Background: During the school years of 2021/2022, approximately 20,000 Swedish students chose to study abroad. There are indications that Swedish exchange students exhibit sexually risky behaviour, consume alcohol to an extent that can be considered risky, and have been exposed to violence. Aim: The overall aim was to increase the knowledge about alcohol use, drug use, sexually risky behaviour, exposure to violence, and health among Swedish prospective exchange students and exchange students, and to compare these findings with students who remain on campus. Moreover, the thesis aimed to explore Swedish exchange students' experiences from a semester abroad. Methods: Study I and III are comparative cross-sectional studies, and Study II is a comparative follow-up study. Studies I to III are based on web surveys that included the instruments NorAQ, the General Health Questionnaire 12, Self-Rated Health, UngKAB, and Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale. Study IV was a qualitative interview study with semi-structured interviews. Results: Over half of all responding female students reported exposure to some kind of sexual violence, of which one-fifth reported severe sexual violence. Approximately one-third reported emotional violence, and one-sixth reported physical violence. Among all responding male students, one-third reported physical violence and emotional violence, and one-sixth reported severe physical violence. The prospective exchange students drank larger quantities of alcohol on the same occasion, had sex with new partners, and had sex under the influence of alcohol more often than campus students. During their semester abroad, they increased their weekly consumption of alcohol, and it became more spontaneous. They did not change their sexual behaviour, but they emphasized the use of protection against STIs. The exchange students rated their mental health as better than campus students, both before and after a semester abroad. Violence during the semester abroad was relatively uncommon, but several exchange students had taken precautions to avoid dangerous situations, mainly by being more observant about their surroundings, avoiding going out alone, and using public transport instead of taxis.Conclusions: This thesis has identified risky behaviours and occurrences of violence among all the responding students that might be associated with future ill-health; therefore, proactive interventions could be needed. Keywords: Health, mental health, exchange students, students, sexually risky behaviour, violence, alcohol use, drug use