ARRIVALS

Previous classes of MSLS students have put together a Student Arrival Guide for you. The guide contains useful information on things you should know before you leave home, getting here, student recommendations on housing options and getting set up. Once you arrive, more information about life in Karlskrona will be available.

When will you hear from us this summer?

During the summer months (mid-June to mid-August), most BTH staff are away on holidays. While you may not receive many emails from us during this time, please do not hesitate to contact us if there is an urgent need. Do not worry about things such as registering for your courses, or ordering textbooks – that all happens when you arrive. Just focus on enjoying your last few months where you are, and arranging your travel plans. If possible, it is best to arrange accommodation before you arrive, although this is not entirely necessary.

In early August, we’ll post the schedule of activities for Orientation Week (26 Aug – 30 Aug 2024). There will be important activities you will be expected to attend, as well as time for you to settle into Karlskrona before we start classes and assignments on September 2nd.

Your visa applications will take at least 6 weeks to be processed. If you are nearing 2-3 weeks before your planned departure date, call Migrationsverket and ask for the person working on your file. A nice, polite request will typically get your application completed so that you can travel as planned. Note that we (the MSLS staff, or even the BTH staff) cannot help with this process.

Please apply for your visa as soon as possible. The approval process takes a minimum of four to six weeks. Summer is also the time when Swedish immigration staff go on holidays while many international students are applying for permits, so the process has been known to take considerably longer.

One tip for applying: some previous students have been able to receive 12-month permits simply by requesting extra time for travel or extended studies in Sweden. If your permit is valid for more than 365 days, you can apply for a Swedish personal number on arrival which provides many benefits including basic health coverage, access to open bank accounts, etc. We strongly encourage you to apply for a 12-month visa.

Questions for current / past students?

A small number of volunteers from the previous year will also help answer questions you might have about getting to Karlskrona, finding accommodation and living and studying in Sweden in the MSLS 2025 LinkedIn group. They represent a number of nationalities and may be able to help you with specific questions. Before contacting them, please read the Arrival Guide and check this page to see if you find answers to your questions here. 

Scholarships and funding

If you applied for a Swedish Institute scholarship or any outside funding agency, you will only be notified if you are successful, and notification will come from the agency directly, not BTH. Therefore, please contact those agencies if you have queries since we are unable to answer on their behalf. You may wish to visit our new Scholarships and funding options page for more information about ways to secure funding.

Within a few days of your admission letters, you will be notified about the BTH scholarships, if you have applied for those.

Key dates

The MSLS programme runs a mandatory orientation week that begins on 26 August, and a closing week from the 9 June, 2025. We also highly recommend planning to arrive even earlier in August. If you cannot arrive before the programme starts, you must notify the programme manager, Merlina Missimer. Please note that in the MSLS programme there will be a short winter break in late December / early January, though this is officially part of the semester and exams / presentations follow immediately afterwards. See our Key Dates page with a summary.

How else to stay in touch?

Our students and staff are quite active on various social media sites including the BTH Sustainability Masters Facebook page, Instagram, LinkedIn etc.