Gothenburg.

University of Gothenburg's Welcome Services and International Centre run a Welcome Programme at the start of each semester, covering Swedish culture and city life, backed by a monthly newsletter of ongoing events. Buddy programmes, student unions and Unimeet Gothenburg, an organisation dedicated to international student networking, all help you meet people early on. Chalmers keeps its international community close too, with around 17 percent of its roughly 10,000 students coming from outside Sweden. Between two universities and a genuinely international population, you will find people in the same situation everywhere, even if the social scene leans more low key than party heavy.

• Join GU's Welcome Programme and its monthly newsletter of student events.
• Connect through Unimeet Gothenburg, built for international student networking.
• Expect a low key social scene, with 17 percent of Chalmers international.

University of Gothenburg estimates a total monthly budget of roughly 10,525 to 17,525 kronor, with rent as the biggest line item at 4,000 to 10,000 kronor depending on whether you land student housing or a small private flat. Food runs about 3,000 to 4,000 kronor a month if you mostly cook, and a student monthly transport pass costs 645 kronor. Add at least 2,500 kronor for phone, internet, clothing and leisure, and the picture is complete. It is more expensive than many European exchange destinations, but still well below Stockholm.

• Budget 10,525 to 17,525 kronor a month, rent is the biggest cost.
• Get the student discount for a 645 kronor monthly transport pass.
• Cook most meals, food alone runs 3,000 to 4,000 kronor a month.

Housing in Gothenburg runs through a queue system, so register the moment you consider applying. SGS Studentbostäder has the largest student housing stock in the city but a typical wait of around 18 months, unrealistic for most exchange students. Chalmers Studentbostäder manages over 2,380 apartments and lists new rooms weekly for students at either university, while the University of Gothenburg's own Academic Housing offers a limited number of rooms specifically for exchange and fee paying students. CampusLyan is a free national platform that aggregates listings across Swedish student cities. Spring semester housing is generally easier to secure than autumn.

• Register with Academic Housing or Chalmers Studentbostäder as soon as you can.
• Do not rely on SGS Studentbostäder, its queue often runs 18 months.
• Check CampusLyan for extra listings if university housing does not come through.

Landvetter Airport sits about 25 kilometres from the centre, linked by Flygbussarna and Vy bus4you shuttles to the Nils Ericson terminal next to Central Station in around 30 minutes. Around town, Göteborgs Spårvägar runs one of the largest tram networks in Scandinavia, 12 lines and 176 kilometres of track carrying about 120 million passengers a year, so trams are how you get almost everywhere. Students get a 25 percent discount on Västtrafik period tickets once their student ID carries the Studentresesymbolen, through apps like Mecenat. Buy a period ticket rather than single fares if you are staying more than a few weeks.

• Ride the Flygbussarna shuttle from Landvetter to the centre in about 30 minutes.
• Get around by tram, Scandinavia's largest network at 176 kilometres of track.
• Add the Studentresesymbolen to your student ID via Mecenat for 25 percent off.

The University of Gothenburg, founded in 1891, is one of the largest universities in the Nordic countries with around 53,600 students across eight faculties, from the arts to health sciences. Chalmers University of Technology, founded in 1829 and home to about 10,000 students, has taught every master's programme in English since 2007, split between Campus Johanneberg and Campus Lindholmen, linked by tram. Standard exchange deadlines at GU run 1 March to 15 May for the autumn semester or full year, and 1 September to 15 November for spring. Your home university must nominate you before you can apply to either institution.

• Choose GU, one of the Nordics' largest universities, or English taught Chalmers.
• Meet GU's 1 March to 15 May deadline for autumn or full year.
• Get nominated by your home university before applying to either institution.

Ça dépend de ta nationalité. Les étudiants de l'UE, de l'EEE et suisses n'ont besoin d'aucun visa ni permis de séjour et ont pleinement le droit d'étudier et de rester. Les étudiants hors UE restant plus de 90 jours ont besoin d'un permis de séjour pour études auprès de l'Agence suédoise des migrations (Migrationsverket), demandé en ligne avant l'arrivée, avec preuve d'admission, de ressources et une assurance santé complète.

Candidate le plus tôt possible, car le traitement peut prendre des semaines voire des mois en haute saison. Tu voudras aussi obtenir un numéro personnel suédois (personnummer) si tu restes une année complète, car il débloque les services bancaires, la santé et plein d'autres services, même si les séjours plus courts peuvent se contenter d'un numéro de coordination. Garde des copies numériques de tout.

• UE/EEE/Suisse, aucun visa ni permis nécessaire
• Hors UE au-delà de 90 jours, permis de séjour études via Migrationsverket
• Candidate en ligne tôt ; le traitement en haute saison est lent
• Un personnummer débloque banque et santé pour les séjours d'un an

Fika, a proper coffee break with cinnamon buns or seasonal pastries like semla, is a genuine social institution in Sweden, often written into workplace routine and just as real on campus. Down by the harbour, the 1874 Feskekôrka fish market, built to look like a church, is the place for the west coast's seafood, from herring to shrimp. Liseberg, the biggest amusement park in Scandinavia, is a local institution well beyond tourists, and the whole city sits on a working port that is still the largest in the Nordic countries. Make time for a real fika instead of a coffee to go.

• Take a proper fika break with cinnamon buns, it's a real institution.
• Try west coast seafood at the church shaped Feskekôrka fish market.
• Visit Liseberg, Scandinavia's biggest amusement park, well beyond just tourists.

Haga, Gothenburg's oldest suburb, is full of preserved wooden houses and cafes and became a protected, gentrified favourite after a 1970s campaign saved it from demolition. Vasastan, built for the 19th century middle class in stone, sits centrally along Vasagatan, home to the Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law and HDK Valand, so it suits students at GU's central faculties. Majorna, just west of the centre between the river and Slottsskogen park, keeps a working class character in its distinctive Landshövdingehus buildings, three storeys with a stone ground floor. Chalmers students naturally gravitate to Johanneberg, right by the Campus Johanneberg site.

• Explore Haga's preserved wooden houses and cafes, saved from demolition in the 1970s.
• Live in Vasastan for a central base near GU's business and arts faculties.
• Choose Johanneberg if your campus is Chalmers, right next to the site.

Gothenburg's west coast location puts three capitals within a single day's reach. Copenhagen is about three hours forty five minutes away by direct FlixBus coach, or by hourly Öresundståg train. Stockholm takes around four hours ten minutes by direct bus, or by hourly SJ train from Göteborg Centralstation. Oslo is the closest, about two hours thirty five minutes by direct FlixBus, with Vy trains and coaches running the same corridor. With three capital cities all reachable in a day, Gothenburg makes an unusually strong base for weekend trips.

• Take a direct FlixBus coach to Copenhagen in about three hours forty five minutes.
• Reach Oslo the fastest, about two hours thirty five minutes by direct coach.
• Ride to Stockholm in around four hours by direct bus or hourly train.

Register with SGS Studentbostäder or Chalmers Studentbostäder the day you accept your exchange place, since queues move slowly and options like Academic Housing are limited. Apply for your Västtrafik student discount as soon as you have a student ID, since it needs the Studentresesymbolen loaded through an approved app before it works. A common rookie mistake is skipping fika: it is a genuine part of Swedish work and study culture, not just a coffee break. Pack for changeable west coast weather, since wind and rain roll in off the sea year round. Sign up early for GU's Welcome Programme sessions on Swedish culture and city life.

• Register with SGS or Chalmers Studentbostäder the day you accept your place.
• Load the Studentresesymbolen onto your student ID for the transport discount.
• Take fika seriously, it's a real part of Swedish student and work life.