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A new record number of international students
25 Aug 2022
Cirka 300 new international students will start their studies at University West this autumn. New programs and programmes adapted to the needs of industry attract.
Yesterday around 300 new international students started at University West. This is the largest number of international students at the university - ever.
“We have made an effort to reach out internationally and try to attract an international students and the results make me very happy” says Tomas Bengtsson, Director International Affairs at Högskolan Väst.
The biggest reasons for the successful recruitment this year, are that the university have programmes catering to the need of industry, explains Tomas Bengtsson. By having programme directors in close contact with companies, University West can develop programmes better meet their needs.
Master in AI and Automation is one of the most popular programmes this year, as well as Master in Sustainable Development.
Students from all over the world
China, Pakistan and Germany, are some of the 50 or so countries students have traveled from to study here in Trollhättan. They come both to study whole programmes and to do an exchange semester.
One of those who has arrived to University West to study is Dutch Suze Jansen. She is an exchange student and will study courses at the University West School of Business, Economics and IT.
“I feel excited and a little bit nervous” says Suze.
Most of all, she is excited about learning more about the Swedish teaching style.
“Even though Sweden and the Netherlands are quite similar, we have different perspectives on things. It will be interesting to learn more about the Swedish perspective and way of thinking”.
Another one of the new students is Tigy Varughese. He has come to Trollhättan, all the way from India to study the Master's programme in AI and Automation.
“I am very much looking forward to learning more about Sweden and the Swedish culture” he says.
Not everyone has arrived yet
Many of the students have not yet arrived in Trollhättan. This year, the wait for a residence permit from the Swedish Migration Agency is unusually long, which means that many students have to study remotely while waiting.
“Luckily, we have good support for distance studies. We invested a lot in this technology during the pandemic”, says Tomas Bengtsson.