On (Not) Getting By in Uppsala

– I don’t strive to get rich; I just want to make enough to get by.
Master student Cheung from China has just begun his second year at Uppsala University. He is one of many international students who need to increase their monthly income with a part time job to make ends meet.
The total cost for the program he is attending at EBC, The Centre of Evolutionary Biology, is 270 000 kronor, or 67 500 kronor per semester. Added on top of that is the cost for food and housing.
– My family is supporting me from back home mainly. They pay for my tuition fee and send me 5 000 kronor each month to pay for rent and food. It’s quite a lot to them, about three quarters of their total income each month.
Cheung does not take any student loans, so even with the generous contribution from his family, he only has a little over 1 000 kronor left after the rent on 4 000 kronor is paid. He lives in an apartment, which he and two friends found through an ad on blocket.se.
– Rent is the biggest economical problem for me. The food prices are about the same as in China, with the exception of fruit and vegetables, which are really expensive in Sweden.
Since last fall, he has been working as a waiter and catering staff at one of the student nations, where his hourly pay has been between 30 and 35 kronor depending on what type of work the shift entails.
– Usually I work the shorter shifts, which are between six and seven hours long, two times a week. That means that I make about 500 kronor per week, which is enough to cover food and other living costs. I don’t drink, smoke or snack so I have a pretty healthy and cheap lifestyle and I know how to manage my financial situation well.
According to Cheung, around 60 percent of the kitchen and waiting staff in his nation are international students, since they have a bigger need for an extra income than Swedish students do. Meanwhile, the student nations are more or less the only employers to hire international students in Uppsala, at least if they do not know any Swedish.
– I did apply for a job at Burger King but I didn’t get any reply from them. I can’t speak Swedish, which is a big problem when looking for a job, Cheung says.
And this is not at all an unusual experience for international students.

According to the results from the International Student Barometer, ISB, a survey done in 2013, only 29 percent of international students at Uppsala University are satisfied with the possibility of earning money while studying. This is far below the combined average for the 13 countries that participated in the barometer, where 50 percent of the participants claimed to be satisfied. This issue, together with high living costs and the possibility of getting financial aid (scholarships), are the three aspects that international students in Uppsala are the most displeased with that are not school related.
The university staff is very aware of this issue, but say that it is hard to do anything about it. Lina Solander, who is working with aid and service for international students at Uppsala s International Office, says that the university is very honest with how unrelenting your financial situation can get in Sweden when they are speaking with presumptive students.
– When international students are asking us about this our answer is always that it is really really hard to find a part-time job in Uppsala and that they need to have their means of income secured before coming here. In all our printed material, we are very clear about the criteria from The Migration Office, stating that all students must have at least 7 300 kronor per month for the entire time they study here, and that the actual cost of living in Sweden may be even higher than that.
She says that there have been cases where students have been denied an extension of their student visa due to their inability to meet this criteria.
– However, in these cases the issue has usually been that The Migration Office has had reason to believe that the money on the student in question s bank account has only been a loan which will be paid back as soon as their visa is granted. nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;
Meanwhile, it seems as though the tough financial situation for many international students has little to do with the tuition fees, which were introduced for non-European students in 2011. Lina Solander rather thinks that the financial situation for this group of students is better now than it was before the fees were introduced. nbsp; nbsp;
–The situation has, of course, on one hand worsened because non-European students need to pay for their studies. But on the other hand, the number of international students coming here has decreased and those that do come here generally have a stable financial situation since they can afford to pay for the tuition fee.
However, this reform has also lead to many students not being able to come here due to their economical situation. Uppsala University has suffered a notable loss of students from Sub-Saharan Africa, who are now completely dependent on scholarships, covering both tuition fee and living costs, if they are to study here.
– Uppsala University is continually working on expanding our range of scholarships for international students; it is no secret that we presently don’t have enough to meet the demand. Our team working with recruiting new master students are continuously discussing the questions we get from the students and their financial situation is always a hot topic. We pride ourselves on always being honest with the students regarding the high living costs and that they cannot count on finding a part-time job in Sweden.

22-year old Alicia is, just like Cheung, working in the kitchen at a student nation once or twice a week. She is also a master student, but unlike Cheung, she is a EU-citizen and therefore does not pay any tuition fees.
– My main reason for coming to Sweden was that the university is free. I like it here, but now and then it’s a little difficult for me to feel connected to other people. Swedish people are a bit more reserved than in other countries I’ve lived in. But everyone is really polite, which is nice.
In the beginning, Alicia saw working at the nation as a chance to meet friends, but now it has become more about making extra money, even though it only pays 30 kronor an hour.
–At the most, I have made just over 2 000 kronor in a month. I understand why they need to keep the compensation at such a low level – you’re supposed to work in the nations for fun. But it is so obvious that many international students, especially from South Asian countries like India and Pakistan, work in the nations to survive and to be able to stay in Uppsala. One of my friends from Pakistan worked in the nations almost every night in order to afford living here and, needless to say, your academic work may suffer from that.
Alicia contends that in order to make any substantial amounts of money at the nations, you have to work at least three or four nights a week. Some students also choose to stay and work at the nations after graduating because they cannot find a qualified job.
– I know it’s a bit controversial to say, but I feel like, in the nations, the Swedes working in the kitchen for example, come and go very quickly. They ether stay for as long as it’s fun or move up to higher positions as a “curator” or something. Many international students stay for longer since their livelihood depends on it.
At the same time, Alicia says she is grateful for her job at the nation. Apart from the economical compensation, she gets to eat for free during her shifts, which means that she saves some money on food. But, if she had a choice she would prefer a weekend job outside of the nation. She has also applied for scholarships provided by the nation, but without any luck. nbsp; nbsp;
– I really wish that I could apply for a student loan from CSN, but I don’t think it´s possible since I’m not Swedish. Applying for a loan from my home country is not an option. In Sweden all students accept that they need to take a loan, but for me it would be a big decision and it would be tough to apply for one from my home country.
Close relatives are helping to pay for Alicia’s stay in Uppsala. She says that in her country, due to economic reasons as well as tradition, people are living with their family until they are 25 or older. And studying at one of the better, private universities costs money. So, because she has no tuition fee to pay in Sweden she hopes that, even with the high cost of living, her studies in Sweden will cost about the same as they would if she would have stayed at home.
– But I do feel stressed about my financial situation. I depend a lot on my family to help me and I don’t want to be a burden on them.

The stress Alicia is describing is common among many international students. Inger Cribäck, psychologist at Studenthälsan (the student health office), says that international students that visit her are, to a larger extent than Swedish students, stressed over their economic situation.
– It seems to me that many international students experience anxiety deriving from their financial predicaments. Some of them may have to show their study progress to their home university or to their family in order to get further financial support. Depending on what country they come from, the pressure of having to prove to your family that they have done right in investing in your studies can be overwhelming. The student may feel that their family’s expectations on them become a burden, she says.
Inger Cribäck’s colleague, physician Hanne Oppelstrup, says that the situation many international students find themselves in can create a domino effect.
– Many students work to make ends meet and at the same time as they must do well academically and not be a burden on their family. And when one aspect falls apart, everything falls apart, which creates a lot of stress.
For those who want help or support from Studenthälsan, the cost is the same for Swedish and international students - 140 SEK per visit. Studenthälsan has also adopted a demand for excellent English skills when recruiting new employees so that they can be more effective in helping international students. However, Studenthälsan still finds it difficult to reach out to the international students.
– Usually we are at the reception for new international students at Universitetshuset in the beginning of the semester to inform students about our services early on in the semester. We have offered free workshops for international students on how to handle stress and the transition into Swedish society. Initially, a lot of students seemed interested in the workshops, but in the end, only a few of them actually showed up, says Inger Cribäck.
Last year 111 students visited Studenthälsan. Of those, 45 were new visitors and 66 re-visits; this constitutes about three, respectively four percent of all visitors.
– What we, at Studenthälsan, can offer to help with is handling emotions and anxiety and discussing the student’s financial problems to help them understand that many of their worries are unwarranted, says Inger Cribäck.
– But international students are a very heterogeneous group, just like Swedish students or perhaps even more so, and the difficulties they have to face differ greatly from each other. We know that the need for our help is big, but it’s hard to know how to reach out to as many students as possible, says Hanne Oppelstrup.

As of yet, there is no univocal solution for the financial problems that many international students face. Even though the tuition fees for non-European students are still relatively low, Sweden’s high living-costs – among the highest in the world – will continue to put a strain on international students’ economy.
– I really wish that the university could help with providing cheaper accommodations. In China, the university helps their students to find jobs and housing, Cheung says.
Alicia hopes that she will be able to find a job outside of the student nations.
– I will continue studying Swedish at SFI this semester. Not knowing the language really is a barrier to finding a job. But learning a new language while studying full time and working in the nations is so exhausting.

The names of Cheung and Alicia have been changed to protect their privacy.

Translation: Robert Englund