Frequently asked questions for new students
On this page you will find answers to questions frequently asked, regarding admission, notification of selection results, accomodation, user account and other issues relevant for new students at Umeå University.
- Who to contact for different questions
- Notification of selection results and Welcoming letter
- Accomodation
- User account and IT services
- Travelling to Umeå
- Social activities
- "Reserve" - placed on a waiting list, and late applications
Who to contact for different questions
I have a disability and wish to know more about the support available for me
Via the link below you will find more information about the support available for students with disabilities. You will also find contact information on that page.
Support for students with disabilities
I wish to talk to a study counsellor
At Student Services there are study counsellors available for all students. Find contact information via the link below.
Study and career guidance
Notification of selection results and Welcoming letter
How do I reply to my Notification of selection results?
In order to save your place or reserve the place you have been offered, you must reply to your Notification of selection results. If you have applied through Universityadmissions.se, you will find information via the following link: Notification of Selection Results
Exchange student - you will find information about the admission process via the link below.
Exchange students - admission
What date does the Autumn term start?
The official start of the Autumn 2013 term is 2 September 2013. Umeå University offers an Orientation Course for new international students from 27 to 30 August 2013. The term ends on 19 January 2014. You will find other term start and end dates via the link below.Important dates
I haven't received a Welcoming letter for my course/programme. Where can I find it?
If you haven't received a Welcoming letter through regular mail or e-mail, you may find it at the web page for the course or programme. You will find information about how to find the Welcoming letter through the link below. In the course or programme web page, you may also find contact information to the course or programme coordinator if you have questions regarding your coming studies.Find your Welcoming letter
Accommodation
How can I find a place to stay in Umeå?
If you are an exchange student or will be paying a tuition fee for your studies at Umeå University, you will already have received an offer of housing. Others may follow the link below for information on how to find a place to stay.
Accommodation
User account and IT services
What is a user account and why do I need one?
As a student at Umeå University you will get access to a number of systems and web based services such as the learning platform Cambro, the student portal (Portalen) containing the student e-mail and study related personal services, the wireless network, and other.
You get access to these services by signing in using the central authentication service (CAS) username and password. As a new student at Umeå University, you need to first activate your user account to be able to sign in.
How do I get access to my user account?
Before you can sign in to your user account, you need to activate it.
If you have applied to Umeå University through Universityadmissions.se and have been admitted to a course or programme, you will receive a letter sent to your registered home address from Umeå University after the second Notification of selection results, with a temporary user identity that you can use to activate your user account. You can also activate it through your user identity on Universityadmissions.se. Both ways to activate the user account can be reached via the link below.
Activate your user account
If you have applied to Umeå University as an exchange student, you will receive information about how to activate the user account when you arrive at the university.
When you have activated your user account, you will reach the student portal (Portalen) or the learning platform (Cambro) via the sign in links to the right at www.student.umu.se/english
Travelling to Umeå
Umeå is easily accessible via plane, railway, bus, car, and also ferry. Through the link below you will find directions, listed by form of transportation.
Travel Directions to Umeå University
Social activities
What is "mottagning", "inspark", "nollning", "nolle-p", "phösare"?
Traditionally, many study programmes arrange a reception programme that goes under many different names, like "mottagning", "inspark", "nolle-p" or "phösare". The students having studied a year or more at the programme are the ones arranging the reception, normally as a part of the Student Unions. The purpose of the reception is team building, getting to know each other and to have fun together. If your programme carries the tradition of arranging a reception, you will get more information about it during the first week.
"Reserve" - placed on a waiting list, and late applications
Please note that the questions and answers under this headline are valid only if you have applied to Umeå University through Universityadmissions.se. If you have applied as an exchange student, you will find more information via the following link.
Exchange students
In my Notification of selection results, it says "Reserve" next to the name of the course or programme. What does this mean?
If you see "Reserve" next to your course or programme in the Notification of selection results, this means that you've been placed on a waiting list for that course/programme.
What are my chances of being admitted to a course or programme where I am placed on the waiting list after the first Notification of selection results?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to say what your chances are to be admitted when you are placed on the waiting list. There are great differences in likeliness that places will be available between different courses/programmes, which means that for some courses/programmes the chances to get admitted are good, and for others it is less likely that you will be admitted. You will need to wait and see the result when the second Notification of selection results is published, in the beginning of August. Remember to check the course/programme when you reply to the first Notification of selection results, in order to remain on the waiting list for the course or programme.
I am still on the waiting list after the second Notification of selection results. Are there any chances that I will be admitted?
If vacancies appear at the course/programme after it has started, you may be admitted. If so, you will be contacted by the department reponsible for the course/programme. Students will be offered admittance to the course/programme in order by the waiting list. You also need to have checked the course/programme when you replied to the first Notification of selection results, in order to remain on the waiting list for the course or programme.
How do I apply for postponement?
You can apply for postponement if you have been admitted to a programme and have a legitimate cause to postpone your study start. Use the contact form via the link below to apply for postponement. Make sure to use the e-mail address that you have stated at Universityadmissions.se, and describe the reasons for applying.
Contact form
Can I apply for a course or programme after the application deadline has passed? If so, how do I do this?
If the course or programme still has an "Add" next to it when you search for it at Universityadmissions.se, you can register a late application.
I have forgotten to reply to my Notification of selection results; what do I do?
If you have forgotten to reply to your Notification of selection results, you must reapply in order to get a chance to be readmitted. You can reapply for a programme if it still has an "Add" when you search for it at Universityadmissions.se. It's important to remember that if you reapply for a lower ranked course or programme, you may be competing for a limited number of places.
Can I appeal a decision that I don't fulfill the qualifications for a course or programme? If so, how do I do this?
You can appeal a decision that you don't fulfill the qualifications for a course or programme. You also have the right to appeal decisions on exemption from required qualifications. The appeal shall be in written form and be sent to: University Admissions in Sweden, FE 1, SE–833 83 Stroemsund SWEDEN. If the university abides its previous decision, your appeal will then be sent to The Higher Education Appeals Board in Stockholm for a further review. You will find information about this in your Notification of selection results.
