Sweden Universities and Colleges

Overview

Overview of Higher Education in Sweden

Sweden's higher education consists of over 60 institutions that offer various forms of higher education. This includes over 35 public universities and university colleges and over 20 private institutions. At 76 percent, Sweden has one of the highest percentages of students starting higher education as a percentage of its population.

Sweden's funding of higher education exceeds that of most of the world with 1.5 percent of their GDP being spent. About half of that money goes towards doctoral level programs and research, resulting in a high number of doctoral program graduates and significant interest among prospective doctoral students from around the world. Since public higher education is funded almost entirely by the government, both Swedes other EU citizens able to attend free of charge. Living costs and study materials can be financed through government grants and loans, to make it possible for all students to attend regardless of income or where they live.

Admissions to bachelor's level programs for both public and private institutions are based on final secondary school grades and scores on the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test. In the common scenario where there are more qualified applicants that there are spaces available for a given program, students are ranked by their school grade averages. Some programs also require knowledge from specific coursework at the secondary school level such as a higher level of math for an Economics program.

Sweden's higher education is overseen by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education which is also responsible for reviewing the quality of institutions.

Types of Schools and Degrees

The country's public and private universities offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. University colleges of which there are over 20 public and close to 10 private, offer diplomas, bachelor's and master's degrees although a few have obtained permission to offer limited doctoral degrees. There are also over 12 independent schools with the right to award qualifications in psychotherapy.

The name of a school does not necessarily correspond to the type of school it is; some universities use the Swedish term for college (hogskola) and some university colleges call themselves universities. The only real difference is whether the school has unrestricted rights to award doctoral level degrees.

Many of the universities and university colleges offer a broad range of subjects while others specialize in areas such as medicine, technology, fine arts, social sciences and psychology. Within Sweden, the schools are seen as equivalent to each other with desired program availability, location and size being the primary considerations when students choose a school.

All bachelor's degrees and above conform to the structure set by the Bologna Agreement which standardized higher education degrees across the 29 European nations that participated.

International Students

Many students from other countries are drawn to study in Sweden resulting in approximately eight percent of Sweden's higher education students coming from outside Sweden. A remarkable 33 percent of doctoral students come from abroad. Students must speak fluent Swedish to take courses taught in the native language although there are many programs that are taught in English and require English proficiency. Students from outside the EU and EEA will also need to obtain a visa which can take several months to receive.

Beginning in the fall of 2011, international students from outside the EU and EEA who are beginning their studies at a Swedish institution will be required to pay application and tuition fees, which will vary by school. EU and EEA students will continue to receive a Swedish higher education for free.

Admission of foreign students is determined by each institution based on students' prior education and test scores. Sweden has a pooled admissions system, allowing prospective students to apply for more than one program via the same application.

About Sweden

Over 9.2 million people live in Sweden which is located in northern Europe with Norway to it's west, the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia to its east and Finland across its northern border. The most heavily populated areas in the south have a temperate climate and mild temperatures year-round.

Although Swedish in the official language, about 89 percent of residents speak fluent English, making it Europe's most English proficient country. Sweden is the home of the Nobel Prize committees for all prizes except the Peace prize. It is a member of the European Union but maintains its own currency – the krona. Sweden maintains a high standard of living and ranked 7th on the 2009 United Nation's Human Development Index.

Resources

Study in Sweden

Applying to Higher Education in Sweden

Swedish National Agency for Education