Södertörn University

What Södertörn University does

Södertörn University (Södertörns högskola) is a Swedish public university and state authority under the Ministry of Education and Research, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Flemingsberg, Huddinge, south of Stockholm. The institution delivers approximately 80 academic programs and over 300 individual courses across six organizational institutions covering humanities, social sciences, technology, natural sciences, police science, and teacher education, including 13 Master's programs and more than 100 courses taught in English to attract international students.

The university operates Canvas-based Study Web (Studiewebben) as its learning management system, supplemented by Office 365, Zoom, Sunet Survey, and Peppol/Svefaktura for e-invoicing, with Mazemap used for campus navigation. Research is organized through approximately ten specialized centres and institutes, with the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) serving as the most prominent research profile, complemented by SMOB (organised crime), REINVENT (sustainable urban development), MARIS (maritime archaeology), SCOHOST (population health), and others. The university holds HR Excellence in Research certification from the European Commission (November 2019) and HRS4R compliance.

Revenue is driven primarily by Swedish government appropriations for education and research, supplemented by international non-EU/EEA tuition fees and competitive research grants. Domestic and EU/EEA students apply through Sweden's centralised antagning.se admissions system and study tuition-free, while non-EU/EEA students apply directly and pay program-set fees. International reach is delivered through approximately 130 partner universities across 40 countries, membership in the KreativEU consortium of eleven European institutions, and the EURAXESS portal for researcher recruitment.

Name

Södertörn University

Legal name

Södertörns högskola

Website

https://sh.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Södertörn University is a Swedish public state university in Flemingsberg, Stockholm, delivering 80+ programs and 300+ courses across six academic institutions, with a research profile centered on Baltic and Eastern European studies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Graduate Schools of Education (M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D.) (EDAHAFAB), Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF)

Keywords

• Higher education programs
• Academic research centres
• Graduate and undergraduate courses
• University degree programs
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Södertörns Villastad

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: As a Swedish public university, Södertörn University receives core government funding for education and research operations from the Swedish government. Additional research funding is obtained through competitive grants from Swedish research councils and EU frameworks.
2. Tuition Fees (International Non-EU/EEA Students): The university charges tuition fees for students from outside the EU/EEA area, while EU/EEA citizens study tuition-free under Swedish higher education policy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Södertörn University is a Swedish public university offering higher education and research across humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, technology, and police science. The university delivers approximately 80 undergraduate and graduate programs, more than 300 individual courses (including 13 Master's programmes and 100+ courses in English), doctoral education, and applied research organized through 10 specialized research centres. It serves Swedish and EU/EEA students tuition-free while charging tuition to non-EU/EEA international students.

Product overview

Södertörn University is a higher education institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of academic products and services centered around its core educational mission. The university provides approximately 80 undergraduate and graduate programs alongside over 300 individual courses, with 13 Master's programmes and more than 100 courses delivered in English for international students. Instruction spans humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, technology, and police science. The university's digital infrastructure includes the Canvas-based Study Web (Studiewebben) learning management system for course delivery and student interaction. Research is organized through 10 specialized research centers and institutes (centrumbildningar), including the prominent Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) as its signature research profile. Additional offerings include the Summer School (Sommarhögskolan) and student-led sustainability initiatives through the Student Sustainability Office. International collaboration is supported through the KreativEU consortium membership and approximately 130 partner universities across 40 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES): Coordinates research and doctoral education focused on the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe at Södertörn University.
• Sweden against Organized Crime (SMOB)
• Student Sustainability Office

Products and services

• Undergraduate and Graduate Programs A portfolio of approximately 80 bachelor's and master's level academic programs across humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, technology, and police science, available to Swedish and EU/EEA students tuition-free and to non-EU/EEA students on a fee-paying basis.
• Master's Programs in English 13 Master's programmes taught entirely in English, designed to attract international (non-EU/EEA) students and enable global participation in the university's academic offerings.
• Individual Courses Over 300 individual courses spanning diverse academic disciplines, with more than 100 taught in English, available as standalone enrollment options for students seeking targeted topic study or continuing education.
• Summer School (Sommarhögskolan) Annual summer program (Sommarhögskolan) offering short exchange-style courses on themes including climate justice, cultural heritage, and sustainability, aimed at introducing prospective students to university-level study.

Quantifiable outcome

• HR Excellence in Research recognition from EU Commission (November 2019)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KreativEU ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Long-term institutional and strategic cooperation between eleven higher education institutions across Europe, aimed at creating a competitive and attractive education model.
• Climate Framework for Swedish UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Network initiated by KTH and Chalmers. Södertörn University is one of 39 higher education institutions that have signed the framework, committing to climate action aligned with the 1.5-degree goal by 2030. Universities commit to setting long-term climate goals and allocating resources to achieve them.
• Sustainable Development Solutions Network Northern Europe (SDSN NE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2016Södertörn University has been a member since March 2016. SDSN NE is a regional network for Northern Europe, part of the global SDSN network. Purpose is to mobilize global scientific and technical expertise to promote practical problem-solving for sustainable development. Hosted by Centre for Environment and Sustainability (GMV) at University of Gothenburg.
• Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Global initiative aimed at developing and promoting best practices for assessing scientific research. Started at American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in San Francisco 2012.
• Magna Charta Universitatum (MCU)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988International declaration on universities' role in society, establishing fundamental values including autonomy, knowledge dissemination, and the important relationship between education and research. Over 900 institutions from 88 countries have signed.
• Scholars at Risk NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of over 400 universities worldwide with the purpose of protecting and supporting researchers and standing up for academic freedom. Södertörn University has received several at-risk researchers through the network.
• Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative with over 350 organizations from more than 40 countries. Purpose is to collectively improve assessment of research quality and address overly simple and misleading quantitative assessments.
• International Partner Universities (Approximately 130)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFormalized cooperation agreements for education and research with partner institutions worldwide. Current network amounts to approximately 130 partner universities in some 40 countries, enabling student and staff exchange, joint research, and academic collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Malmö University: Malmö University is a Swedish public university of comparable size and mission (former 'högskola' elevated to university status), serving a regional city with similar disciplinary breadth across social sciences, health, and education; it is the closest match as a mid-sized Swedish public institution competing for similar domestic and international students.
• Mid Sweden University: Mid Sweden University is a Swedish public university of similar size and profile, established in 1993 (also as a former 'högskola' elevated to university status), with comparable regional mission and research strengths. Both institutions compete for similar talent and recognition within Sweden's mid-tier higher education segment.
• Linnaeus University: Linnaeus University is a Swedish public university of similar size and recent establishment history (formed 2010 from Växjö University and Kalmar University College), with comparable interdisciplinary profile across natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities; same positioning in the mid-tier Swedish higher education landscape.
• Örebro University: Örebro University is a Swedish public university of similar size that also transitioned from university college status (university status granted 1999), with comparable research profile across social sciences and humanities, and similar positioning in Sweden's post-1990s higher education expansion.
• Linköping University: Linköping University is a fellow Swedish public university and a KreativEU consortium partner alongside Södertörn; both share the heritage of being newer, profile-focused Swedish universities with strong interdisciplinary research orientations and similar competitive positioning for EU and government funding.
• Karlstad University: Karlstad University is a Swedish public university of comparable size and similar history of establishment (founded 1977, university status 1999), with comparable breadth across social sciences, health, and teacher education. Direct peer in the cohort of recently established Swedish public universities.
• Kristianstad University: Kristianstad University is a Swedish public university college of similar scale and recent establishment history, both being newer-generation Swedish public institutions that have transitioned from 'högskola' status. Comparable in disciplinary mix and regional service orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Umeå University: Umeå University is a comprehensive Swedish public research university with strong sustainability research profile and similar interdisciplinary research centers; broader in scale but a relevant peer for research collaboration, particularly in the Baltic Sea region and Arctic contexts that overlap with Södertörn's Baltic/Eastern Europe research profile.
• University of Gothenburg: The University of Gothenburg is a major Swedish public research university and the host of SDSN NE (the sustainability network Södertörn is a member of). It is a broader incumbent offering extensive sustainability research and policy engagement, providing a larger-scale reference point for Södertörn's own sustainability and research ambitions.
• Stockholm University: Stockholm University is the major public research university in the Stockholm region, sharing geography and competing directly for students, faculty, and research funding. As a broader and longer-established incumbent, it represents both competition and a complementary research ecosystem partner for Södertörn's interdisciplinary focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/sodertornshogskola
• Facebookfacebook.com/sodertornshogskola
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sodertorns-hogskola
• Instagraminstagram.com/sodertorns_hogskola
• TikToktiktok.com/@sodertorns_hogskola
• Xx.com/sodertorn

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Södertörn University