty of exciting opportunities for you.
A truly international university
As a student at Lund University, you are part of a truly diverse campus with fellow students and staff from over 140 different countries. Studies and student life at Lund are therefore an international experience in their own right.
The University's collaboration and exchange agreements with some 680 universities around the world also provide several international opportunities for our students.
Considering the above, it is perhaps no surprise that the University is ranked 61st in the 'Most international universities in the world 2023' ranking by Times Higher Education (THE).
Below, you can find a number of international opportunities both on campus and abroad.
International opportunities on campus
You do not need to go abroad (again) to gain valuable international experience. You have a host of options open to you right here on campus. Learn more about the available opportunities below.
In Canvas, you can find a list of current and upcoming digital activities for students. These are often hosted in collaboration with our partner universities and networks.
Examples of activities are:
- webinars
- student competitions and
- virtual exchanges.
New activities are published throughout the semester.
Extracurricular International Opportunities – log in to Canvas
Stand-alone courses taught in English
If your degree programme has an optional or elective part, or if you would like to and are able to take an additional course or courses on the side, you can browse our course catalogue and find courses of interest to you.
You can apply for courses either within or outside of your subject area, provided that you meet the entry requirements.
You can find the entry requirements on the course webpage, and should apply in the way stated there.
Special Area Studies (SAS)
SAS courses are special type of course that give you an opportunity to learn more about subjects outside your main subject area. Many of these courses are interdisciplinary and tackle contemporary societal and environmental issues.
While SAS courses are aimed at exchange students in the first place, regular students can also apply. Note that the application process is different for exchange students and degree students.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
MOOCs are free online courses open to anyone with an interest, regardless of previous experience. You can sign up for MOOCs at the Coursera platform. Please note that you cannot include a MOOC as a part of a degree or receive university credits for it.
Lund University offers a number of MOOCs that may interest you, but you can also have a look at other universities' offerings.
By becoming an international mentor, you will play an important role in helping (fellow) international students settle into Lund’s student life and Swedish everyday life.
Being a mentor gives you the chance to meet students from all over the world and expand your network. This is not only fun, but is also an experience that can be seen as a qualification when applying for jobs.
Lund University student ambassadors connect directly with prospective students to share their experiences of Lund and answer questions on a platform called Unibuddy. Ambassadors also write blogs and engage in other student recruitment activities such as live chats, webinars, video projects, and more.
If you are interested in becoming one of our next ambassadors, contact the International Marketing and Recruitment team at degreestudies [at] lu [dot] se.
Lund University student ambassadors on Unibuddy
When to apply?
The application for spring 2023 ambassadors is now closed. The application for autumn 2023 ambassadors will open in late August.
The international Lund University Instagram account is run by a diverse range of students who are studying an English-taught, international degree programme, exchange studies, or a stand-alone course taught in English.
Instagram Ambassadors are given the opportunity to showcase their student life from their perspective, for a week at a time.
When to apply?
Applications for the spring semester 2023 are now closed. Applications for the autumn semester 2023 will be open in February 2023.
There are a couple of language cafés where you can meet students from a range of countries and practise languages together, for example Café Multilingua and Eos Language Café.
If you are looking to improve your Swedish and learn more about Swedish culture, there are even more options.
On some of the faculties' websites, you can find tips about additional international activities on campus and in the region.
- Meeting people – Faculties of Humanities and Theology website
- International activities in Sweden – Faculty of Medicine website
The vibrant student life at Lund University gives you the opportunity to meet like-minded people from all over the world at student organisations, nations or other student forums.
Besides it just being fun, my interpersonal, communication and cultural awareness skills strengthened.
Alexandra, student
ambassador on Unibuddy
International opportunities abroad
Lund University has exchange agreements with over 680 partner universities in 75 countries all over the world. This gives you a unique opportunity to study abroad. This can either be short-term, as with summer courses, or longer-term, as with one- or two-semester exchanges.
Every year, we send around 1 300 students on exchange. Perhaps you can be one of them!
A traineeship or fieldwork abroad during your studies here are other options.
See the different opportunities below. You will find information about eligibility, how to apply and potential funding options by clicking the links.
As a current degree student, you may be able to study at one of Lund University's 500 partner universities for one or two semesters. The University of California exchange programme is our oldest and largest.
If you would like to study in another Nordic or European country, you can apply for a Nordplus or Erasmus+ mobility grant. For exchange studies outside of Europe, you can apply for the Crafoord Foundation travel grant.
You may be able to undertake a traineeship/internship within or outside of Europe and be eligible for a grant.
Traineeship in Europe
If you want to undertake a traineeship in Europe, you may be eligible for an Erasmus+ traineeship grant. The traineeship can either be a part of your studies, or be an optional addition.
Internship outside the EU
If you want to undertake an internship, clinical training or a work placement outside the EU, you may be eligible for a travel grant from the Crafoord Foundation.
You can study at one of Lund University's partner universities during the summer months. This short-term opportunity could be especially interesting if want to broaden your education or for any reason cannot or do not want to go on a longer exchange.
You can also combine both options.
In Canvas, you will find several international activities for students, such as:
- short-term exchanges
- webinars and
- student competitions.
New activities are published continuously throughout the semester.
Extracurricular International Opportunities – log in to Canvas
Some international students are eligible for the Crafoord Foundation travel grant or the Minor Field Studies (MFS) scholarship for data collection in connection with a (degree) project.
Note that very specific eligibility requirements apply in both cases.
You can also apply to universities abroad that do not have an exchange agreement with Lund University on your own.
If you wish to do this, you need to arrange everything yourself. If there are fees, you need to pay them yourself and you are also personally responsible for obtaining valid insurance.
Follow our students around the world
Tips, travel stories, photos and videos by LU students abroad.
More opportunities at your faculty
Depending on what you are studying, there may be additional opportunities in connection with your degree programme or subject area.
Find more information and contact details on the faculties' websites:
International programmes and networks
Lund University participates in several different international networks and programmes that aim to increase collaboration between universities in various regions – often through facilitating exchanges for students. You can read more about these collaborations here:
Certificate of International Merits (CIM)
A CIM is a certificate that attests that you have gained international experience through different intercultural activities.
Only some of the faculties at Lund University currently offer this opportunity. Contact your faculty to see what applies in your case.