Dalarna University

About Dalarna University

Dalarna University was founded in 1977, originally under the Swedish name Högskolan Falun/Borlänge. It is a public institution governed within Sweden’s national higher-education framework and remains operational in 2026. Its identity is distributed across two campuses rather than centred on a single university town: Campus Falun and Campus Borlänge are about 20 kilometres apart, and the university also delivers many courses online. The two campuses have distinct academic profiles. Campus Borlänge houses the School of Information and Engineering and the School of Culture and Society, bringing together areas including data science, technology, economics, business and tourism. Campus Falun houses the School of Language, Literatures and Learning and the School of Health and Welfare. Media teaching also takes place at Mediehuset in Falun. Applicants should therefore confirm the stated location and teaching form for their chosen programme rather than assuming that the database city of Falun applies to every course. The university describes external collaboration and research connections as central to its programmes. Its current research and doctoral activity includes educational work, health and welfare with an evidence-based-practice focus, data analytics, and resource-efficient built environments. Dalarna’s extensive online provision is another defining feature, but online and campus programmes have different practical implications for immigration, housing and participation. In particular, a Swedish residence permit for studies ordinarily requires admission to full-time, campus-based study; an online offer should not be treated as a route to residence in Sweden.

International applicants to ordinary bachelor’s and master’s programmes apply through Sweden’s national UniversityAdmissions.se system, not through a separate US-style admissions process. Applicants create an account, select programmes or courses, submit the required documentation and follow the deadlines shown for the relevant admissions round. Exchange students use a separate nomination and application procedure. Bachelor’s applicants must demonstrate eligibility based on completed upper-secondary education and meet the English and programme-specific requirements. The English-taught International Tourism Management bachelor’s programme, for example, lists additional mathematics and social-science prerequisites. Master’s applicants need a qualifying bachelor’s degree and must satisfy the subject-credit and other requirements stated for the individual programme. Requirements are not interchangeable across programmes, so applicants should use the programme page and country-specific instructions on UniversityAdmissions.se. Doctoral recruitment is separate and normally tied to advertised doctoral-student employment positions. Relevant advanced qualifications and programme-specific conditions apply. Deadlines vary by intake and course. The official listing shows 15 October 2026 for some spring 2027 offerings, but this is not a universal institutional deadline. Applicants should rely on the live entry for their intended programme. Non-EU/EEA/Swiss students planning campus study should also allow time for tuition payment and a residence-permit application. For 2026, the university’s guidance says the permit process requires admission to full-time campus-based study and evidence of the maintenance amount set for that year.

Dalarna University awards degrees across the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, but its English-taught degree selection is weighted strongly toward master’s study. The official 2026 programme listing identifies International Tourism Management as its English-taught first-cycle programme. Second-cycle options include Business Intelligence, Data Science, Business Studies with an International Focus, Applied English Linguistics, Democracy, Citizenship and Change, Energy Efficient Built Environment, and Intercultural Literature Studies. Other current fee listings also identify programmes in economics, global sexual and reproductive health, solar energy engineering, sustainability and tourism, and tourism destination development. Delivery varies substantially. Some programmes are campus-based in Borlänge, while others are online and administered from Falun with no physical campus meetings. Programme pages specify credits, study rate, location, teaching form, entry qualifications and the applicable intake. Students should use those individual pages as the controlling source because the portfolio and available starts can change between semesters. At the third-cycle level, Dalarna University operates doctoral programmes in Educational Work; Health and Welfare with Focus on Evidence-Based Practice; Data Analytics; and Resource-Efficient Built Environments. Doctoral admission does not follow the ordinary bachelor’s or master’s application route. Positions are advertised when funded openings exist, and programme-specific academic or professional requirements apply. For example, the Educational Work doctoral programme normally recruits through advertised positions and requires relevant advanced preparation and teaching experience. Academic support includes university libraries, reservable group rooms, digital learning systems and an Academic Resource Centre. The institution uses ECTS credits, while assessment and grading arrangements depend on the course.

Key Highlights

• Established in 1977 and operating as a Swedish public higher-education institution.
• Teaching is distributed across Campus Falun, Campus Borlänge and online formats.
• Falun and Borlänge campuses have different subject profiles and are about 20 kilometres apart.
• The university operates doctoral education in four research areas.

Student Life & Environment

Student life is divided between Falun, Borlänge and online communities. New international students beginning on campus are encouraged to attend a Welcome Day before the semester, where they can meet classmates, current students, university support staff and representatives of Dalarna’s Student Union. The union works on educational quality and student representation while also organising clubs, activities and introductory events. Membership provides a route into both social activity and formal student influence. Facilities on both campuses include libraries, group-study rooms, open study areas, quiet rooms and places to heat or purchase food. Campus Borlänge has a public-facing library and café in its central building. Campus Falun offers library and study facilities alongside nearby sporting infrastructure, while Mediehuset supports media programmes elsewhere in Falun. Housing is arranged through external municipal housing companies rather than university-owned residence halls. Tunabyggen serves Borlänge and Kopparstaden serves Falun. The university advises students to register in the housing queues as early as possible and no later than the university application if they want the regional housing guarantee to apply. Accommodation location matters because the campuses are in different towns. Students arriving with a family are advised to contact housing providers at least four months before the semester. Online students should not assume that campus housing or on-site activities are relevant to their study format.

Location & Surroundings

Dalarna University operates in Falun and Borlänge in central Sweden. The campuses are approximately 20 kilometres apart. Direct buses connect the towns, and trains between their stations take about 15 minutes; actual door-to-door travel depends on the timetable and campus destination. Campus Borlänge is at Stationsgatan 4 in the town centre, roughly a five-minute walk from Borlänge station. Campus Falun is at Högskolegatan 2, about a 20-minute walk from Falun station. Media students may instead attend Mediehuset at Kaserngården 15. The setting combines small-town services with access to outdoor recreation. Campus Falun is beside the Lugnet sports area, which includes cross-country skiing, ski jumps and indoor sporting venues. Falun also contains the historic copper-mining landscape associated with the UNESCO-listed Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain. Campus Borlänge’s central location places shops, transport and services close to teaching facilities. The university reports a rail journey of about 2.5 hours from Borlänge to central Stockholm. Applicants should choose housing according to their programme location. Commuting between the towns is feasible, but it adds regular travel, and a programme labelled online may have no campus meetings at all.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Under Swedish rules, citizens of the EU/EEA and Switzerland and students admitted through an exchange programme are generally exempt from tuition. Other international students normally pay programme-specific fees. Dalarna University’s fee page, reviewed in July 2026, lists total tuition for its English-taught degree programmes ranging from SEK 96,000 for several one-year master’s programmes to SEK 300,000 for the two-year Data Science and Solar Energy Engineering programmes. The three-year International Tourism Management bachelor’s programme is listed at SEK 291,420. These are programme totals, not a single university-wide price, and students should verify the amount on their admission result and invoice. Tuition covers teaching, supervision, specified software, university systems and required course visits, but excludes accommodation, living expenses and course literature. Fee-paying master’s students starting in 2026 or later may qualify for the Choose Dalarna First reduction of SEK 5,000 if they meet the published ranking, application and admission conditions. Academic Excellence tuition reductions are also available to qualifying master’s students during their studies. The university does not extend these institutional scholarships to bachelor’s students. Housing costs are separate and depend on the municipal provider and property; no current universal room price was verified. Students should also budget for transport when living away from their teaching campus. Career support includes individual study and career counselling, job-search and application guidance, and information about working in Sweden. Registered students who have completed 60 credits may apply for university-supported Erasmus+ traineeship funding. Swedish-language ability can materially expand local employment options, so international students should not assume that an English-taught degree guarantees access to an English-only job market.