Housing

Live Like a Local

We see housing as an important opportunity for cultural integration. That’s why we offer students the choice of two immersive housing options: fully furnished single studio apartments or carefully selected host families.

Studio Apartments

Your new home in Stockholm will be a single studio apartment located in the same building as your fellow Swedish Program students, as well as other Swedish and international students. This means you always have your own personal space, but it’s easy and convenient to connect with your peers.

Our studio apartments are newly built and located in a neighborhood called Sundby, with a door-to-door commute of approximately 35–40 minutes to SSE with public transit (a typical commute for Stockholm). Each apartment has a private bathroom and a kitchenette equipped with an electrical stove, oven, fridge/freezer, microwave, and cooking utensils. You’ll receive a monthly food subsidy to buy and prepare your own meals. Living independently gives you the chance to build your culinary skills! All apartments have WiFi. Bed linens, pillows, blankets, towels, and hairdryers are provided.

The apartment complex has shared laundry facilities. Other communal spaces include a gathering space, a small gym, and meeting rooms with kitchen facilities that can be reserved by residents. How about hosting a dinner party or trivia night?

Host Family Request

Highly motivated students who are committed to cultural immersion may request to be placed with a local host family. Living with a host family has the potential to be a very rewarding experience for students who have a strong interest in learning the language and who would look forward to spending time with their family on weekends. Host families give students the opportunity for daily immersion in Swedish family life, and most Swedish Program students who have lived with a family describe it as the best part of their time abroad.

Our criterion for selecting host families is simple but demanding: the family must be motivated solely by their interest in a rewarding inter-cultural experience. Our students are treated as family members, not as boarders, and we expect both students and families to make an active commitment to open communication, flexibility, and cultural sensitivity. Students who elect to live with a host family will have their own furnished bedroom. Host families may live up to 70 minutes from SSE by public transportation (under normal weather conditions), but the average commute for a host student is 40–50 minutes.

The number of host students varies from semester to semester, but typically, less than ten percent of Swedish Program students choose a host family. Interested students should email our Program Manager in Stockholm (cate@swedishprogram.org) within two weeks of acceptance into the Program to begin the request process, which includes an additional application form and interview. Host families are not guaranteed, but housing in our apartments is guaranteed for all students. Students who request a host family will be informed of their housing placement by March 30 (fall semester) or October 30 (spring semester).

“My experience was very positive. I loved the apartment and my contact family. I fell in love with the city of Stockholm and getting to explore the city and find a café that I could come back to and become a regular at was a highlight.”

Allison Ruchman - Wesleyan University

“I loved it. My host family was one of the best parts. I really liked the program staff, the structure, and the city itself. It was a fantastic experience. I feel that the Swedish Program really helped me to grow and increase my cultural awareness. I learned more about myself than I have in the past 21 years.”

Kristen Banholzer - Franklin & Marshall

“The Swedish Program has created a warm and welcoming atmosphere with friendly administrators, professors, and fantastic contact and host families.”

Jamie Song - Harvard College

“I had a phenomenal and memorable experience in Stockholm. I will forever cherish my study abroad experience. The city suited my interest perfectly and I connected so well with my host family.”

Rachael Whitfield - Grinnell College