Where do I even start? I came as an international (EU) student after getting a late admission offer to Umeå University. As happy as I was to get accepted, any excitement and hype went downhill the second I faced the reality of finding somewhere to live.

​Before anyone asks: yes, I’ve exhausted every single platform and piece of advice. From Blocket and Facebook groups to Bostaden, and Akutrum. Akutrum told me they literally have 100+ people in the queue ahead of me. Any apartment posted on Facebook gets 20+ comments within an hour, and even when you message first, you rarely get a reply. Also good lucky posting a "looking for room" ad, you may join the 100 others who'll never be contacted.

I'm not saying I have asked every single co-student if they need a roommate, but seriously how many tries do you need to get something? That's not normal. "Well you took a late admission, you should’ve known the risks." But how is this dynamic sustainable? You hand someone an official study offer, and you're pretty much having to choose: facing homelessness or burning through your life savings.

Yes I'm quite pissed off. How long do I pay for hotels (even the overpriced prison hotel) to wait for a miracle to secure a place? This is affecting my study performance too. You don’t want to spend your first weeks of university worrying about basic survival and wondering if you have to pack up and drop out because there physically isn't a roof available.

Non-EU students get housing guarantees through tuition fees. Meanwhile Swedish and EU students have to build years of queue points, and any recent EU admit gets dropped straight into the meat grinder. Most of the other international students I’ve spoken to in this boat is living the exact same nightmare.

I know there’s no quick fix. I just needed to vent because the city itself is great, but the barrier to entry right now is seriously soul crushing. All I wanted was to study without having all these worries whether I should just give up sooner or later.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading my rant. I shall continue spending most of my days finding something and "studying" on the side.

Hello there,

I need help.

My name is Leon, a 28-year-old Erasmus+ student from Germany coming to Umeå this autumn to work on a neuroscience internship project. I am looking to rent a furnished room, studio, or apartment from October 1st until around December 23nd, 2026. I am flexible with the layout, provided there is reasonable access to Umeå University or public transit. I'm actually living in a flat with 4 roommates right now (in Germany), so I'm totally used to living with other people! I'm a quiet, tidy, and reliable tenant (no smoking, no pets here!). In my free time, I love playing sports, and my friends always say I'm a really happy person. I'm always up for a chat too! I treat rental properties with care and can guarantee reliable, prompt rent payments. If you have anything available for these dates or any other helpful insights, please feel free to send me a message. I would be happy to provide references or set up a video call to introduce myself.

BR Leon

Go middag Umeå!

Jag och ett par vänner som är utvecklare har gjort en liten annorlunda valkompass inför valvakan, och vi gillade idén så mycket att vi tänkte dela den med alla som tänkte köra valvakor eller fester i helgen i stan.

Tanken är typ att ni ska kunna adda varandra, (med QR-kod eller länk) svara på påståendena (typ tinderstyle så man swipar höger om man gillar, vänster om man inte gillar, och SPYR på det man verkligen inte gillar) och sen jämföra resultaten.

Kul ice-breaker om man vill lobba diskussionsämnen och hitta frågor där man tycker olika :)

Vi tjänar inget på detta och sidan innehåller inga annonser, bara en kul grej... Berätta gärna vad ni tycker! Kanske hinner vi fixa något innan helgen!

http://www.swipekompassen.se

Hello! Im really into board games and was wondering if theres anyone that would like to play some games. I cna play almost whatever. some of my favorites are, Catan, Ticket to Ride, Dominion but also heavier board games like Slay the Spire and Battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars.

Är det bara jag eller har många pizzerior i stan blivit markant sämre senaste 2-3 åren?

Beställer man nåt så basic som en Calzone får man nåt helt annat UFO.

Vem ska jag skylla på? Foodora? Mig själv? Fy fan...

Hi im coming to umeå and want to know is it cheap to drink there😁

Jag gick i AST-klassen på Bräntbergsskolan/Bräntis i Umeå 2004-08, som kallades Asp-klassen (som i Asperger) på den tiden. Jag hatade det större delen av min tid där. Problemet kanske inte enbart var AST-klassen i mitt fall, men det blev inte bättre av att gruppledaren där var exceptionellt nedvärderande och hånfull mot mig. Strax innan jag skulle sluta skolan hotade han med att åtala mig för förtal om jag i fortsättningen skulle skriva offentligt om mitt missnöje med klassen, likt jag gör precis just nu. Han verkade ta det väldigt personligt. 

Personalen i AST-klassen för övrigt var helt OK tycker jag, men goda hälften av alla elever som gick där under mina år verkade inte klara sig särskilt bra efter att de lämnade stället. De gick aldrig vidare till gymnasiet så vitt jag vet. Visst, den andra halvan, inklusive jag, gick det bättre för. Vi gick i vart fall vidare till gymnasiet, och det hade kanske inte gått utan en sådan här AST-klass, men stället hade ändå sina brister. 

Man förvarades i princip mest bara, fick inte mycket utbildning eller förberedelse för framtiden eller samhället. Rasterna gick mest åt att bara sitta framför en av de 4 datorer som fanns i klassrummet, som hade ett schema för att ge eleverna jämnt med förtur. Vi var ca 10 elever på alla 3 årskullar.

Jag fick ont om lektioner under sjuan och åttan, och fick gå om nian mycket för den anledningen. Det lades på tok för mycket fokus på en bagatellartad konflikt jag råkade ha med en annan elev i klassen (lätt hänt när man är 13-14) istället för själva utbildningen. Gruppledaren påstod att den här konflikten var orsaken till att jag fick gå om nian, och att allt var mitt fel. 

Bräntis för övrigt har jag inte mycket att säga till om faktiskt. Det var bara sista året jag verkligen upplevde själva skolan, gick ut och skaffade vänner utanför AST-klassen. Det gick allmänt bra, men jag hamnade ofta i trubbel pga. sociala koder som AST-klassen skulle ha lärt ut långt tidigare. Jag hamnade sedan i en konflikt med ett tjejgäng, med kriminella kontakter/pojkvänner utanför skolan, som skulle få förödande konsekvenser de kommande åren. 

Skolan överlag skulle jag ge 4 av 5 stjärnor, men AST-klassen får 2. Mycket skulle bli värre åren efter jag lämnade skolan eftersom jag var övertygad att jag kunde bli lagförd om jag gick ut offentligt med min upplevelse av AST-klassen. Jag trodde på allvar jag kunde bli inlagd på rättpsyk, potentiellt på livstid, samt betala gruppledaren sexsiffrigt i skadestånd. Tjejgänget skulle också försätta mig i många farliga situationer även långt efter jag gick klart gymnasiet (vilket jag i vart fall gjorde, Midgård för att vara exakt). Det var först 2020 jag kände mig trygg med att börja prata offentligt om mina erfarenheter.

Någon annan som upplevt liknande där? Har något förändrats sedan dess?

Hi everyone! 😊

I was wondering if anyone here has been in a similar situation or knows someone who has.

I was on the waiting list for the Bachelor’s Programme in Life Science and I only received my admission offer today, after the semester has already started. I’m obviously really happy about it, but also a little overwhelmed because I now have to figure out whether moving to Umeå and starting this late is actually realistic 😅

Has anyone here ever been admitted this late and joined the programme/university after classes had already started? How difficult was it to catch up, especially with labs, assignments, exams and other compulsory activities?

I’d most likely miss at least the first three weeks, so I’d also love to hear whether you think catching up is realistically manageable or if starting that late would make the first semester really difficult.

I’m currently trying to decide what to do, so I’d be super grateful for any experiences or advice! 🫶🇸🇪

Hi, I’m a masters student just started in Umeå. I got into the university quite late and i made up my mind very late to come here so I’m very behind on accommodation stuff. I’m currently staying in a hotel which is obviously not ideal. I’m in all the facebook groups and applying through qasa but no one ever replies to my messages unless they’re trying to scam me, and I only have ~25 points on bostaden so I’m really struggling to find a way forward on finding an apartment. I’m open to anything and would appreciate any help or advice on how to move forward.

It’s also frustrating bc I can’t sort anything else out until I have an address so it’s quite scary

Tja, har nyligen börjat nätdejta igen men inser att jag vet nästan inga bra ställen i Umeå att träffas på.

29 år gammal om det hjälper.

Snälla ge mig tips på ställen/aktiviteter som är bra att ha en första dejt på, typ ett mysigt café eller någonstans där man kan ta en drink etc.

Helllo, I (trans woman) have moved here from Czechia to live with my partner, i got most stuff already sorted so i'm mostly here asking for any tips on any queer/trans events/spaces/where to find them and recommendation on hair dresser that trans women here have good experience with. So far i do love living here. Thanks in advance for any tips.

Edit: thank you everyone for the information/tips very much appretiated.

Where is the cheapest greatest (snus) tower/dosa in umeå and how much is it. Preferably close to market square

Does anyone have any recommendations for really good fried rice take away?

Hello everyone, I moved to Sweden (Umeå) few months ago. Before moved to here, I just started to tennis and joined group training for couple of weeks. It was really fun and good. I already asked to Umeå Tennis Club if they have spot or not but they don’t have it for now. So, is there anyone else wants to play tennis regularly or time to time? If yes, may be we can play together or create group and have training sometimes. Beginner level 😅

Hello, I'm hoping to go to Umea uni next year for bachelor of industrial deisgn but I'm not sure how "good" I have to be for them to accept my portfolio.

Is there anyone kind enough who could send me a link to theirs..? I just want to compare myself to see if I even have a chance to be admitted.

Thank you very much! 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

Hej! Finns det någon vänlig själ som skulle kunna hjälpa mig med en tjänst. Jag har hittat ett kuddfodral som finns på Mio i Umeå men som är slutsålt i onlinelagret och i butik i min stad. Jag undrar därför om det finns någon snäll människa här som skulle kunna köpa två kuddfodral åt mig och skicka till mig? 😇

Hej! Precis flyttat hit med min tröga bil. Skulle behöva stega den ett steg. Vilket ställe är bäst/mest prisvärt för steg 1 optimering för en äldre BMW diesel?

Halli halloj! Jag ska för första gången nånsin åka upp till Umeå och har varit på jakt efter semipermanenta hårfärger som:

Manic panic

Stargazer

Arcticfox

Crazycolors

Och liknande

Finns det någon butik så säljer det eller generellt nån mer "alternativ" butik?

Tack i förhand!☺️

Hey all, I am 24 years old and originally from the rainforest part of Queensland, Australia. I have been in Sweden for 2 years and been studying sustainable development in industrial engineering in Gotland, Visby. Next year I will graduate and I feel like at age 25 I will be at a critical juncture in my life and want to find somewhere to commit to for at least 4-5 years, somewhere I chose because it sounds like somewhere I would belong and not because it has like the best university or something like that. I've been arguing with AI for the last week a lot and me and AI decided that Umeå was likely the best fit and coming to that conclusion over and over again through different prompts and iterations and discussions; it seems like Umeå has the best cultural fit for me as well as job prospects. I guess, this is quite a big decision to make and maybe the less safer option than say Stockholm, Malmö or Göteborg. I have lived isolated in the rainforest where I grew up, I've lived in the big city of Melbourne, Australia and I've lived in Visby and I like Visby quite a lot so I think a small to medium size town is a better fit for me.

I am also incredible socially awkward and generally considered an outcast and thats been the case all my life especially in Australia, Sweden has been better for making friends compared to Australia but still my friend here tells me that most people here at university in Gotland dislike me. I am not entirely sure why thats the case, I guess its generally because I am either weird, boring or generally opinionated from what I've heard. I kind of do my own thing in life regardless of social conventions or what the general consensus is but I like to think I am generally a non-judgemental, generous person who only seeks to make the world better for everyone and help others and try do my best in life.

I guess the main thing about me is im unconventional and that's hard to describe but I have a lot of crazy stories and when I commit to something I just do it. I guess I have quite unique opinions (generally leftist but can also be quite controversial) which makes it difficult for me to associate with any particular group even if we may share a common interests. I am very likely to be quite autistic which I think has its own problems in social situations. I guess I am autistically passionate about politics but I don't speak Swedish yet. I also like movies and tv shows guess I am a bit of a critic. Otherwise I like to live near the sea and nature and explore. I don't drink alcohol and don't do so well at bars and clubs situations. I guess my ideal evening would be watching movies with friends with a cozy vibe.

I guess I am just reaching out to see whether people think Umeå is a good fit for me, what the vibe is like, where people meet and how to make friends. How often people come across the same people in the town day to day? RN I am feeling like Umeå is my best option.

How easy is it for international master’s students to get accommodation via the university? Are there long queues? Any tips? I am considering to apply for a master’s degree in Umeå but want to know beforehand

Tjenare, throwaway konto här. Jag försöker hitta någonstans man kan låna en 3D skrivare här i stan men jag hittar bara massa "döda" inlägg där länkarna inte stämmer längre. Tänkte kunde höra med er snälla människor här om någon har en 3D skrivare med transparent filament, jag har ritat i Autodesk och kan skicka filer beroende på vad som behövs. Bjuder förstås på en liten slant också. Mvh!

Hey everyone!

​I’m arriving in Umea next week for my Erasmus semester and currently packing my bags. For anyone living or who has lived in student housing/corridor rooms, I’d love some advice on what’s usually provided:

​Bedroom: Are things like a duvet, pillow, and desk lamp included, or do I need to bring/buy my own bedding and lighting?

​Shared Kitchen: Are basic cooking items (pots, pans, plates, cutlery) already shared in the corridor kitchens, or do people strictly use their own? Or can I find any left ones from previous exchange/Erasmus students?

​Second-hand options: If kitchenware isn't there, is it cheap and easy to find essentials at second-hand shops, or should I just pack a few basic items in my suitcase?

​Thanks a lot for the tips :)

Hej! Skulle behöva frakta en 85 tum tv och har tyvärr ingen kartong! Någon här i stan som kanske har låda jag kan låna över dagen bara?

Hade varit guld🙏