Stockholm University

Overview

Stockholm University is a preeminent public university located in the city of Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1878, it is one of Europe’s distinguished institutions of higher education and research. It also ranks high among the largest and oldest universities in Scandinavia. Furthermore, the university is known for its international academic environment that focuses on the development of a sustainable democratic society.

The university began as Stockholm College, a radical alternative to the legacy educational establishments. The college held its first open lectures in the fall 1877, a tradition the institution has kept to date. Initially, the institution started without exams or diplomas, instead offering alternatives to the traditional schools in Lund and Uppsala. In 1904, the college earned the right to grant degrees and by 1960, after years of resounding reforms, the college was given university status and was renamed Stockholm University.

From that point on, Stockholm University grew to become the best institution in the changing and globalized world. Its main campus in Frescati is well-known not only for the quality of education it provides but also for its lush park environment. This is because it sits in the heart of the world’s first National City Park. Besides, the institution has eight other campuses, including Albano and AlbaNova campus, Frescati Hage, Garnisonen (Journalism, Media, and Communication Studies), Kista campus, Kräftriket, Lilla Frescati, and Sveaplan campus.

These campuses are home to four faculties comprising 53 academic departments, centers, and institutes that serve the sole purposes of fostering education and research, which answer directly to the faculty boards. Education is available at different levels, including Ph.D., master’s, and bachelor’s degrees. In total, the university offers 190 programs of study and more than 1,700 courses within its four departments: Human Sciences, Natural Sciences, Law, and Humanities.

Currently, Stockholm University is home to more than 33,000 students, including more than 1,500 doctoral students. Of the total number of full-time students, more than 23,000 are enrolled under the Faculty of Human Science while more than 3,000 belong to the Faculty of Science.

In addition, there are more than 5,500 members of staff pulling the strings in different scientific areas. These include several researchers who are members of the committees tasked with selecting Nobel Prize winners. Beyond producing Nobel committee members, Stockholm has produced four winners of the prize, including Tomas Tranströmer (2011), Paul Crutzen (1995), George de Hevesy (1943), Hans von Euler-Chelpin (1929), and Svante Arrhenius (1903).