Linköping is the 5th largest city in Sweden. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church of Sweden) and is well known for its cathedral. Nowadays, Linköping is known for its university and its high-technology industry.
ISA – International Students Association, Linköping https://www.facebook.com/ISA.Linkoping/
Housing
Linköping University is one of the universities in Sweden which provides opportunities to find accommodation in the easiest way. The main housing provider is Studentbostäder which has the capacity of hosting more than 8000 students at the same time and Ryd is known as the biggest area of student housing.
In order to get a student house, students should register in studentbostader.se and collect queue points. After collecting a certain amount of queue points, students will be able to apply to houses whichever they like. The minimum number of queue points is around 100-150, but it still depends on the demand of the house. If two people apply for the house, then one’s chance will be higher to get it whose point is more than another.
Studentbostäder offers both corridor rooms and apartments. The monthly pay for corridor rooms starts from 3400 SEK whereas this cost is around 7500 SEK for apartments. The difference between them is in the student corridor you will have your own sleeping and bathroom but the kitchen will be shared whereas in the apartment you will have all things in your own room including the sleeping room, guest room, bathroom and kitchen.
However, if students want to have different types of apartments or shared houses then they can collaborate with other organizations where you can find information about them in this link.
Transportation
Bicycles are the most preferable transport for students in Linköping as in other cities in Sweden.
However, busses are considered the second type of transport which most students are using. In order to be able to use buses, students should first download the Östgötatrafiken app.
Through this app, they can buy the ticket online and scan it when they take the bus. There are two types of tickets, the first ticket costs 37 SEK for students and they can use it 24 hours. Second, a ticket which is only available for 1 hour costs 19 SEK.
When it comes to travelling to other cities, Flixbus or SJ trains are the most preferred options. You can buy tickets from websites and each website are here in this link: Flixbus, SJ train.
Moreover, students can also use campus buses to travel to Norrköping city. Since Linköping University has two campuses in both Linköping and Norrköping, the university provides students with buses free of charge. In order to have information about the schedule of campus buses, you can visit this website: Campus bus: My Studies: LiU students: Linköping University.
Student identity
Once you reach Linköping University you will be guided by university personnel about what you need to do to officially register yourself as a student.
Firstly, you need to come to the information centre on campus in order to get your username and password as a student in the Lisam system. Lisam is a system where you will see your grades, submit your assignments and get notifications from professors.
After getting registered as a student in Lisam, the next step is to register yourself in the Student Ladok system. Ladok is a platform which officially registers you as a student in Sweden where you will also get your exam results and transcript. In order to get informed about last updates, it is recommended to regularly visit the university website: Linköping University start page – Linköping University (liu.se)
Shopping
In order to buy monthly groceries, there are a lot of supermarkets in Linköping including Maxi, Ica, Hemköp and Salam lives.
Salam lives is considered the shop where you can find halal food the most. You can also buy food and groceries which are more common in Muslim countries. Salam lives is considered one of the cheapest supermarkets in Linköping.
However, Maxi and Willy’s are also considered one of the cheapest supermarkets where you can buy your monthly groceries. It is recommended to subscribe to the supermarkets as a member since it gives the additional advantage in terms of getting discounts on food prices. You can subscribe to yourself as a member in Maxi, Hemköp, Ica and Coop. In order to do that you need to just go to the market and register yourself as a member when you buy something.
When it comes to clothes, H&M and NewYorker are preferred by students the most where prices are cheaper in comparison to other brands. There is also a Second-Hand shop in Linköping city centre where you can buy some stuff at a cheaper price where you can find a lot of stuff including clothes, welfare stuff such as plates, frames and kitchen.
To easily reach second-hand products you can also join a Facebook group which is called Linköping flea market where you can find all things from A to Z. It will also give you an opportunity to post some stuff you want to sell in the group.
Excluding clothes, you can easily manage your monthly food budget by spending around 2000 SEK.
Life in Linköping
Linköping is a small town where you will find a nice harmony between city and village life. People here are so welcome and friendly.
As a student, you will have tremendous opportunities to enjoy your social life including going to the bars and restaurants as well as organizing picnic activities in the open air enjoying nice weather. Moreover, in Linköping, you will also have an opportunity in terms of improving your Swedish language skills by attending free conversation cafes which are organized by Röda Korset.
