The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, or Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet (SLU), is a life and environmental sciences university, founded in 1977. Although a relatively young institution, it was built on the merger of several older universities. The College of Veterinary Medicine hails back to the Veterinary School at Skara, founded over 200 years ago.
The university places a strong emphasis on research, producing about 1,500 papers each year.
Much of this research is into environmental sustainability and developing the bioeconomy. One of SLU’s missions is to collect environmental data that can be used to develop environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
SLU’s research informs environmental policies for Sweden and the European Union. The political value of SLU is reflected in that it receives some of its funding through the Ministry of Enterprise, which governs rural affairs. Several members of the ministry are SLU alumni, as is the Prince of Sweden.
SLU’s main campus locations are in Uppsala, Umeå and Alnarp, each with its own specialism. There are also dozens of smaller faculties, research facilities and farms dotted around the country, gathering data and educating students about agricultural sciences in different terrains.
The main campus in Uppsala has Sweden’s only university animal hospital, where students can experience veterinary research being put into practice. The campus at Alnarp, which focuses on landscaping and agriculture, boasts an extensive park with thousands of plant specimens, as well as horticultural laboratories. The Umeå campus is surrounded by birch trees, making it the perfect location for the Faculty of Forest Sciences.
Sweden’s forest-covered archipelagos offer scenic ways to escape from studying, whether fishing, hiking, or adventure sports. SLU’s Uppsala campus has the benefit of being within easy reach of ski slopes.
