2027 reference edition · Revision 15, issued 5 October 2026. Figures and rules retain their stated source dates. About this edition

Country companion / Edition 2027

Sweden

Research-led study with clear qualification and funding choices.

Open country chapter in the book (printed p. 158)

Overview Study and admission Tests Scholarships Universities Further listings

Study overview

Sweden offers comprehensive universities and specialist technical, medical and agricultural institutions. English-taught study is especially extensive at master's level. Academic prerequisites, teaching location and fee status distinguish the available routes.

Lund Business Example / Year

SEK 130,000

Approx. US$ 13,030

Lund's International Business bachelor's, autumn 2026: SEK 390,000 over three years, annualised. Fee-paying non-EU/EEA/Swiss category; application fee and living costs are separate.

Lund Example / Month

SEK 8,900-13,500

Approx. US$ 890-1,350

Sum of Lund's food, rent, literature and miscellaneous-cost example, updated September 2026. It is not a permit threshold; the 2026 maintenance minimum is SEK 10,656/month.

Planning figures retain their source year. USD conversions use 29–30 September 2026 reference rates; these are not current payment quotations.

Typical degree length: Bachelor’s normally 3 years; master’s 1 or 2 years. Professional qualifications vary.

Fields: Engineering; computing; life sciences; environmental studies; social sciences; design.

Official references

Study and admission

Degrees and admission in Sweden

Degree-awarding powers, subject prerequisites and application timing determine the route into Swedish higher education.

Qualifications and institutional recognition

Swedish higher education follows three cycles. A general bachelor’s degree normally carries 180 higher education credits, while master’s degrees may carry either 60 or 120 credits. Full-time study normally produces 60 credits a year. Professional qualifications have their own structures and can extend across the first and second cycles. Recognition rests on degree-awarding powers, rather than the English word “university” alone. UKÄ’s official institutional list is a useful starting point, but students should also check the intended qualification and any professional recognition needed in the country where they plan to work.

Official references

School qualifications and subject preparation

Bachelor’s applicants must normally have completed upper-secondary education and document English at the required Swedish equivalent. Applicants whose final school grades were awarded after 2009 also face a general mathematics requirement. Individual programmes can require more advanced mathematics, sciences or other school subjects. The admissions service compares the actual qualification and curriculum, so the number of years spent in a subject is not conclusive. Master’s entry requires a qualifying first degree and the programme’s own subject preparation. Country-specific documentation instructions remain essential even when two applicants hold qualifications with similar English titles.

Official references

Application rounds and final school results

Universityadmissions.se coordinates applications to many English-taught programmes. International applicants are encouraged to use the first admissions round, which provides earlier decisions and more time for residence-permit arrangements. A later round may offer fewer English-taught places and insufficient time for applicants who need a permit. School-leavers should pay particular attention to final results: Swedish selection normally needs a completed upper-secondary qualification, not simply predicted grades. If final certificates arrive after the required documentation stage, applying for the next available intake may be more realistic than assuming conditional admission will bridge the timing gap.

Official references

English evidence and Swedish language

The common English requirement is expressed as English 6, also called English Level 2 under Sweden’s revised school-course terminology. It can be demonstrated through accepted tests or specified previous education; an English-medium letter is not automatically sufficient. Some master’s courses require a different level. Applicants should check both the programme requirement and the admissions service’s rules for verifying their particular result. For Swedish-taught study, Swedish proficiency is a separate question. Tisus provides a university-entry Swedish test, but passing a language test does not replace academic prerequisites or guarantee a study place.

Official references

Funding and everyday academic life

Tuition, living costs and permission to reside require separate planning; a scholarship may cover only one part.

Tuition and the application fee

Most applicants who are citizens outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland pay application and tuition fees, unless a specified exemption applies. Citizenship and residence status should be documented under the official rules; residence in another European country is not itself the same as qualifying citizenship. Universities publish programme-specific tuition, so compare the entire degree cost and payment schedule. The national application fee is SEK 900 per semester of application and covers multiple choices in that semester. It is an administrative payment, separate from tuition paid to the admitting university and from living expenses.

Official references

Housing and a usable budget

Housing must be investigated alongside the programme. At Lund, the university advises students without a defined housing guarantee to search through several providers before arrival; even guaranteed groups must follow the housing application procedure. Its illustrative monthly budget lists food at SEK 3,000, accommodation at SEK 4,000–8,000, literature at SEK 400–1,000 and miscellaneous costs at SEK 1,500. These are local planning components, not a national price promise. Rent, deposits, travel and the timing of payments can make the cash needed at arrival appreciably different from an average monthly estimate.

Official references

Course pace and independent work

A Swedish full-time academic year normally represents 60 credits, including independent work as well as scheduled teaching. Gothenburg describes a 40-hour study week and notes that students commonly take courses sequentially during the semester. A course marked 100% study pace may occupy the working week even when contact hours look modest. Assessment can combine written examinations, take-home work, presentations and other assignments. Students should read the syllabus for the grading scale, assessment tasks and prerequisites, and allow time for reading and preparation before class rather than treating the timetable as the complete workload.

Official references

https://www.gu.se/en/study-in-gothenburg/programs-and-courses/university-studies-in-sweden

Residence permission and work conditions

For most non-EU/EEA students, admission is followed by a separate residence-permit application. The Migration Agency requires qualifying full-time on-site study, financial maintenance and any applicable insurance; tuition must be paid as required before the application. Its 2026 maintenance figure is SEK 10,656 per month, with different calculations for accompanying family members. Rules changed during 2026: bachelor’s and master’s permits granted on or after 11 June generally carry a 15-hour weekly work limit, with specified exceptions. Recheck the official rules for the application date; neither employment nor an eventual immigration outcome should be assumed.

Official references

https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-want-to-apply/study/higher-education.html

Entrance and language assessments

IELTS Academic

Applies to: Applicants using IELTS to meet English 6 / English Level 2

The published benchmark is 6.5 overall with no component below 5.5. A higher programme-level requirement can apply. Accepted variants and online verification rules matter; General Training is not accepted.

https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

TOEFL iBT

Applies to: Applicants using TOEFL to meet English 6 / English Level 2

For tests from 21 January 2026, the published requirement is 4.5 overall with no section below 4 on the 1–6 scale. Earlier tests use 90 overall and 20 in writing. Verify the score-date rules and accepted test format.

https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

Tisus

Applies to: Applicants needing Swedish language evidence for university studies

Tisus is the Test in Swedish for University Studies. Use its current registration and component guidance, and confirm that the target programme accepts the evidence. It is a language qualification, not a national subject-admission examination.

https://www.su.se/english/divisions/tisus---test-in-swedish-for-university-studies

Scholarships and funding routes

Award terms below retain the intake or reference period stated in the book.

Lund University Global Scholarship

Master’s; specified bachelor’s exceptions

Support: Part or all of tuition. No living-cost stipend.

Eligibility: Fee-paying citizens outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland with strong academic results; the eligible Lund programme must be first choice.

Application: Apply for the degree through Universityadmissions.se, complete fee requirements, then submit the separate scholarship form and motivation letter.

Conditions: Competitive and merit-based. The 2026 round is closed. Eligible bachelor’s courses are limited; check the next published call and finance living expenses independently.

Official award information

KTH Scholarship

Eligible one- or two-year master’s

Support: Full tuition at KTH; second-year support requires satisfactory first-year results. Living costs are excluded.

Eligibility: Fee-paying applicants who rank the eligible KTH master’s first and pay the application fee; selection considers academic merit and contribution to sustainable development.

Application: Apply for the master’s through Universityadmissions.se first, then submit the separate KTH scholarship form within its annual window. KTH uses the academic documents submitted with the degree application.

Conditions: Joint-programme exclusions apply. Tuition funding leaves accommodation, food and other living expenses to be financed separately. Continuation depends on satisfactory first-year results.

Official award information

Uppsala University Global Scholarship

International master’s

Support: Full tuition for the awarded programme; no living expenses.

Eligibility: Citizens outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland with academic merit who place the Uppsala programme first in their national application.

Application: Complete the degree application, fee and supporting documents by their deadlines, then follow the university’s scholarship application round.

Conditions: Highly competitive. The autumn 2026 round is closed; the university says the next round opens in early 2027. Scholarship availability can differ between years.

Official award information

SI Scholarship for Global Professionals

Eligible full-time one- or two-year master’s programmes

Support: Published 2026 call: full tuition, a SEK 12,000 monthly living allowance, and a one-time travel grant subject to the scheme’s conditions.

Eligibility: Citizens of one of the 34 countries listed for the 2026 call who are liable for tuition fees, meet the work and leadership experience requirements, and apply to an SI-eligible master’s programme.

Application: First apply for eligible master’s study through Universityadmissions.se, then submit the separate SI scholarship application through its official portal.

Institution	Location and type	Official website	Book page
Karlstad University	Karlstad / Public university	https://www.kau.se/en	164
Linnaeus University	Växjö / Kalmar / Public university	https://www.lnu.se/en/	164
Luleå University of Technology	Luleå / Public technical university	https://www.ltu.se/en	164
Malmö University	Malmö / Public university	https://mau.se/en/	164
Mid Sweden University	Sundsvall / Östersund / Public university	https://www.miun.se/en/	164
Stockholm School of Economics	Stockholm / Independent university	https://www.hhs.se/	164
Örebro University	Örebro / Public university	https://www.oru.se/english/	164
Mälardalen University	Västerås / Eskilstuna / Public university	https://www.mdu.se/en/malardalen-university	164
Blekinge Institute of Technology	Karlskrona / Public university college	https://www.bth.se/english	164
Dalarna University	Falun / Borlänge / Public university college	https://www.du.se/en/	164
Halmstad University	Halmstad / Public university college	https://www.hh.se/english.html	164
Jönköping University	Jönköping / Independent foundation university college	https://ju.se/en.html	164
Kristianstad University	Kristianstad / Public university college	https://www.hkr.se/en/	164
Swedish Defence University	Stockholm / Public specialist university college	https://www.fhs.se/en/swedish-defence-university.html	164
Södertörn University	Huddinge / Public university college	https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university	164
Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences	Stockholm / Public specialist university college	https://www.gih.se/english	164
University of Borås	Borås / Public university college	https://www.hb.se/en/	164
University of Gävle	Gävle / Public university college	https://www.hig.se/engelska/university-of-gavle	164
University of Skövde	Skövde / Public university college	https://www.his.se/en/	164
University West	Trollhättan / Public university college	https://www.hv.se/en/	164

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