Program Terms:
Spring Semester & Academic Year
Overview:
Founded in 1666 and ranked in the top 100 universities in the world, Lund University offers top rated research facilities in a beautiful center of Scandinavian history and commerce. Lund University is Sweden’s top ranked university and most popular university for international students, hosting student from over 130 different countries.
With 90% of Swedes being completely fluent in English, those wishing to study on exchange to LU can expect to be able to communicate with most people in Sweden with ease. Lund University is located in southern Sweden, just 40 minutes from Copenhagen, Denmark. Sweden is considered one of the safest cities in the world, and Lund is considered the best student city in the country, as the university provides a variety of social and academic organizations, activities, and special student traditions year-round. The University departments are spread throughout the city; accordingly, Lund University does not have a particular campus area. Getting around in Lund is easy, whether on foot, bike, or by bus. If students choose to live in Malmö or Helsingborg, nearby, there are regular trains and buses making it easy to commute to Lund (Source: Lund University website).
On average, the warmest month is August, while the coldest month is February. The weather during the beginning of the year is usually below freezing, while the temperature in the summer can get up to about 70 degrees F (about 20-21 degrees C). Another very important note is that, because Sweden is so far north, there are very drastic changes in the number of hours of sunshine the country receives over a period of time. For example, in January, Oahu receives about 200 hours of sunshine, but in Sweden, people can expect to see less than 50 hours of sunlight. This unique environment gives students the opportunity to study in new and exciting ways, while experiences a completely different part of the world.
Academic Details:
Lund University offers many different areas of study, including Economics and Management, Engineering, Fine Arts, Humanities and Theology, Law, Medicine, Music, Sciences, Social Sciences, and Special Area Studies. An introductory Swedish language course (SUSA) is offered to all exchange students before the semester starts. Students can apply to a regular Swedish Language course as part of their study plan. LU splits their academic calendar into two semesters: autumn and spring, each lasting 20 weeks. The autumn semester begins around the very end of August to the beginning of September and ends around the middle of January. The spring semester starts the day after the autumn semester ends and ends in the beginning of June.
Students can expect to experience an open, informal study environment with teachers and students usually on a first-name basis. The traditional academic hierarchy is replaced by a more collaborative approach, where students are respected as junior colleagues and their opinions are valued and encouraged by more experienced peers. This approach has benefited LU by encouraging dialogue and collaboration between students and teachers and creates opportunities to bring forward new ideas and innovations. The student is at the center of the education provides at LU. There is a focus on enabling students to develop their critical and analytical thinking skills, independent research skills, group work, problem solving and leadership skills so as to prepare them for their career.
Studies at Lund University are usually undertaken one course (unit/module) at a time, with an examination or essay at the end of each individual course. Courses can be anything from 2-20 weeks long, with 5, 10, and 20 weeks being the most common lengths. The most common form of instruction is lectures to groups of 25-30 students. Students must have a course load of 30 credits per semester to be considered full-time
Social Sciences Majors should be conscious that Lund University offers a variety of courses to exchange students across 11 different departments, including Communication & Media, Gender Studies, Human Geography, Middle Eastern Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Service Management & Service Studies, Social Work, Sociology, Sociology of Law, and Strategic Communication. Students are welcome to take additional classes in other departments, however 50% of their course load must be from these listed. (Source: Lund University website).
Housing Details:
Students on exchange from UH Mānoa have a housing guarantee with Lund University. Regardless, students must still apply for housing according to LU Accommodation’s instructions. LU does not own or run any dorm rooms or other types of student accommodation. The university provides services through LU Accommodation and other agencies. If students rent from LU Accommodation, the most common form of student housing is a corridor room. Students can also find housing in shared apartments, rooms, studio flats, or corridor rooms in or around the cities of Lund, Malmö, or Helsingborg. The accommodation costs vary depending on where students decide to live and what housing is being rented, but if students choose to rent from LU Accommodation, the rent is typically between 14,000 SEK and 23,000 SEK for the full semester. This includes electricity, water, heating, and the use of kitchen and laundry facilities. Students my also consider lodging with a family or a home-stay program.
Eligibility:
- Sophomore standing
- 2.5 cumulative GPA
