Sweden offers plenty of opportunities for international students who wish to pursue a degree or undertake research at a world-class university. Swedish educational institutions are strongly focused on students and their interests; helping you to build skills in your chosen field. Studying in Sweden offers a wide choice of courses and programmes at all levels of study.
Sweden is a prosperous, welcoming country offering many exciting opportunities for education, work and leisure. There are around 30,000 international students in Sweden, which provides an exciting, multicultural environment for all the students.
Swedish institutions are highly ranked and offer plenty of opportunities for study and research. Eight of Sweden’s universities are present in the top 500 of the 2023 QS World University Rankings. The highest ranked university is KTH Royal Institute of Technology, which comes in at 89th place.
Unlike other destinations that may place more emphasis on research output, Swedish universities are strongly focused on their students. All of the courses and programmes encourage group work, innovation and critical thinking. Sweden’s higher education institutions have also adapted to the Bologna Process, as well as conforming to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, meaning that you’ll graduate with a fully-recognised European degree.
One unique aspect of Swedish higher education is the way courses are structured. Instead of studying several modules at once throughout an entire semester, students only study one at a time for a shorter period (several weeks). Examination is performed after a module is completed. For this reason, Swedish semesters consist of a series of these short segments.
Swedish institutions offer several types of degrees you can study for:
There are also two degree types for the advanced studies or research:
Generally there are two types of institutions of higher education in Sweden: universities and university colleges. The only difference applies to the advanced studies (Licentiate and PhD) and not to the bachelor’s or master’s studies. Universities have the unrestricted right to award Licentiate and PhD degrees, while university colleges don’t, and most of them don’t award PhDs.
There are many interesting and welcoming cities throughout Sweden, including Stockholm, Lund, Malmö, Gothenburg, and Umeå, among others.
Sweden requires international students to obtain a student visa or residence permit. More information about this can be found in our Sweden Student Visa Guide.
| Capital City | Stockholm |
|---|---|
| Currency | SEK, Swedish Krona |
| Language(s) | Swedish |
| Universities on StudyLink | 17 universities |
| Major Student Cities | Lund, Malmö, Gothenburg |
The official language of Sweden is Swedish. Most institutions offer courses in both English and Swedish. Even if your course is taught in English, make sure you still attempt to pick up some Swedish language skills. This will look great on your CV, and might even help you to get a job if you want to stay in Sweden after your studies!
If you choose to study a course in Swedish, you may have to prove your Swedish language proficiency by taking an approved test. Your institution will be able to give you more information about the required standards and approved tests. If you choose to study in English, you will likely need to prove your English language skills meet the required standards. There are several approved tests you can take, you should contact your institution for more information about this.
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