Over 15 per cent increase in admitted international master’s students

1,504 students have been admitted to over 45 international master’s programmes at Umeå University for the autumn 2026 semester.

ImageMattias Pettersson

“We are looking forward to welcoming all new students in the autumn and we are pleased that so many have chosen a study programme at Umeå University”, says Cathrine Norberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education at Umeå University.

Programmes in public health and economics continue to attract strong interest. This autumn, Umeå University is launching two new master’s programmes: Bioinformatics and Mathematical Statistics with a specialisation in Financial Engineering. 
 
Nathaniel Street, programme coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Bioinformatics, comments on the new programme:
“We see strong employment prospects for students in academia, clinical settings, and the biotechnology industry. The programme is designed to equip students with the practical skills these sectors require. It is also encouraging to see such substantial international interest in the very first year the programme is offered.”

At bachelor’s level, Umeå University offers three programmes taught in English in the international admissions round: Life Science, International Business and Economics, and Industrial Design. The International Business and Economics programme continues to attract many applicants. The bachelor’s programme in Industrial Design is being offered in English for the first time, which has already attracted strong international interest and demonstrates that the initiative meets a growing global demand for creative and sustainable design education.

Now the work begins to prepare the students for their studies in Umeå.

Cathrine Norberg continues:
“It is reassuring that interest has increased for so many of the university's programmes. Overall, we have had 40 per cent more applicants compared with last year. Now the work begins to prepare the students for their studies in Umeå. Among other things, the international students will be invited to a Pre-departure webinar in the spring and will gain access to an app where they can chat with other admitted students who are also starting their studies in the autumn here at the university”, says Cathrine Norberg.