Signing up for the Erasmus Mundus program can be life-changing in many ways. But the one change, which comes first and fast, is ‘finding an abode in a foreign land’. While the search for your own little place has its fair share of challenges, the exciting path from ‘Where to live?’ to ‘Finally, I’ve got a home!’ is pretty exciting and of course a pretty significant part of your Erasmus journey.
The stream of questions that rush through your mind before finding a place in a city you’ve just moved to or planning to move to, is very much known to us. We do know and almost unanimously agree that it’s impossible to ignore all those ‘What if’s. What if I don’t find a place here? What if I end up ‘not feeling home’? What if I end up being in a sketchy area with an annoying flat mate? What if?
Considering all these challenges and queries, with an intent to help the future students who will be arriving in the beautiful Nordic city of Uppsala, here we share some lived experiences of finding places from the Uppsala students of Cohort V! Keep reading because here we answer everything you need to know for finding a home in Uppsala.
Even before the semester starts, students going to Uppsala receive a link with all the options of housing available, so that they can apply in advance for the one they prefer. The options include: Rackarbergsgatan, Flogsta, Ekebyvägen, Eklundshovsvägen, Kantorsgatan, Klostergatan and Salixvägen. Rackarberggatan and Flogsta are the most popular among GLOCAL students, due to its suitable location and reasonable price.
Link to access the options: https://housingoffice.se/
Unit 1: The closer, the merrier
This large student residential area is really close to all the Student nations and only about 1.5 km west of the city center. This has been a favorite among us because the accommodation is 5 minutes away from the Ekonomikum building, where GLOCALs attend the mandatory classes.
On Rackarbergsgatan there are 139 student rooms in the corridors. The rooms are 13-15 square meters. The shower is shared with other tenants and each corridor kitchen is shared by 3-5 people. Cleaning of the common areas is the tenants’ responsibility. Some of our rooms at Rackarbergsgatan include private toilet (which is often called WC in Uppsala), while others share the toiler in the corridor.
Rooms at Rackarbergsgatan 12 share a toilet within the corridor but the rooms have private sink in the private bedrooms. All rooms on 24-26 have private WC but the shower and kitchen are shared by 5 students. The rooms on 22, which have 5 rooms in the corridor, have private WC but shared shower room and kitchen. All rooms are furnished with a bed and mattress (no pillow or quilt is included), a desk with chair and lamp, a small chest of drawers or bookshelf, ceiling lamp, curtain rod and fixtures.
Unit 2: In the heart of nature
Sernanders väg is a large student residential area in Flogsta which is situated 3 km west of the city center. Flogsta is also close to natural areas of Uppsala.
On Sernanders väg there are about 1000 student rooms in corridors. Each room is 19 square meters and includes a private bathroom (shower and WC). Each corridor has one kitchen, shared by 12 people. The rooms are furnished with a bed and mattress (no pillow or quilt is included), a desk, chair, lamp, pedestal of drawers or book cupboard and a ceiling lamp.
The monthly rent ranges from approximately 4400-4500 SEK/month (autumn 2021) and also includes electricity, water and heating. Here also internet is provided by an external supplier. There is no Wi-Fi, but you can connect via a net cable to the wall outlet. You are expected to pay SEK 2500 deposit before arrival.
More tips to finding accommodation in different cities: