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Higher education

Programms in English

Nearly 150 bachelor programmes and over 1000 master progrmmes are taught in English in Sweden.

Higher education in Sweden comprises mainly public universities and colleges. There are only few private universities.

University or University College?

Two slightly different terms are used in Sweden to describe institutions of higher education:

  • University (Universitet).
  • University College (Högskola).

The main difference is that universities have the right to award doctorates (PhD) while many university colleges don’t.

There is no difference in quality in the bachelor’s or master’s degrees offered by both types of institutions.

Degrees

Swedish universities and university colleges offer degree programmes according to the “Bologna” standards:

  • Bachelor  (180 ECTS).
  • Master (60 to 120 ECTS).
  • PhD (240 ECTS).

Undergraduate programmes

You can study a lot of subjects in English. But you must be fluent in Swedish to get in the following subjects: medicine, nursing, dentistry, teaching! A bachelor’s programme taught in Swedish is known as a “kandidatprogram” or a “utbildning pa grundniva”.

Graduate programmes

There are 1200 masters currently offered in English. They consist of advanced coursework followed by a research-based master’s thesis.

PhD 

Research-based programmes = 240 ECTS.

Leading research areas:

  • Environmental technology.
  • Nanotechnology research.
  • Life Sciences.

Find your study programme

Visit Studyinsweden.se or Universityadmissions.se to search all the programmes offered in English. You can choose up to eight bachelor’s programmes to apply for in each application round.

If you would like to apply for a programme in Swedish you can find programmes on Antagning.se.

Application

Admission to all undergraduate programmes is competitive. Every university and university college has its own procedure for selecting candidates.

The majority of bachelors and masters programmes in Sweden begin in the autumn semester.

Examples of criteria

  • Secondary school leaving diploma (diplôme de fin d’études secondaires/secondaires techniques).
  • good knowledge of English (e.g. Toefl test or IELTS test).
  • good proficiency in mathematics.
  • grades obtained, assessment of work samples, interview results, special admission tests and eventually work experience linked to the chosen area of study.

Apply online

Applications are processed through the central application portal Universityadmissions.se.

Through this website you can:

  • create a user account.
  • search for courses and programmes.
  • rank your selection!
  • fill out and send in your application.
  • receive and print out your Notification of selection results.
  • reply to any offers of admission.

Tuition fees

There are no tuition fees for students from EU or EEA countries or from Switzerland.

Distance learning

Most Swedish universities offer the possibility to study part-time or take evening-time courses. There are also distance courses available at both Bachelor's level and Master's level.

You can see the distance learning programmes that are offered by searching directly in the University's course and programme database or by using the filter "Distance courses" in the Universityadmissions.se search engine. 

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