Mobility specification

Country:Sweden

Institution:University West

City:Trollhättan

Program:Erasmus+ for study

Activity type:Study

Academic year:2025/2026

MU faculty/department:Faculty of Economics and Administration

Study level abroad:Bachelor

🎓Hit the books! How do you rate the university experience?

Can you enroll in a course where you can learn the local language?no

Does the university offer enough courses in English?manageable

Are your credits converted?yes

Can you give an example?HV gives half credits and MU rounds up.

Was there anything in the teaching methods that surprised you?Swedish as a subject is only offered to those who have been here for at least a year.
It is possible to take only 1 course at a time, ending with an exam - the semester is divided into 4 blocks, 7.5 credits for 1 such course. It's fine for ongoing preparation, but it's obviously pretty annoyingly drawn out.
As far as teaching the economics courses (International Economics, Finance and Politics), it's not much different. They focus more on practice than theory. Unlike MUNI, though, the courses are pretty straightforward. In finance you get 2.5 credits just for a paper where you fill in numbers in 4 formulas (annuity, interest, ...)
I also took Software Engineering, where there is a group project for 10 credits that is assigned by specific companies. This surprised me quite a bit and is actually really cool despite the time commitment.
What surprised me unpleasantly is that quite a few of the courses listed simply decided not to teach this semester. The problem is that there were really very few economically oriented courses left to choose from after the cancellation of 8.

Does the university offer international students' programs and activities outside of lectures and seminars to help them integrate more quickly?Orientation week, student events, trips to Norway and Lapland (you just might not be able to go on either one like I did due to exams/other commitments...) etc.

In which areas does the university offer support for students with special needs and strive to be inclusive?Psychological counseling
Barrier-free access to classrooms and dormitories
Special examination conditions (e.g., extended time, quiet rooms)
Support for LGBTQ+ students (e.g., safe spaces, counseling services)

💸Did you have to rob the bank?

Try to take a guess at what your monthly expenditures were:22000 CZK/month

Did you stay in dorms?yes

What about unexpected expenses? Did anything surprise you?The prices here are of course extreme, but the prices for sports are relatively less brutal. Otherwise, I bought a new guitar here at Musikpartner, if that counts as an unexpected expense.

Do you have any tips on how to save money?Registering for anything in Sweden is a pain - even for discount store cards they ask you for a Swedish BankID. You get a Swedish bank account without a personnumer, which you don't get because you're not here for more than a year. I suggest you find a random Swede to login for you.
Fritidsbanken for renting any sports equipment (even bikes) is great.
Cook for yourself and stop drinking.

🗺 Learn the ropes in a new city

How well did you manage to communicate in English?perfectly

How does public transport work in the city?runs like clockwork

And what about transport outside the city?runs like clockwork

Where to find connections? How to buy a ticket?Vasttraffik , SJ, flygbussarna/flixbus from the airport. Realistically, though, I walked around the city in foot. Lasarettsvagen 3 -> Arena Alvhogsborg/streetcar is 30 minutes and you walk through the whole city. To school it's 15 minutes.

Did you deal with any health issues during your stay?no

🤠Help create the perfect bucket list

What is a must-see in the city?City trail over the hill overlooking the power plant and waterfalls. In general, even though the town is quite small, it's a nice place to walk or bike. Sjolanda badplats is definitely one of the more interesting places - a nice lake to swim and bike to. You can also book a private sauna there (Sjolandabastun). In October it's hard to get into the lake even after the sauna, but it's an interesting experience anyway.

What are the must-visit trip destinations?Gothenburg, Fjallbacka, Vanersborg

Share your best experience:Sjolanda badplats 🥶
It is quite pleasant to run around the river.
Otherwise, I play table tennis competitively and the local club has adopted me nicely, even though it was just packed to bursting because of Moregardh's success, and even though I don't speak a word of Swedish. So I guess other sports clubs wouldn't be a problem here either.

💅A nugget of wisdom to make the life easier

Did you need to handle a visa?no

How did you get to the place?Plane
Train
Bus
Car

Is there anything to watch out for before the trip?From the airport in Gothenburg it's still quite far (bus from the airport to the station, train to Trollhattan). Then it depends on the accommodation, but it's probably not close with luggage either.

Can you pay by card?everywhere

What not to forget when packing?Normally it's supposedly better here, but this autumn it rained nonstop (at least a waterproof jacket is useful). Still - running shoes are pretty useful too. Don't expect any extreme cold compared to the Czech Republic (max maybe 5 degrees difference, usually just a bit less).
It's probably better to take the bedding straight from home - after you finally get here, you really won't want to deal with it. They take quite a while to turn on the heating and the blanket is pretty thin. The school does trips to Ikea - at least buy a blanket ;)

🥳Summary

Whew, what a ride! 😮‍💨 Thanks so much for taking the time to complete our survey and for sharing your unique experience. Just one last thing. 🙏 How would you summarize your trip in one or two sentences?Small town in the middle of nowhere, small college, exceptionally bad weather, and yet it was awesome and I would go again in a heartbeat.