Sweden
Basic Information about Sweden
Sweden is a European country located on the east side of the Scandinavian Peninsula in North Europe. The population is nine million inhabitants, of which almost two million live in and around the capital, Stockholm. For a sparsely populated country in the far north of Europe, Sweden has done remarkably well in establishing and maintaining an outstanding reputation abroad, based on many and varied commercial, technological, cultural and political achievements. Despite its natural riches, Sweden is a country built on people. Today, knowledge is Sweden's prime asset, with education kept in the public domain and developed to a standard that ranks consistently among the highest in OECD statistics.
The Higher Education System
Sweden is taking part in the Bologna Process, a Europe-wide co-operation to harmonize all higher education in Europe. As a result, there have been major changes in the Swedish university system starting from the 2007 academic year. The new degree structure creates three levels of higher education – a first level (Undergraduate studies), second level (Master's studies) and third level (Licentiate and PhD degrees), each with minimum requirements for entry. In Sweden, there are a total of 61 universities, university colleges and independent programme providers that offer higher education.
Tuition fees and living costs
At present, there are no tuition fees for all students regardless of nationality. However, Sweden will introduce tuition fees and scholarships for students outside the EU from the 2011/2012 academic year.
- The fees will be set by the institutions themselves and these may range from SGD 14,000 – 25,000 per year depending on the programme.
- Students who have started a programme in 2010 or earlier will be able to complete their studies according to the rules of the old system.
- Exchange students. Students who take part in an exchange between a Swedish university and a university in their home country will not be subject to Swedish tuition fees.
As tuition fee system in Sweden is in a transition stage please check www.studyinsweden.se for up-to-date information.
As for the living costs, students will need approximately SGD 1,400 per month.
Scholarships
Although in almost all cases, tuition is free, it still costs to live in Sweden. The Swedish Institute (SI) a government agency, each year administers over 500 scholarships for students and researchers coming to Sweden. The number of available scholarships varies from year to year. There are several different kinds of SI scholarship available. Please note that SI scholarships for students applying to English-language programmes in Sweden are for master's level studies or advanced studies/research only.
Guest Scholarship Programme opens to all nationalities pursuing master's level or advanced level studies in Sweden.
Other organisations, both Swedish and foreign, also sponsor scholarships for foreign students in Sweden.
The Ford Foundation's International Fellowships Program (IFP) funds graduate studies.
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) funds the Linnaeus-Palme programme part of which offers teachers and students in developing countries the opportunity to come to Sweden. The programme is administered by Sweden's International Programme Office for Education and Training. NOTE: You can not apply directly for scholarships as a student - the programme offers a framework for cooperation between a Swedish university and one in the developing world, part of which involves student exchange.
