Newly admitted students
Starting one of our programs this Autumn?
We can't wait to meet you! We hope you're excited to start your program, too. We've compiled a bunch of information for you below - take a look, and get ready - we'll see you in the autumn!
What’s coming up
Lund University arrival day
On Arrival Day, international mentors and university staff will welcome you and help you settle into your new life in Lund and Sweden. We recommend all international students to attend, though attending Arrival Day is not required. More information about arrival day can be found here.
Orientation weeks
Arrival Day marks the start of the University's orientation weeks offering a variety of activities that aim to help you settle in smoothly at the University and in student life. A full program and possibilities to sign up and/or buy tickets will be available here.
Programme introduction day (mandatory)
29 August 2025 from 9-15 at Kulturen Open Air Museum in Lund
Each year, we organise a big welcome event for all Graduate School students. It's our personal way of introducing you to the department, as well as fall new students to meet each other! Be sure to watch your email for an update from us this summer regarding this in-person event!
Course start (mandatory)
The moment we've all been waiting for! Monday, 1st of September is the first day of teaching on most of our courses. Excited yet?! Here are links to your first profile course:
SIMP01: Introduction to Global Studies (Global Studies Students)
SIMP27: Gender, Class, Ethnicity and Sexuality (Social Studies of Gender Students)
SIMP37: Theories and Issues in Development (Development Studies Students)
SIMP45: Introduction to Middle Eastern Studies (Politics & Society of the Contemporary Middle East Students)
SIMP55: The Process of Social Research (Social Scientific Data Analysis Students)
Attendance at course start is mandatory. If you miss the first course meeting of your first course without notifying Graduate School ahead of time, you risk losing your place on the program.
If you must miss the course introduction due to documented reasons such as illness, please contact maria [dot] persson_ling [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se before the course introduction meeting. You must in any case be able to demonstrate that you are in Lund to start the program, even if illness prevents you from attending the course introduction meeting.
Conditionally admitted students & document submission
In order to start the program and register, you must be able to demonstrate that you have completed and passed your bachelor's degree studies. Conditionally admitted students must submit their degree documents for verification by the Lund University Admissions Department before they can be registered to the program. The following information outlines what needs to be submitted and how, depending on the country in which you previously studied.
Required documentation
Students are required to submit their degree certificate/diploma and final transcript showing all completed courses and grades in to fulfill conditional admission requirements. For students with previous studies in the majority of countries*, it is enough to upload a copy of your degree certificate once you receive it and before starting the program. If you completed your bachelor's studies in Sweden, you do not need to upload any documents; instead, just notify master [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se once your final grades are reported in Ladok and you have applied for your degree certificate.
*However, if your degree was awarded in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria, or the USA, your official transcript must be sent directly to University Admissions by your previous university to the following address:
PostNord Strålfors AB
Att: University Admissions in Sweden
R 312
SE-190 81 Rosersberg
Sweden
If you will not have a diploma by the deadline mentioned below, we will accept a certified transcript showing that you have completed and passed all bachelor's-level course work. You will then need to submit your diploma at the deadline mentioned below. This will, however, have implications on your official registration. Please see below for how this impacts your registration.
How and when to submit required documentation
How to submit the required documents
The easiest and fastest way to submit the required documentation (as long as your degree was not awarded from a university in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria, or the USA) is to upload it to your account on universityadmissions.se and email maria [dot] persson_ling [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se once that is complete. Students who graduated from the aforementioned countries must have their previous university send their proof of graduation to the address mentioned above.
If your bachelor's degree is from a Swedish university, it is enough to email Graduate School (maria [dot] persson_ling [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se) with your Swedish personal number, letting us know once all of your credits are reported in Ladok and that you have applied for degree certificate. Please also include a screenshot showing that you are waiting on your diploma to be issued. Students graduating from a bachelor's/kandidatprogram at Lund University do not need to provide the screenshot, but please still notify us so we can check the status of your diploma application in Ladok.
You should always submit your documentation according to the specific requirements for the previous country of studies. You can find country-specific requirements here: https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/apply-to-masters/provide-application-documents-masters/country-instructions/
Deadline to submit required documentation
Newly admitted students must submit proof of completed bachelor's degrees by first day of courses: on 1 September.
If you do have not received your diploma by 1 September
As aforementioned, if you are unable to submit your final documentation by that date, you can submit the following documents on UniveristyAdmissions.se (or by post to the address above if applicable) in order to still be allowed to start the program on time:
- An official final transcript, and
- A letter or certified document from your previous university which clearly states that you have completed and passed all required bachelor's-level coursework, and that you have applied for your diploma but are just waiting on it to be issued.
Please notify frank [dot] schreier [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se (maria[dot]persson_ling[at]sam[dot]lu[dot]se) once you have uploaded these documents.
Implications to registration and course participation
We will not be able to register you to the program and/or its first course until you have submitted the required documentation. Further, admitted students are not able to participate on courses until they have registered. It is therefore crucial that you supply the required documentation by the deadline. Failure to meet the deadline can also result in delays for other related matters, such as financial aid (CSN in Sweden), scholarships, student discounts, and most importantly, missing important time in your course.
If you are conditionally admitted and do not provide the required documentation by 21 September at the latest, you not be able to keep your place on the program.
Please note: in order to be registered to the program, you must be physically present in Lund at the beginning of the program.
Frequently asked questions:
All of Graduate School's master's programs are campus-based, and as such it is not possible to attend them remotely. Further, students must be registered to the program in order to participate, and registration requires physical presence in Lund.
Graduate School's Program Introduction Day on 29 August, and course start on 1 September are both mandatory components of the program. Unless it is an emergency, you should plan to attend these meetings.
If you are unable to submit your final documentation by that date, you can submit the following on UniversityAdmissions.se (or by post to the address above if applicable) in order to still be allowed to start the program on time:
- An official final transcript, and
- A letter or certified document from your previous university which clearly states that you have completed and passed all required bachelor's-level coursework, and that you have applied for your diploma but are just waiting on it to be issued.
Regardless of your nationality, if you are a conditionally-admitted student who received your Bachelor's degree from a Swedish university, your credits and diploma will be registered in the national system automatically and you will not need to send a final transcript.
However, if you are conditionally-admitted to a master's program and have not received your diploma/examensbevis by course start, you will still need to provide a screenshot showing that you have applied for your diploma and are waiting on it to be issued. Students graduating from a bachelor's program at Lund University do not need to provide the screenshot, but should still notify us so we can check the status of your diploma application in Ladok.
Depending on your specific extenuating circumstance, you may be able to apply for a deferral of studies. This guarantees that we hold you place and you can start the program during the next academic year.
Deferral of studies can be granted for the the following special reasons:
- Employer decided to postpone my leave of absence (include certified copy of the employer’s decision)
- Basic military training or civilian military service (include certified copy of the draft order)
- Employment or service in the armed forces in accordance with Section 12 of the Act (2012:332)2 (include certified copy of certificate)
- Childcare (include certified copy of certificate)
- Illness (include doctor’s certificate)
- Elected position in a student union (include certified copy of certificate)
- Other (include an account of the reason as well as certified copies to support the account)*
Lack of funding/scholarship is unfortunately not a reason that can be accepted under the “other” category.
Admissions offers can only be held one time - it is not possible to apply for deferrals of study on a specific offer of admissions more than once.
If you were awarded a scholarship from Lund University, it is not possible to hold it until the following academic year, even if you are granted a deferral of studies from Graduate School.
For inquiries regarding deferrals of study, please contact us at master [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se with your full name, application number, program you've been admitted to, and the reason you need a deferral of study. If you are eligible for a deferral, we will send you instructions on how to apply.
You can contact program coordinator Maria Persson Ling at maria [dot] persson_ling [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se with any other questions.