Admission requirements for exchange courses

Admission to courses depends on the following:

• The type of agreement between your home university and Lund University (e.g. a university-wide agreement or a specific faculty or department-level exchange agreement)
• Whether the course is open to exchange students
• Whether you meet the specific admission requirements of the courses
• Places available on the courses

Check the admission requirements first

Each course has specific admission requirements. Please carefully read the specific course requirements on the website of the relevant department (either in the course description or the syllabus). Most courses require that students already have a background in the subject – at least one year of full-time studies in the subject area (60 ECTS) in order to be eligible for admission. Our judgment of whether or not you are eligible for the courses you wish to attend is based on your Transcripts of Record and if required, the Eligibility form.
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Special department requirements

• At Lund University, 'economics' and 'business administration' are two different disciplines – please carefully read the explanations provided on the exchange course list for the School of Economics and Management. An eligibility form is also required.
• Special Area Studies and Swedish language courses are generally open to all exchange students, with no previous studies in the subject area required.
• Faculty of Law demands at least 1 year of previous law studies for undergraduate/Bachelor's level courses and for courses on graduate/advanced level at least 2.5 years of previous law studies. For double-degree students; only Law courses count.
• Faculty of Engineering requires at least 2 years of prior studies as well as an eligibility form.
• The School of Architecture demands 3 years of prior studies in the subject, as well as a portfolio.
• Industrial design, arts and music demand previous studies and a portfolio as part of the admission process.

Find links to the departments’ web pages with information about the courses and admission requirements by visiting the page below:

Find exchange courses

Previous studies – am I eligible?

The Swedish higher education credit system is compatible with ECTS credits where 60 ECTS credits are equal to the workload of a full-time student over one academic year. One credit is the equivalent of approximately 25–30 hours of study.

Students in Sweden generally study their chosen subject area intensely, full time and with few or no elective courses, right from the start of their Bachelor’s degree programme. Accordingly, they usually accumulate 60 ECTS credits in their chosen subject area within one academic year.  This is in contrast to many other countries, where students take courses in their chosen major subject in conjunction with other subjects during their degree.

International students often need to have studied courses in the major and/or minor subject area for a longer period of time in order to accumulate the required level of credits and subject knowledge for admission to courses offered to exchange students at Lund University. For example, if you studied 2–3 courses in a subject area during one year of study, that is not necessarily enough to qualify you for studying that subject area at the level we offer for exchange students.

• About the learning environment and teaching style at Lund University
• Degrees and credits in the Swedish higher education system

English language proficiency

It is important that you have sufficient proficiency in the English language to be able to study the courses open to exchange students. It is recommended that your level of English language proficiency is equivalent to IELTS 6.5/TOEFL 90. Please check with your home university regarding the required levels to be nominated for an exchange to Lund University.

Swedish language proficiency

No prior knowledge of the Swedish language is required to come on an exchange to Lund University and study English-taught courses.  

Students with a background in Scandinavian studies or who have studied in a Nordic school system may be able to apply for courses with Swedish as the language of instruction. Typically, the language requirement for exchange students wishing to study Swedish-taught courses is 'Swedish B' or equivalent.