Sweden is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund Strait. At 450,295 square kilometres, Sweden is the largest country in Northern Europe, the third-largest country in the European Union and the fifth largest country in Europe by area. The capital city is Stockholm. Sweden has a total population of 10.3 million. The official currency of Sweden is the Swedish Krona (SEK).
Why study in Sweden:
1. High Quality of Education: The Swedish higher education system is renowned for its quality, and several Swedish universities are ranked as being among the world’s best.
2. IELTS Waiver: In individual universities in Sweden, an IELTS waiver is possible for Engineering students.
3. Unlimited Part-Time Work Rights: International can work for as many hours as they want as they pursue their education in Sweden.
4. Post Study Work Visa: International students will get a post-study work visa of 1 year in Sweden
5. Innovation Hub: Sweden is a hub for world-leading innovations in sustainability solutions and autonomous vehicles. Sweden has a thriving start-up culture and is home to many Unicorns.
• Academic Year: The academic year is split into autumn and spring semesters. Most courses and study programs start in the autumn. The autumn semester starts at the end of August and continues until mid-January of the following year. The spring semester usually begins in January and finishes at the end of June. Between the spring and autumn semesters, many universities have a short summer session. A student may be awarded a maximum of 15 credits for courses taken during the summer session.
• Courses or Study Programs: When applying to study in Sweden, you may choose to apply for self-contained (individual) courses or full study programs. If you decide to study a stand-alone course or a range of courses, you are awarded credits on completion of these courses. It is possible to be awarded a diploma or degree if you accumulate the appropriate credits in the right combination. Alternatively, you may apply for a full study program. Study programs are made up of courses, some of which are compulsory (required), and some are optional. Some of the study programs lead to professional or vocational qualifications. Study programs vary in length from two to eleven semesters.
• Credit system compatible with ECTS: A normal workload is 30 higher education (HE) credits per semester or 60 HE credits per academic year. Before 1 July 2007, Swedish higher education institutions awarded points rather than credits. It was changed to make the Swedish credit system compatible with ECTS. ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. It is a system common in European countries and helps the recognition of higher education between countries.
Sweden offers courses and programs at the bachelor, masters, and doctoral levels. Please note that the individual universities manage the application for Ph.D. programs.
• Bachelor’s level: Bachelor’s degree is also known as the first cycle in the European Region. You may also be familiar with the term ‘undergraduate’. There is a wide range of international courses available at this level in Sweden, but a limited number of study programs. These courses are taught in English. Very basically, a student must have completed upper secondary studies to be qualified for review at this level.
• Master’s level: The next level is master’s, also known as the second cycle in the European Region. The term ‘graduate-level’ can also be used. Universities in Sweden offer a broad range of international master’s programs where the language of instruction is English. These programs are open to both Swedish and international students who have earned a bachelor’s degree.
• Doctoral level: After having earned a master’s degree, students can continue their university studies at the doctoral level. Students interested in studying at the doctoral level have a different admissions process than students studying at other levels. The universities coordinate this process; therefore, you must contact them for application instructions.
One Application: Sweden is unique in that it has a coordinated admissions system. It means that you can apply for Swedish courses and programs at all universities on the same application at www.universityadmissions.se
One set of supporting documents: Students must submit documentation in support of their application. These documents can include upper secondary school transcripts, university transcripts, and English test results. The documents you upload or send into University Admissions in Sweden are scanned into our electronic admissions system. In that way, no matter where an admissions officer is in Sweden, they can bring up your record and look at all your documents and your application information.
Application review: Your application will be registered and checked in several steps and by different institutions. Because of the number of requests, this process can take some time.
Reply online – Second round: If you applied for the second round for the autumn or spring semester (application deadlines 15 April and 15 October), you would be required to reply online to your first Notification of Selection Results.
Residence Permit for Studying in Sweden:
Students from a non-European Union (EU) or non-European Economic Area (EEA) country require a residence permit to study in Sweden for longer than three months. The easiest and fastest way to apply for a residence permit is by using the online application at the Swedish Migration Agency’s website. After completing the form, students are called for an interview at the Swedish embassy or consulate in their native country or another country where they live permanently. Students who are unable to apply online can apply at their nearest Swedish embassy or consulate. More information can be found here: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Studying-and-researching-in-Sweden.html
There are specific criteria students must meet to receive a resident permit for studies. One rule related to education is that a student must be admitted to a course or a program at a Swedish university. Suppose you are preliminarily offered a place but have not finalized your place by paying the first tuition fee installment. In that case, you are not considered admitted, and you cannot be granted a residence permit. The place or places you have been offered on your Notification of Selection Results are considered preliminary until you have paid the first installment of the tuition fee. Therefore, you must pay the first installment of your tuition fee as soon as possible. Your university will notify the Swedish Migration Agency when your offer of admission is finalized.
If you are going to stay in Sweden for more than one year, you are generally required to register in the Swedish Population Register. Make sure your residence permit is valid for at least one year. You can register by going to one of the offices of the Swedish Tax Agency. By doing this you also get a Swedish personal identity number – a “personnummer”
IELTS/TOEFL: You need to prove your English language proficiency by taking either of these two tests.
GRE/GMAT: Most universities do not ask for these scores. However, some of them do.
It is advisable to check the application requirements for each of the universities on their websites.
Costs with regards to studying in Sweden are:
Tuition fee: The average tuition fee is about SEK 129,000 per academic year. But one year’s tuition fee could be as low as SEK 80,000. Or as high as SEK 295,000 for a master’s program, that is. Bachelor programs usually cost a little less.
Social sciences & humanities: You are looking at around SEK 80,000 – 110,000 per year for these subjects.
Technical & natural sciences: These programs cost a little more. You will pay from SEK 120,000 – 145,000 per year.
Architecture & design: Tuition fees for architecture or design range from SEK 190,000 – 295,000 per year.
Living Expenses in Sweden: As an international student, you will need SEK 8514 per month to cover your living expenses. This amount will need to be shown by you through your financial documents before applying for a residence permit.
Your monthly expenses in Sweden can look like this:
Food: SEK 2,000
Accommodation: SEK 4,170
Local travel: SEK 550
Phone/internet: SEK 300
Miscellaneous: SEK 1,494
You can have a look at the different scholarships available for studying in Sweden here: https://studyinsweden.se/scholarships/
If you want to work in Sweden after your studies, you will need to extend your residence permit for an extra 12 months. During this time, you can search for jobs or start a company. If you find a job within 12 months, you will need to apply for a work permit.
Sweden is home to some of the world’s biggest companies, such as Volvo, IKEA, H&M, Spotify, Oatly, Tetra Pak, Skype, and AstraZeneca. It is also some to a lot of innovative start-ups and has a bustling start-up culture.
To secure a job in Sweden, you should learn the language. Also, you will need to network a lot and be proactive and put yourself out there. Start your search early and work hard, and you will be able to secure a job for sure.
The list of universities in Sweden are:
• Blekinge Institute of Technology
• Chalmers University of Technology
• Dalarna University
• Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College
• Halmstad University
• Johannelunds Theological University College
• Jönköping University
• Karlstad University
• Karolinska Institutet
• Konstfack – University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design
• Kristianstad University
• KTH Royal Institute of Technology
• Linköping University
• Linnaeus University (Kalmar Växjö)
• Luleå University of Technology
• Malmö University
• Mid Sweden University
• Mälardalen University
• Newmaninstitutet
• Royal College of Music in Stockholm
• Sophiahemmet University
• Stockholm School of Economics
• Stockholm University
• Swedish Defence University
• Swedish Red Cross University College
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
• Södertörn University
• The Royal Institute of Art
• The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency
• The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences
• Umeå University
• University College of Music Education in Stockholm
• University College Stockholm
• University of Borås
• University of Gothenburg
• University of Gävle
• University of Skövde
• University West
• Uppsala University
• Örebro Teologiska Högskola
• Örebro University