University of Skövde

58.39453°N 13.85412°E / 58.39453; 13.85412

University of Skövde

Högskolan i Skövde
Logotype of The University of Skövde
Motto	You create reality
Motto in English	"You create reality"
Type	Public university
Established	1977 (1977)
Budget	SEK466 million[1]
Chairman	Amelie von Zweigbergk
Vice-Chancellor	Muriel Beser Hugosson
Academic staff	327 (2021)
Administrative staff	139
Students	4312(FTE, 2024)[1]
Doctoral students	68[2]
Location	Skövde , Sweden
Campus	Urban
Colours	Ruby and sapphire
Affiliations	SUHF
Website	www.his.se

The University of Skövde (in Swedish: Högskolan i Skövde, HIS) is a state university in Skövde, Sweden.^[3] The University of Skövde was granted university status in 1983 and is now an academic institution with general and specialised educational programmes in topics like Business, Health, Biomedicine and Computer game design. Research, education, and PhD training at the university are divided on four schools; Bioscience, Business, Health and Education, Engineering Science, and Informatics.^[4] The university has approximately 9,000 students (4,000 FTE) in 50 undergraduate and 10 graduate programmes.

Main entrance.

The Portalen building housing the school of informatics, Sweden Game Arena, and Science Park Skövde

Buildings E (left) and G (right) at the University of Skövde campus.

History

The foundation for the university was laid in the 1970s by an act of the Swedish Parliament. The university was established in 1977. In its first year, the university offered 300 educational places. University status was achieved in 1983.^[5] The university moved to new premises in the mid-1980s to accommodate for a growing student body. The new campus was housed in the barracks of the former Göta Logistic Corps (T 2) in central Skövde.

In the following decade, new buildings were added to the campus as the university grew in student count and the integration of the, until then, separate School of Health Sciences (Swedish: Hälsohögskolan) as the Institute for Health Sciences.^[6] In later years, the university has established itself as a modern higher education institution with programmes video game development,^[7][8] bioinformatics,^[9] and data science.^[10]

Something that has contributed to establishing Skövde and the university as a hub for Swedish computer game development with initiatives like Sweden Game Arena, and for research and development in IT with initiatives like the start-up incubator Science Park Skövde, considered to be an interface for science and local business.

In February 2025 Simone Giertz, inventor and robotics enthusiast, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Information Technology at the University of Skövde.^[11]

Organisation

Administration

The university is a government agency under the Swedish Ministry of Education and Research. The Vice-Chancellor serves as the agency head and is supported by the university board which is responsible for making sure that the agency performs according to official decisions.

The University of Skövde, Building G

Snow-covered campus at the University of Skövde

The University of Skövde, Building E.

G Building at University of Skövde

A rendition of the coat of arms of the University of Skövde

Schools

The university's operational activities are organised into five thematic institutions:^[4]

• The School of Bioscience
• The School of Business
• The School of Health Sciences
• The School of Engineering Science
• The School of Informatics

Research Environments

Research at the University is conducted within around twenty research groups, each with its own specialisation. The groups are organised within five well-established and profiled research environments:

• Digital Health Research (DHEAR)
• Organising for Sustainable Development
• Informatics
• Systems Biology
• Virtual Engineering

Departments

The university's administration consists of eight departments.

• Marketing and Communication Office
• Academic Affairs and Student Support Office
• Office for Research Support, Collaboration and Innovation
• Office for Service, IT and Security
• University Library
• Finance Office
• Human Resources Office
• Executive Office

Awards

Student City of the Year 2025

The Swedish National Union of Students (SFS) has named Skövde the Student City of the Year 2025.^[12] The award is motivated in part by the joint efforts of the University of Skövde, the Municipality of Skövde, and the Student Union at the University of Skövde to actively integrate new students into both social and academic life. The improved housing situation is also mentioned, as well as the opportunities that Sweden Game Arena and the career fair Framtid offer students and the business sector.

The University of Skövde previously received the SFS Student City award for 2008/09. The motivation then was: “For its clear vision with students in focus, combined with strong enthusiasm, Skövde is awarded the SFS Student City 2008/09.”

Rankings

In a quality assessment study of Swedish higher education conducted by the Swedish Higher Education Authority, the university ranked seventh in Sweden.^[13][14]

Vice-Chancellors

1983–2001 Lars-Erik Johansson

2001–2010 Leif Larsson [sv]

2010–2016 Sigbritt Karlsson^[15]

2017–2022 Lars Niklasson [sv]

2023– Muriel Beser Hugosson [sv]

Notable alumni

• Darko Šarović (Track & Field athlete)
• Niklas Åkerblad (artist)
• Coffee Stain Studios (video game studio)

See also

• List of universities in Sweden