If you want your opinions to he heard, you like taking initiative and a little snow doesn’t scare you off, then the go-to country for your studies must be Sweden.
Long time ago a country of barbaric Vikings, nowadays Sweden, has polished its manners, and nothing proves it more than the fact that the Swedish higher education system ranks second in the world. Did we mention cutting-edge research and real-world challenges in multicultural academic communities?
To get a better picture about what’s like studying in Sweden, you need to know that the education here is more about self-development through student groups and independent studies, than about listening to the typical teacher lecture. Let’s try and see the details behind this big picture.
Sweden will inspire you with about 1000 programmes taught in English, at over 35 universities, where creativity and independent thinking always come first.
Whenever creativity is involved, you should also expect a more informal environment, where you don’t have to worry about etiquette, and can even address professors by their first name.
Students who choose Sweden are attracted by the open-minded attitude Swedes have, their great English skills, but also by the eco-friendly and high standards of living. Add to that the fact that academic culture here dates back 500 years and the great social equality of it all, and it’s hard not to put Sweden on your studies map.
Swedes are great with cars, great with IT, and great with the environment. So, it’s not hard to guess which are some of the most popular study areas in Sweden. These are:
Sweden is a great place to live and study. From buzzing larger cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö, to cosy university towns like Uppsala and Lund, there’s a place for every taste in Sweden.
Whether you end up close to the Arctic Circle in Luleå or bumping shoulders with continental Europe in Malmö, you’ll find accessible towns with extensive public transport and bustling student scenes. So, check and pick one of the Swedish cities below, like:
Sweden is home to over 35 universities and university colleges, and they all offer degree programmes according to European standards. That’s why five of them almost always come up in the global higher education rankings.
So, start your search for your dream Swedish university with:
In Sweden, applications for Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes are processed through a central application service, Universityadmissions.se. Still, you can also apply directly through the university and program websites. The general application documents required are:
Additionally, most universities also tend to ask for:
English is a must-have in Sweden, seeing how many Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes are taught in this language. Swedish universities accept as proof of your language skills:
Studying in Sweden is likely to make you feel relaxed. Yes, students need to work hard, and expectations are high, but the higher education system is also very flexible and informal.
Popular student pastimes include team sports, cultural societies, and outdoor activities (performed very well dressed). There’s also a great nightlife, with clubs and bars dotting Sweden’s cities, and student unions organising evenings out.
In Sweden, students from EU/EEA countries do not have to pay tuition, but only an application fee of around 100 EUR.
Students from non-EU/EEA countries pay tuition fees. For instance, Humanities, Law, and Social Science degree courses cost around 9,700 EUR/year and Science programmes are worth around 15,000 EUR/year.
Naturally, fees vary depending programme and degree type, so be sure to check them when looking for study options in Sweden.
Living costs in Sweden are not exactly a bargain, but, here, paying more really means getting more back, in terms of quality of life. The monthly student budget here is around 950 – 1,200 EUR/month out of which some of the most common expenses are:
From Abba to Avicii, Sweden is a great music exporter. But don’t let that fool you! Sweden isn’t only about pop culture.
In fact, the country prides itself with a great tradition of monarchy and one the highest gender equality rates in the world. Ready for some more facts that will make you smile while reading? Here they are:
But, on a lighter note, you should also know that, in Sweden:
Together with the ISIC Association and British Council IELTS, StudyPortals offers you the chance to receive up to £10000 to expand your horizon and study abroad. We want to ultimately encourage you to study abroad in order to experience and explore new countries, cultures and languages.