Student blogs

Hej all! Congratulations to those who have just received their acceptances to Master’s courses at KI. Now that you’ve been accepted, you’ll be starting to think about getting a residence permit, maybe getting a personal number, and importantly, where to live! Here, I’ll tell you why I chose to live in KI Residence Solna, the accommodation that is available on site at the Solna campus.

Please note – currently this accommodation is only available for non-EU students! If you’re an EU student, you’ll have to find an apartment in the city by private rental, something that other DA’s have written about (see Fausta’s helpful blog here).

Why I chose to live here (my expectations)

When looking for housing, I knew as a non-EU international student that KI guaranteed me some accommodation if I applied for it. A huge part of my reason for applying to KI housing was simply that it was much easier than trying to find housing in the city, which can be a difficult process. I choose KI Residences Solna specifically because of its proximity to campus, and particularly to the Widerströmska building where I have all my classes – I can get from my apartment to class in about 5 minutes! The apartments were also recently built, and I wanted a nice and clean place to live where everything worked and I didn’t have to provide all the furniture and cooking equipment myself. Lastly, I also chose the option to share an apartment of 4. Although this felt risky, when I didn’t know anyone coming to KI, I gambled on it being a good way to make friends if my roommates were nice, and if nothing else hopefully they’d be clean and quiet and we could stay out of eachother’s way.

My experiences living here (were my expectations met?)

I have really enjoyed living here! The apartments are clean and have nice facilities, and the kitchen came fully stocked with pots and pans. The bathrooms are also modern and spacious (which was important to me) and the showers have really good water pressure! Being on campus has been great for Global Health, as during the first portion of the year we have class most days from 9-4, so it’s been easy to get there in the morning, and easy to run back during lunch if I don’t want to pack lunch. The process of getting the apartment was fairly easy, and the process of paying rent as an international student without a Swedish bank account is also simple.

In terms of roommates, thankfully I lucked out and we get along really well! For me, I found this really reassuring, having some ‘automatic’ friends as I was getting used to living in Sweden. If you’d prefer not to share, KI Residences Solna also has studio apartments, which are cosy and private but more expensive, or 2-person apartments if 4 people is too many for you.

Advantages and disadvantages

FAQs! (Frequently asked questions)

How does laundry work?

KI Residences Solna is made up of 3 buildings (referred to as 11, 13, and 15). Laundry facilities are in the central building (13). You book a slot on a screen outside the laundry room (there’s supposed to be an online portal to do this but it’s never worked for me), and at your pre-booked time, you get two hours for washing and drying, and then an extra hour for drying if you need it. For each booking, you get two washing machines, a large drying machine, and a drying closet. I have never had an issue with getting a free slot, but I tend to plan ahead when I will do my laundry, and I know that Sunday evenings are sometimes fully booked!

How does mail work?

Mail is in the same building as laundry, and you unlock your mailbox using your electronic access key that you use for the buildings and your apartment. When you receive a rental contract, you will be told how to write your address.

How do you pay rent?

Rent is paid through an online portal system, which is the same portal you use to apply for KI housing. Rent prices can be found on this system for all of the different types of KI accommodation. More information can be found here.

Are there social areas?

Yes! Building 13 has a large separated communal area named ‘The Spot’ which has a kitchen and tables and chairs. Also each building has a central communal area on the ground floor, with a TV, tables and chairs, and table football or ping pong. There are outdoor communal areas too, with barbecues, although I haven’t had a chance to use these yet due to the weather!

Thanks for following along! Hopefully this was helpful in deciding if KI Residences Solna is for you. Other DA’s have written blogs on KI housing too, although be sure to check the year they were published, as some of the information may be outdated. You can find a blog on Strix and Pax by Naomi here, a blog on Jägargatan here, and an overview of KI housing options here. See you next time!