Address: Universitetsvägen 10 A, 114 18 Stockholm, Sweden
Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Law
Stockholm University (SU), founded in 1878, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest universities in Scandinavia, with over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
Stockholm University, SU, was founded in 1878 as Stockholms högskola, a private college created by donations from the city’s citizens, and it received university status in 1960. It has about 33,000 students and 5,500 staff, and around one student in ten comes from abroad. The campus at Frescati lies in the Royal National City Park, in the north of the city, with a metro station at the entrance and a mix of 1970s buildings, lecture halls and the Bergius Botanic Garden next door.
The founding donors, led by the mathematician Gustaf Mittag-Leffler, wanted to create a modern academic institution in the capital. Sofia Kovalevskaya was appointed there in 1889, the first woman in modern Europe to hold a chair in mathematics. Svante Arrhenius, who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, taught at the högskola. The university has remained strong in natural sciences, social sciences, humanities and law, and it is the largest university in the city by number of students.
Stockholm University is particularly known for its research on sustainability and resilience. The Stockholm Resilience Centre developed the concept of planetary boundaries, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research brings together climate scientists. The AlbaNova campus, shared with KTH, houses physics and astronomy, and the Science for Life Laboratory at Solna supports molecular research. Other departments carry out leading work in psychology, linguistics, economics, criminology and Baltic studies.
Tuition is free for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, while students from other countries pay tuition fees that vary by programme. Check the current tariff and the scholarships available. Applications for bachelor’s and master’s programmes go through the national portal, and deadlines are in the winter for the autumn intake. Bachelor’s programmes are mostly in Swedish, while most master’s programmes are in English.
Stockholm is expensive and housing is scarce, so students should apply for accommodation early. The campus is a short metro ride from the city centre.
Domains taught:
Astroscience, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Life Sciences, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Stockholm University has partnerships with universities around the world and is a member of the Stockholm Trio, a university alliance with KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Karolinska Institutet.
Research:
Stockholm University has a strong research profile, particularly in the natural and social sciences. The university has a number of prominent research centers, including the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Oskar Klein Centre for Cosmoparticle Physics.
Famous Alumnis:
Svante Arrhenius, Ingmar Bergman, Olof Palme
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5500
Current students***:
33000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
150000
Pros
A large, comprehensive university with a strong research profile, located in the capital of Sweden.
Cons
The university’s large size can make it feel anonymous for some students, and the campus is located a bit outside the city center.
Best For
Students looking for a comprehensive, research-heavy education at a large university in a capital city.
For students who like the marine science, chemistry and statistics focus of this university but want another option nearby, University of Gothenburg fits well: it covers bioinformatics and computer vision as well, and is larger, enrolling about 53,600 students against roughly 33,000 here.
Also strong in chemistry, statistics and ecology and sustainability, Umeå University makes a sensible second look at home; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics as well.
Another national school that puts statistics, ecology and sustainability and physics at the centre is Uppsala University, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Linnaeus University takes a similar route through marine science, ecology and sustainability and mathematics, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers bioengineering and AI and machine learning as well.
The comparison with Örebro University is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on statistics, ecology and sustainability and life sciences, and it covers food science and robotics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 17,000 students against roughly 33,000 here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Looking internationally, Masaryk University in the Czech Republic is where chemistry, statistics and physics get a comparable treatment; it has almost the same size, at about 35,115 students, and is also a public institution.
Abroad, University of Helsinki (Finland) covers chemistry, statistics and ecology and sustainability in a comparable way, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
In the United States, University of California, Santa Barbara teaches much the same core subjects, marine science, chemistry and ecology and sustainability, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Abroad, University of Oslo (Norway) covers astroscience, chemistry and physics in a comparable way, and it is slightly smaller, at about 28,000 students against roughly 33,000 here, and is also a public institution.
For chemistry, statistics and physics outside the home country, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany is a natural reference; it has almost the same size, at about 36,569 students, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Stockholm University?
The main campus is at Universitetsvägen 10 A in Frescati, Stockholm, Sweden, in the Royal National City Park.
When was it founded?
In 1878 as Stockholms högskola. It received university status in 1960.
How large is it?
About 33,000 students and 5,500 staff.
Who founded it?
A group of donors led by the mathematician Gustaf Mittag-Leffler.
Who was Sofia Kovalevskaya?
The first woman in modern Europe to hold a chair in mathematics, appointed at Stockholm in 1889.
Which Nobel laureate taught there?
Svante Arrhenius, who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
What is the Stockholm Resilience Centre?
A research centre that developed the concept of planetary boundaries.
What is AlbaNova?
A campus shared with KTH that houses physics and astronomy.
Is there tuition?
Tuition is free for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. Other students pay fees that vary by programme. Check the current tariff and scholarships.
In which language are courses taught?
Bachelor's programmes mostly in Swedish, and most master's programmes in English.
Environmental Engineering, Environmental Impact, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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