SSE

The Stockholm School of Economics

LSE offers undergraduate students the opportunity to spend a full academic year at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE)

The GO LSE exchange with SSE is offered as part of the CIVICA Engage Track.

About

The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) is one of Europe's leading business schools. Founded in 1909, today SSE is made up of around 2,000 students, and offers courses in a range of economics and business-related fields.

The School is located in the heart of Scandinavia. The city is not only the capital of Sweden, but is also considered to be one of the most modern and open cities in the world and excels in the areas of sustainability, education, IT, social welfare and culture.

Find out more about the exchange programme here.

Academic Information

The educational programmes at Stockholm School of Economics are based on research and stress a theoretical and analytical approach. GO LSE students are able to take courses in Management, Finance, Economics, Accounting and Financial Management, and Marketing. Alongside the main offering, there are also opportunities to take courses in Entrepreneurship and Languages.

The teaching methodology is a mixture of American and European teaching methods and theories. Some courses are characterized by more traditional teaching, with lectures, written course assignments and seminars.

In other courses the teaching is to a great extent based on cases; active participation in class is expected and contributes to the final grade. Many of the courses require substantial preparatory reading.

As GO LSE students at SSE will be part of the CIVICA Engage track, they will be expected to take an Engage course as part of their programme.

The SSE exchange is additional to the requirements of your LSE degree. Having completed the year at SSE, you will then return to LSE to study the final year of your programme. Your year overseas will not count towards your final degree classification at LSE, but you will be issued with a separate SSE transcript providing details of your results.

Accommodation

Students are eligible to apply for SSE's rooms and apartments, although accommodation is not guaranteed. Further information can be found on SSE's Housing website.

Eligibility

The scheme is open to all second year LSE undergraduate students (or third year BSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics students) who have been accepted onto the CIVICA Engage Track. Generally we require applicants to have passed all of their first year exams (without resits) and to have achieved a 2:1 average across their courses.

Fees, Living Costs and Financial Support

Tuition fees

GO LSE students are not required to pay any tuition fees to SSE to participate in the exchange. Instead, you will continue to pay tuition fees directly to LSE. Your tuition fee while studying abroad is significantly reduced as compared to when you are on campus. For further information, please visit our fees and funding webpage

Living costs

The estimated cost of living in Stockholm is between 8,720 and 10,720 Swedish Krona (or between £730 and £900) per month. This will cover your housing, meals, books, and personal costs, but travel expenses are not accounted for. 

Visit the exchange student webpage for more information.

Financial support

Please visit our fees and funding webpage for further information. 

Past Student Experience 

Reflecting on my year at the school of economics, I realise I’ve had so many experiences and life lessons it’s hard to grasp it in a few words. Interestingly, I did not want to go to Stockholm - I applied to go to Sciences Po - but I’ve been so incredibly happy. 

I’ve branched out academically, taking law, sustainability, econometrics, finance, sustainability and entrepreneurship courses. I’ve challenged myself by taking on a 125% workload. Furthermore, I’ve immersed myself into the student association; I helped organise the after-party for the Nobel Night, I supported the organisation of the biggest career fair in Scandinavia, took part in “tough viking” classes, and went to parties in the basement of the university. 

As a city, Stockholm is a lot more quiet than London. Even though it is a capital city, Sweden is just a smaller country. However, it made me more creative as well. I rented skis for free from “the fritidsbanken” - a library for leisure activities - to go skiing from a hill in Stockholm. We went to nature areas on the outskirts of town for hikes. Chilled on beaches. Took a ferry to Helsinki for one day. Had an insane amounts of cinnamon buns with coffee, bagels and meatballs. 

I was also able to reconnect with activities I used to do for fun and kind of “lost” in the hectic life of London and LSE. SSE offers a literary agenda - a book circle where you get the books for free and a free lunch when discussing. I visited museums and travelled. Baked. 
Lastly, I am so grateful for the people I met. Exchange students are a different kind of people in a way. Due to the acute awareness of the limited time we have, there’s a certain go-getter energy. From having a BBQ on the first sunny day of the year - in the snow - to weekends filled with parties, I feel like we threw ourselves at life. I’ve made even more international friend groups than back in London. 

Writing this and reflecting on a year of adventures and personal growth, I am so glad I endeavoured on this adventure. And this all despite not having housing about three days before the start of the academic year. 

Mere Wolfensberger, GO LSE CIVICA Exchange 

Studying at the Stockholm School of Economics provided me with a rigorous academic experience that allowed for insight into contemporary modern business issues and applying them to actual industrial experience. The highlight for me was working within the innovation and entrepreneurship department for a Management Operations course whereby we were assigned a Swedish innovation platform to consult for ten hours a week to improve their operational excellence by utilising the school work conducted through analytics and interviews with various CEOs. As a result, a social innovation report I worked on is now used by the business and the industrial experience has allowed me to become knowledgeable on the Nordic start-up market which I can now place into context when evaluating job prospects post-graduation. 

I particularly enjoyed the close-knit community of the exchange students which meant there were strong social ties and a lot of organised activities such as weekly banquets and traditional drama performances called Spex. My favourite part of the year was the trip to Lapland hosted by the exchange team where we spent a week learning about the Sami Community and engaging in various cultural activities. The team worked hard to ensure every student's experience was optimised throughout the year and this was appreciated by all. One positive aspect of the education experience was the fact the courses were contextualised in a business setting and as a result, a lot of lectures had guest speakers from various top firms. For example, my accounting class was taught by a different partner from a Big 4 firm each week which allowed for a nuanced and engaging class dynamic. The education system contrasted a lot with the British System with a more participation-focused and broad activity-based class system which meant I could study subjects I would not be able to at LSE such as History of Art and Wellbeing Psychology - this benefitted my understanding of what I want to focus on in the future. 

Alongside my studies, I interned at a fintech start-up which I was offered through support from the business committee.For professional growth, this was useful to adapt my working technique to the working technique of the Nordics in addition to developing language skills and a comprehensive application of academia into business development. 
What I gained from studying abroad can not just be measured in academic attainment but also in personal growth and outlook on life - I have had to push myself to do things I never would previously be open to and work with people from diverse backgrounds with contrasting opinions. As a result, I am more confident in social situations and have developed the way I work in teams and high-pressure environments. I am now interested in working abroad in the future after experiencing how easy it is to assimilate into new cultures, contexts and cities (something unbeknown to me previously). Overall the experience was my favourite year of university and I would recommend it to anyone.

Rebecca Grant, GO LSE CIVICA Exchange

Travel and Visas

Travel

GO LSE exchange students are expected to make their own travel arrangements. If you are eligible for Student Finance, you may be able to recoup part of the cost of up to three return journeys between your home and your host institution.

GO LSE exchange students will be covered under LSE's Travel Insurance policy, following completion of the necessary risk assessment document.

Visas

Non-EU students (including British citizens) will need to apply for a residence permit to study in Sweden. Citizens of European Union or European Economic Area countries do not need a visa to study in Sweden.

For up-to-date information, please check this page regularly.