Exchange studies at the Arctic Circle

Where can I go?

Which countries can I apply to?

For studies during the academic year 2023/2024 you can apply to universities in northern USA, Canada, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway and Finland.

The exchange programme north2north is a network within the University of the Arctic. Through the exchange programme, you can go to partner universities that are also part of the network. Which universities and countries you can apply to can vary from year to year.

Waiver to North American universities

The north2north exchange programme has at its disposal a number of north2north tuition waivers from North American member institutions. The study places of the partner universities in Canada and the northern part of the United States will be distributed among applicants from the Swedish universities participating in the north2north programme. Applicants from Umeå University, Stockholm University, Mid Sweden University and Luleå University of Technology can apply for the exchange places.

Before applying

Eligibility

To be eligible for north2north you must:

• Be a registered student at Umeå University at the time of your application or have an approved leave of absence from studies the year you apply.
• Study at undergraduate or graduate level.
• Go for exchange during a period of 3-10 months (shorter exchanges can be granted in exceptional cases).
• Have a study performance over 75% at Umeå University, i.e. no more than 25% unfinished courses *
• Have documented language skills in the language of instruction. For English, the requirements are the equivalent of three years of study at upper secondary school. You should either have: 
  • a minimum grade of B in upper secondary course 5,
  • or a minimum grade of D from upper secondary course 6,
  • or minimum grade of E from upper secondary course 7,
  • or a valid language test which meets with the CEFR B2 level.
  • For students at programmes instructed in English at Umu, a copy of the proof of English proficiency submitted with the application to the programme is sufficient.
• For documented language skills in other languages, please refer to the requirements of the partner university in question.
• Write a travel report when you get home that describes your experiences from abroad.

*  Registered interruptions in courses are not included in the calculation as long as there are no grades for the module or course. 

If you are studying courses or a programme with emphasis on the Northern and Arctic regions, you will have priority.

Can I get a scholarship?

Scholarship possibilities

There is a possibility to receive a scholarship but there is no guarantee. The scholarships are financed by the Swedish Institute.

Application step by step

Choose which universities you want to apply to

You can apply for up to four universities that you list in order of preference (first, second, third and fourth choice). Read about which universities you can apply to below.


Exchange places to universities in North America
The number of places (where it says TBA) will be updated continuously. Please note that you should wait to apply to a university where the number of places has not yet been announced.

Exchange places to Nordic universities can be found in Solemove.
 
1) Go to Solemove.
2) Select "Advanced search".
3) Under "Application period Exchange studies", select "Exchange studies within North2north 2023-2024".
4) Click "search" to see available universities.

Select courses

In your application, you must also indicate your choice of courses. Please write four courses for each chosen university in the study plan. Present your course selection for all universities you want to apply for to your study counselor. You can find more information about courses and the universities in the UArctic Study Catalouge. 

Present your course choice to your study councelor

All courses must be credited after the exchange and it is important that you have had your courses approved by your department before submitting your application for an exchange place. Present your course choices to all the universities you want to apply to, to your study councelor and talk about which semester is the most suitable for you to study abroad.

Please note that the course selections are preliminary. Nominated students will possibly make new course choices in a later application to the host university.

In your application, you are asked to confirm that you have discussed this with your study councelor and also state the name of that person.

Mandatory attachment in the application

In your application, you must include a study plan, including a Letter of Motivation.

A Letter of Motivation is a personal letter in which you can motivate why you are applying for a north2north exchange place. Describe your academic connection to the northern/arctic or any other connection such as motivation or interest. Example of Letter of Motivation.

Use this template when you write your study plan.

Apply through Solemove

Submit your application here (between 15 December and 16 January).

Please choose International Office as your home institution in the application.

Make sure all attachments are included:

• Study plan, including Letter of motivation (see above).
  
  
• If you do not have high school grades in English that reach the eligibility requirement, you can upload another completed language test. More information about the valid language test can be found above under the eligibility section.

Manual for applying for exchange studies

More information about the north2north programme and the selection process can be found here: University of the Arctics.

If you have sent in several applications, it is the latest one that will be taken into consideration, unless you have notified us otherwise (contact the International Office).