Is education / study free in Sweden for international students?
At the moment there are no tuition fees in Sweden. However, the Swedish government has decided to introduce tuition fees for non-European students starting from the autumn 2011 at the earliest.
Is education offered in English by Sweden colleges and universities?
Yes, Most of Sweden universities and colleges offer education in English at Graduate and Undergraduate level. Sweden offer high quality science, technology, humanities and social sciences degrees offered in English language. If you are already pursui..
Can I work in Sweden as international student?
Yes, students are allowed to work in sweden. Many students do part time work in Sweden along with their studies. There is no restriction for working hours. Students can work as much hours as they can.
What kinds of degrees can I study for in SwedenTISUS?
After three years of successful full-time studies, a student at a Swedish university or university college can receive a kandidatexamen, the nearest equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. After one or two additional years of specialized studies, the student can receive a Degree of Master (One Year) or a Degree of Master (Two Years), the nearest equivalent to a master’s degree. If a student opts to do advanced studies or research, they can receive a licenciatexamen after an additional two years of full-time study or a doktorsexamen after a minimum of four years. A doktorsexamen is a PhD.
Is it possible to study Swedish for beginners at a university or university college?
Yes, several institutions offer Swedish for beginners. In most cases, the courses are intended for exchange students.
At a few universities, courses are offered as part of a program to first teach students intensive Swedish so that they can pursue a degree at that institution in the Swedish language. In other words, Swedish is taught as a means to further study.
If you intend to study Swedish in this manner, you should be aware that in order to continue with your studies after the year of intensive Swedish language courses, you will need to pass the TISUS test in Swedish. If you fail this test (and people do), you will not be able to continue your studies in Sweden.
I’ve decided I want to study as an undergraduate in Sweden. What do I do now?
There are three ways of going about it, depending on your situation:
- If you already speak fluent Swedish, and a have a valid high school diploma, you can apply to any Swedish university program, just like Swedish students do. The only difference between you and Swedish students is that you will have to pass the TISUS Swedish test and that special rules govern student loans from the government.
- If you do not speak any Swedish, and have a valid high school diploma, there are a few universities that will first teach you Swedish
Additionally, a limited number of English-language undergraduate programs are offered by academic institutions in Sweden.. You can also contact the institutions directly for information. - If you are already pursuing an undergraduate degree at a university outside Sweden and it has an exchange program with an institution in Sweden, such as Erasmus, you should contact the international office at your home university. They have a list of partner institutions in Sweden that offer courses in English that you can attend.
How do I know if my existing high school diploma/bachelor’s degree/master’s degree is valid in Sweden?
In general, institutions evaluate degrees on an individual basis. If the transcript is not in English, you may need to have it translated
What are my chances of receiving an SI scholarship?
Over 500 scholarships are granted every year, though all scholarships have eligibility restrictions. Because academic institutions make an initial selection of candidates to recommend to SI, it is difficult for SI to gauge the size of the original pool. However, SI receives up to 10 recommended candidates for each of the 500 or so master’s degree programs, in addition to applications from doctoral students. In total, SI processes around 2,000 applications each year.
Can I apply to several institutions simultaneously and ask each one for a scholarship? Will this jeopardize my chances?
If you are applying to master’s programs, you may apply for an SI scholarship via as many institutions as you want simultaneously, provided the programs you want the scholarship for are in the same general academic discipline. If you are applying for doctoral-level studies or research, you may not apply for an SI scholarship via multiple channels at the same time.
Is there an age limit for applications to Swedish universities or for Swedish Institute scholarships?
No, there are no age-based restrictions.
Programs for a master’s degree in the US typically take longer to complete than the ones I’ve been looking into in Sweden. Are the degrees compatible?
There are two kinds of master’s degree programs in Sweden, the Degree of Master (One Year) which is called “magisterexamen” in Swedish, and the Degree of Master (Two Years), called “masterexamen”. Swedish bachelor’s degree programs specialize earlier than equivalent American programs, so the same level of specialization may be reached in a shorter amount of time.
It is likewise difficult to predict how a degree will be valued by a specific employer. Demand for staff with international experience and perspectives is growing, but an employer’s interest will also depend on the relevance of your studies to the available job position.
