| Spring 2025: DIS Stockholm |
| January 11, 2025 - May 09, 2025 (dates are tentative) |
| This program is closed. Please contact the faculty director for more information. |
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photo courtesy of Alexa Hosino |
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| Meetings | |
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| Interest Meetings: |
| | 05/09/2024 | 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Zoom Link: https://udel.zoom.us/j/94358474053 | |
| | 05/10/2024 | 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Zoom Link: https://udel.zoom.us/j/97668180319 | |
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| Program Notes | |
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| This program is highly competitive and will accept only a limited number of applicants. Interview appointments and acceptance decisions are at the discretion of the faculty director. |
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Program Quick Facts
Passport
All applicants must have a valid passport by the program’s application deadline. Your passport’s expiration date must be more than six months after the program ends. If you do not have a current passport, apply through the U.S. State Department. It takes an average of 10-13 weeks (3-4 months) to process a passport.
Residency Permit
After arrival in Sweden, DIS will arrange for you to receive a Residency Permit that will cover all medical-related costs. The estimated fee for the permit is $155.
Covid-19
Please review the CGPS COVID-19 Updates page before applying to a study abroad program for information about COVID-19 related travel requirements and policies for UD study abroad.
Traveling and studying abroad during a global pandemic poses new challenges and requires accepting a higher level of uncertainty than in the past. Students who choose to study abroad at this time must be prepared to adapt to the evolving situation and must take responsibility to act in accordance with the rules, regulations, and recommendations of UD, their program leadership, and legal authorities of their home and host country. Due to the rapidly changing and unpredictable global and local response to COVID-19, these rules, regulations and recommendations are subject to change at any time.
The University will continue to monitor the ongoing situation with COVID-19 (coronavirus) as we approach the departure date for this program. Please reach out to your program coordinator or faculty director with questions and continue to monitor the UD coronavirus webpage for updates. If UD decides to cancel a study abroad program, we will communicate directly with affected students. |
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| Program Description | |
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DIS Study Abroad (DIS) is a UD-affiliated study abroad program offered every fall and spring semester (or for a full year) that allows the opportunity to study with a geographically diverse group of students from across North America and other countries, attend a broad spectrum of courses taught in English, and study alongside the urbanites of Stockholm, who balance life in a vibrant metropolis with the city’s beautiful and serene surroundings.
Famous for its progressive stance on equality and human rights, Stockholm offers you the perfect balance of history and modern living in serene surroundings. If you choose Stockholm as your home, your classroom will be in a state-of-the-art modern glass building right in the city center. From here, you can easily explore the strikingly beautiful capital that’s brimming with lively culture, ahead-of-its-time design, and friendly people.
In many ways DIS is organized like an American university, with course credits, semesters, and instruction in English. Faculty are mostly Danish, but many have spent time at North American universities. In addition, DIS boasts an extensive academic and student life staff to assist participants as needed. Students come from dozens of private and public universities across the United States.
Enjoy the Swedish democratic concept that nature belongs to everyone, allemansrätten. This unique right allows you to roam freely in the countryside. Explore Stockholm’s archipelago with 30,000 islands, go cross-country skiing, or pick berries and mushrooms like the locals. Comprised of 14 islands and a transit system that travels across waterways, Stockholm is well connected. 90 of the city’s 100 metro stations are decorated with paintings, sculptures, and mosaic.
As home to the Nobel Prize, Stockholm is led by forwardlooking decision makers, artists, innovators, and scholars. Experience life alongside the urbanites of this vibrant metropolis bustling with activity and ingenuity. Swedes love to celebrate traditional festivities, including throwing colorful crayfish parties in the fall, celebrating the mythical Saint Lucia in the winter, and awarding two traditional Swedish pastries with their own secular holidays..
The attraction of DIS as a study abroad opportunity is the wide diversity of programs and courses it offers that span the Sciences to the Humanities. Students begin by selecting a core program from the following list:
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Engineering
- Gender & Sexuality Studies
- Medical Practice & Policy
- Neuroscience
- Politics & Security
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Terrorism & Security
- Vikings & Power
Each core program has a required core course. Because the DIS program has a strongly applied approach, each core program includes a week-long study tour to explore the program topic in another country outside Sweden, or within Sweden depending on current travel restrictions, as well as a shorter study tour to a regional location within Sweden or a neighboring country.
Other elective courses to round out a student’s academic program can be selected from the approximately 240 courses DIS offers each semester from across 70 disciplines. DIS has also offered Exploration Electives with 3-day travel to other locations outside Sweden included in the cost of tuition.
A very well-organized orientation begins each semester, greeting students at the Stockholm airport, introducing them to their housing of choice, providing a crash course on survival Swedish, culture and customs, outlining the nature of the academic program and its opportunities, and offering an exploration of the city of Stockholm.
Housing and Meals
Students attending DIS have four different housing options and are requied to select three, ranked in order of preference, on their DIS application. Many students stay with host families who often become life-long friends. Alternatively, students may stay in a Studentboende (a student cooperative similar to a residence hall, but with more individual autonomy), a Living and Learning Community similar to small theme-focused housing, or a DIS Residential Community with other DIS students. All students are required to stay in program sponsored housing, independent housing arrangements are not allowed by UD or the program partners.
Students who choose a home stay with a Swedish family can expect the kind of experience that is at the core of studying abroad. Being part of the daily life of a foreign family, learning its habits, sharing its daily concerns, household chores and festive moments, getting involved in dinner conversations and debates - in brief, experiencing a foreign culture from the inside instead of observing it from the outside - will give you incomparable personal and intercultural insights and skills. And, it's a two-way street. Families, very carefully chosen by DIS staff, sign-up to be host families because they believe in the kind of intercultural exchange that occurs when having a foreign student living with them.
Most meals are covered in the homesay. For the other housing options, meals are not included in the housing fee. Instead, DIS provides a food stipend to offset your food costs (the stipend is not intended to cover your food costs for the entire semester). For more details regarding housing options, visit the DIS website which contains detailed descriptions and videos of life in each housing opportunity.
Experiential Learning
Semester-long study abroad programs may offer opportunities for more immersive experiences such as internships or community service engagement. Many such opportunities exist with DIS. To become more acquainted with the Swedish people, DIS can provide resources for students to join local athletic leagues or help them get involved in the community as a volunteer. A visiting family program can connect students through dinners and family excursions with a Swedish family for those who choose a housing option other than homestay. Finally, DIS arranges social activities throughout the year, including arrival and farewell parties, seminar nights, and diverse identities clubs.
DIS also offers a 3-credit research opportunity in which students collaborate with DIS faculty on projects in a variety of fields including public health, gender studies, psychology, justice and human rights, and environmental science. Topics vary by semester. Approval of the research course by UD is not guaranteed and must be approved by the appropriate UD department.
Language
English is widely spoken throughout Stockholm, and you should have no difficulty interacting with people you meet or with your host family, if that is your choice. In addition, all DIS courses are taught in English. You may wish to take a Swedish language and culture course as part of your program.
Calendar
Fall semester runs from mid-August through mid-December. Spring semester goes from mid-January through mid-May. See the DIS website for exact dates.
Travel and Transportation: As part of your housing fee, DIS provides transportation passes to DIS Stockholm students. Your transportation pass entitles you to travel within the given zones and dates with the transportation companies in the Greater Stockholm area. Transportation passes are valid for the T-bana, commuter trains, regional trains, buses, trams, and ferries, as long as you are within the appropriate zone.
Students are responsible for their own roundtrip airfare between the U.S. and Stockholm; airport pick-up at the start of the program is included in the program fee.
For more information about the DIS program from a student's perspective, check out DIS Student Blogs. |
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| ACCESSIBILITY: Students with disabilities are welcomed and encouraged to study abroad, but should be aware that accessibility and accommodation in some program locations may differ from the United States. Transit systems and legacy building construction practices may not meet U.S. accessibility standards, and alternative access to public transportation, buildings, or public sites cannot be guaranteed. Review these questions with the Office of Disability Support Services to determine whether this program can meet your accommodation needs. In addition, see information about DIS' disability services on their website. |
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| Program Courses | |
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| All students must enroll in the 0-credit course UNIV 550 (placeholder for this travel study experience) and UNIV 372 (Discovery Learning marker). |
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All DIS courses are taught in English (except for Danish language courses), and offerings can vary from semester to semester. Students must take a minimum of 12 credit hours and courses must be for credit, not pass-fail. As a UD program, all DIS courses completed with a grade of C or better will transfer back to UD and be placed on a student’s UD transcript. UD's Registrars Office maintains a course equivalency matrix for DIS courses taken by UD students in the past (which transfer as courses from DIS' school of record, the University of Minnesota, and appear in the matrix list as INTL-US-DIS).
Before committing to the program students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor or assistant dean to ensure that credits earned on the program will facilitate their progress towards graduation. Students wishing to take courses that do not appear in the matrix must pursue transfer credit approval. It is the student's responsibility to secure the necessary UD transfer credit permissions prior to departure according to UD's standard transfer credit procedure, and to have an official transcript from the host institution sent to UD upon the conclusion of the semester abroad. |
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| UNIV 372-015: Study Abroad - DIS Stockholm (0 credits) pass/fail |
| Students are asked to reflect upon changes in their knowledge, skills, and attitudes that occur due to their exchange experience |
| Satisfies the following requirements: |
| | Discovery Learning |
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| Requirements | |
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University of Delaware students who will be juniors or seniors during the semester abroad may apply to the DIS program for either semester or for a full year. A minimum overall grade index of 3.0 is required to be considered.
Students must apply online by the deadline, and have two UD faculty members submit letters of recommendation online on their behalf. Students should also send or deliver an unofficial transcript to Dr. Peter Rees (see contact information below). An interview will then be arranged with the admission committee to discuss each applicant's background, interest and suitability to study in the DIS program. The committee will make the decision on acceptance. At present, the committee does not place a limit on the number of students who can be accepted to the program.
A deposit is not required prior to acceptance. Upon acceptance, DIS requires a $500 deposit, and a series of additional forms requesting courses and housing options will need to be completed promptly. |
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| Costs | |
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Other important things to note:
- CGPS reserves the right to cancel a program at any time due to under-enrollment, safety/health/security issues, staffing issues, or any other relevant reason.
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The costs of attending DIS are somewhat higher than UD's costs for out-of-state students, but are all-inclusive, covering such items as textbook rentals, local transportation, and course-linked study trips. Because fees are set by DIS, there are no lower rates for in-state students. However, Delaware residents are given special consideration for DIS-specific, need-based scholarships, given the significant difference in their costs between attending UD and attending DIS. Note that students attending DIS for the year pay approximately 30% less for the fees to study in their second semester. See the DIS website for up-to-date fee information.
Following admission to the program, students make a direct, non-refundable payment of $500 to DIS by credit card. This amount is deducted from the final balance of the program fee which is billed to the student by UD. A $350 UD study abroad fee is also charged. Students pay the balance of all tuition and housing fees to UD, not to DIS. While on the DIS program, students do not pay UD tuition or any other UD fees. Financial aid and scholarships that normally apply to UD tuition and/or fees are usually applicable to the costs of the DIS program. However, some UD scholarships and tuition-based parental employment benefits may not be transferrable. Students receiving aid or scholarships or tuition-based benefits due to a parent's employment should consult with Student Financial Services regarding the applicability towards DIS costs.
DIS also offers several need- and merit-based scholarships. See the DIS website for details. Students intending to apply for scholarships should plan on applying to the program well in advance of the deadlines. In addition, students attending the DIS program are considered for study abroad scholarships offered by the Institute for Global Studies as part of their application to the Semester in Copenhagen program.
The University of Delaware’s differential charge for Engineering, Nursing and Business & Economics students does not apply to winter or summer session and is waived for students enrolled in semester- or year-long study abroad and exchange programs sponsored by the University. |
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| Scholarships | |
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| Financial need-based scholarships are available to UD undergraduates on a competitive basis. To be considered, students must have a current FAFSA on-file with Student Financial Services. For more details, please see our scholarships page. |
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| Deadlines | |
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| All application materials are due by 5:00pm on the dates listed below: |
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| Submit Program Application by 5pm on | October 11, 2024 |
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| Please note that this program is highly competitive and will accept only a limited number of applicants. |
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| Contacts | |
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| Peter Rees |
| Faculty Director |
| Geography |
| rees@udel.edu |
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| Desirae Wright |
| Study Abroad Coordinator |
| 121 East Delaware Ave, Newark, DE, 19716 |
| 302-831-2852 |
| wrightde@udel.edu |
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| File Downloads | |
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| DIS- What UD Students Say |
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| The Danish Art of Hygge |
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| DIS Interest Meeting Slides |
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| Program information is subject to change at any time. Please check this web site periodically for updates. |
