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Tuition-Free Education in Sweden

Sweden is one of the Scandinavian countries which does not charge tuition to students both citizens and international students. International students admitted to Swedish undergraduate, masters or PhD programs can attend courses without paying any tuition fee.

In terms of quality of education, Sweden compares favorably with its international peers as a place to acquire quality education. The 2006 Education at a Glance report strengthen Sweden as a desirable study destination and today it continues to gain popularity. Sweden’s spending on education as a proportion of its GDP is rated among the highest in the world.

Unfortunately, Sweden has proposed charging tuition to all international students except those from EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. According to the higher education minister Lars Leijonborg, the new tuition system would be implemented on January 1st, 2010, at the latest.

Academics are concerned that proposals to introduce tuition fees for international students at Swedish universities could discourage gifted foreign students from coming to study in Sweden. Swedish universities and unions had objected to the government proposal. The proposal includes stipends for students that cannot afford to pay the tuition. How those stipends would be implemented and how it would impact students from developing countries is yet to be determined. The proposal is included in a bill to be presented in the autumn on how university-level international exchanges can be increased. The fees will be based on the costs incurred by the universities themselves. At the same time, a system of stipends will be implemented for students lacking sufficient funds to pay tuition.

Prospective students should make haste and apply before the 1st January 2010.

Requirement for Studying in Sweden (Part 4)

Documentation (Undergraduate)

As soon as you have submitted your application you must send in your supporting documents along with the cover sheet. After that, the only documents that we will accept are ones that are issued after the application date and will be required for the assessment of your eligibility.

Records of completed upper-secondary education

Your upper secondary education must be documented with certified copies of the diploma as well as a transcript of all subjects and grades.

Unless your school leaving documents are in English, French, German or the Nordic languages you will also have to submit authorized translations. Only final and officially issued documents are valid.

Proficiency in English

You are also required to present proof of proficiency in English. For the courses and programmes given in English the requirement is usually set to the equivalence of English studies at secondary level in Sweden (English course B).

If your secondary school qualifications in English are not considered to fulfill this requirement, you must submit the official results from an internationally recognized test such as TOEFL or IELTS.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the official TOEFL score is forwarded directly from ETS to VHS - The Swedish National Admissions Office to Higher Education (institution code: Sweden 9520).

Undergraduate Level

The basic level or first cycle is equivalent to the former undergraduate level. In line with the Bologna process, a Europe-wide standardization drive, Swedish higher education institutions switched to a new degree structure last year.

At this level there is a wide selection of single subject courses taught in English, whereas the number of study programmes is more limited. For both categories applies that students have to meet the general and specific requirements to be eligible.

Therefore it is strongly recommended you read through the universities’ websites well before you make your application at Studera website.