Universities in Sweden

Sweden is one of the few countries in Europe with over 10 universities listed in the top 500 universities around the world. The country offers high-quality education in the fields of business, economics, engineering, and even arts through the many public and private institutions it is home to. The universities in Sweden offer international programs in English which allow international students to enroll in programs without having to study Swedish unless they are applying for programs that are taught in Swedish.

One of the best reasons that international students have for studying in the country is that EU/EEA nationals will not have to pay a tuition fee for any program while studying in Sweden. And though non-EU/EEA nationals will have to pay a fee for undergraduate and postgraduate programs, they will be able to take doctoral programs which are free for all. The campuses in Sweden have lush green spaces which are spread across acres of land most of which are gardens and forests.

Higher Education System in Sweden

The higher education system in Sweden relies on the concepts of freedom and responsibility which the syllabus and programs in universities put emphasis on. There are over 50 higher educational institutions in the country with most of them run by the state and others by private organizations. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in the country with education being subsidized for students from Sweden and EU/EEA countries.

Undergraduate education in the country is split into two cycles with the bachelor’s level being the first cycle, master's level being the second cycle and doctoral level being the third cycle. The first cycle comprises of programs like higher education diploma, degree of bachelor, and professional degrees. A higher education diploma is also called a hogskoleexamen and has a duration of 2 years with 120 credits whereas a degree of bachelor which is called kandidatexamen has a duration of 3 years and provides 180 credits in all.

The second cycle comprises of programs like degree of master for 1 year(magisterexamen) and degree of master for 2 years(masterexamen) with the former having 60 credits and the latter having 120 credits. This cycle also contains professional degrees. The third level of education includes both Ph.D. (doktorsexamen) and degree of licentiate(licentiatexamen) with the former having 240 credits and the latter having 120 credits.

Documents and Eligibility Requirements for Universities

The documents and eligibility requirements for universities in Sweden change from institution to institution and also from program to program. Students who wish to study in Sweden will have to meticulously choose their university according to the program and curriculum they offer since the universities here have the right of curating their own syllabus. Once this is done, they will be able to contact the admissions office of the respective university to find the admission requirements for the course they have applied to.

Even though the requirements change from place to place, there will be general requirements that all universities will state. These are-

• A valid passport
• Educational Transcripts
• Statement of Purpose
• Letters of Recommendation
• CV, if required
• Proof of English Language Proficiency
• Proof of Swedish Language Proficiency, if required

Cost of Studying in Sweden

The cost of studying in Sweden is dependent on the nationality of the student, the educational institution the candidate has enrolled in, and the level of study they have opted for. The tuition fee in the country is subsidized for Swedish nationals and EU/EEA candidates but non-EU/EEA candidates are required to pay a tuition fee. International students from all nationalities will be able to do doctoral programs in the country with no tuition fee. The fee that non-EU/EEA candidates will have to pay per year for graduate and post-graduate programs ranges between 80,000kr to 140,000kr.

Top Universities in Sweden

The top universities in the country are-

• Chalmers University of Technology
• Goteborg University
• Halmstad University
• Jonkoping University
• Karolinska Institute
• Linkoping University
• Lulea University
• Lund Institute of Technology
• Lund University
• Malardalen University
• Mid Sweden University
• Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
• Stockholm School of Economics
• Stockholm University
• Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
• Umea University
• Umea University
• University College of Orebro
• University College of Gavle/Sandviken
• University College of Kalmar
• University of Boras
• University of Falun/Borlange
• University of Karlskrona/Ronneby
• University of Karlstad
• University of Kristianstad
• University of Skovde
• Uppsala University
• Vaxjo University

Stockholm University

This public university was established in the year 1878 and is primarily an institution that focuses on research. The university is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world with an emphasis on educational fields like law, humanities, and natural sciences. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs in the university along with diploma programs and other professional courses. It is the fourth oldest university in the country with four faculties that have 56 departments. There are 190 study programs in all with 75 master’s programs taught in English. Students will also be able to choose from over 1,700 courses in the fields of human science and natural science.

Research programs in the university are offered in the fields of English, philosophy, history, linguistics, law, business administration, economics, psychology, political science, astronomy, meteorology, organic chemistry, etc.

Lund University

This is a public research university that was established in 1666. It is one of the oldest universities in northern Europe with nine faculties. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs from the university with over 270 programs to choose from. Out of these programs over 100 programs are taught in English. Students will also be able to choose from over 2,200 independent courses that the university provides. The nine faculties deal with fields of study like humanities, engineering, fine & performing arts, law, medicine, science, social sciences, aviation, economics, etc.

The doctoral programs are offered through the 20 research institutions and centers in the university. The research centers are for fields of study like sustainability studies, biomedicine, biomechanics, south-east Asian studies, European studies, middle eastern studies, etc.

Goteborg University

This is a public university that was established in the year 1891. It has a student population of over 37,000 students along with 3,000 academic staff. It is one of the largest universities in the country with only one campus that is situated in Gothenburg. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs from the university through the eight faculties. These faculties deal with subjects like fine, applied & performing arts, education, arts, science, social sciences, etc. They also have a school for business, economics & law which is internationally acclaimed. The faculties have over 38 departments in all which offer the most versatile syllabus in the country.

Research programs are offered in the fields of sustainability & environment, science & IT, health & medicine, society & economy, culture & language, education & learning, etc.

Chalmers University of Technology

This university is a private technical university and was established in the year 1829. There are over 11,000 students in the university every year along with over 2,500 administrative staff. The university has 13 departments in all which are for fields of study like architecture & civil engineering, biology & biological engineering, chemistry & chemical engineering, communication & learning in science, electrical engineering, industrial & materials science, mathematical sciences, microtechnology & nanoscience, etc. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs from the university.

The main fields in which research and doctoral studies are promoted include mathematical modeling, environmental science, housing architecture, healthcare improvement, built environment management, maritime competence, logistics, etc.

Royal Institute of Technology

This public university was established in the year 1827 and is an institution that focuses on technical education in the fields of engineering & technology, natural sciences, and physical sciences. Students will be able to take up undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs through the four campuses the university has. There are five different schools in the university that deal with architecture, electrical engineering, engineering sciences, industrial engineering, etc. Students will also be able to take double degrees from the university.

Doctoral programs are mainly offered in the fields of digitalization, energy, industrial transformation, life science, materials, and transport.

Umea University

This public research university was established in the year 1965 and has a student population of over 37,000 along with over 4,000 academic staff. Students will be able to take undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs from this university through the four faculties. The faculties are for fields of study like arts, medicine, science & technology, and social sciences. The university also has eight schools which are for design, technology, architecture, business, education, fine arts, sport sciences, and restaurant & culinary arts.

The research areas in which programs are offered include medicine, arts, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences for which there are over 2,000 researchers on the campus.

Halmstad University

This is a public university that was established in the year 1983 and it offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs through its four schools. The schools in this university are referred to as academies and they focus on fields like business, engineering & science, health & welfare, education, humanities, social sciences, and information technology. They have a student population of over 11,000 along with over 400 academic staff. The professional courses they provide include business English, AI, and business development, bioenergy, digital learning, energy declaration, nursing, 3D experience, etc.

The research programs that are offered by the university are mainly in the fields of information technology, innovation science, and health & lifestyle.

Karolinska University

This university is situated in the city of Solna and is a medical university that was established in the year 1810. They have a student population of over 6,500 along with over 4,000 administrative staff. It is one of the world’s best medical institutions offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and research level programs. They have departments for biosciences & nutrition, cell & molecular biology, clinical neuroscience, dental medicine, environmental medicine, laboratory medicine, neurobiology, neuroscience, public health sciences, etc.

The research areas in this university include cancer & hematology, molecular & structural biology, circulation & respiration, endocrinology & metabolism, neuroscience & mental health, caring science & aging, etc.

Student Visa for Sweden

Students who wish to study in Sweden will be required to get admission to one of the universities in the country before they can apply for a visa. If the program they have applied for has a duration of fewer than 3 months they will be required to only obtain a visa for the said duration but if the duration of the course exceeds 3 months, they will require a residence permit. While getting a visa is comparatively easy, the process of getting a residence permit can be long and troublesome.

The first step in getting a residence permit is for students to pay the first installment of their tuition fee after which they can collect the necessary documents required for the visa application. They will then be able to apply online for a residence permit before they can come to the country. The waiting time for getting a residence permit can be a few months depending on the nationality of the candidate. If the program the candidate has enrolled for takes a duration longer than 1 year, students will have to get a personal ID number within one year of staying in the country.