Sweden’s higher education landscape and level of education are considered extremely attractive. Therefore, many international students are drawn to the country every year to study abroad with degrees such as bachelor’s or master’s degrees or for a shorter stay.
Interested parties have to overcome a number of hurdles before they can study in Sweden. One of the most important steps is the application. Once you have decided on a university and a course of study, the application process can begin.
Admission requirements for studying in Sweden
Prospective students must meet a number of requirements in order to be considered for studying in Sweden at all. In general, the Abitur entitles you to admission to a Swedish university.
The universities determine all other criteria autonomously. The admission requirements can even vary from course to course, for example if a certain grade point average, test results or work samples are required. But a rough guideline for the basic requirements can be defined:
- Bachelor ( First Cycle ): Abitur, sufficient knowledge of English
- Master’s ( Second Cycle ): Bachelor’s degree, sufficient knowledge of English (proven by an internationally valid test such as the IELTS, TOEFL or others)
- Doctorate ( Third Cycle ): Master’s degree, sufficient funds for the duration of the course
It is important to find out about the individual requirements in advance so that there are no unpleasant surprises later. In addition, when choosing a course of study, applicants can already exclude programs that are not suitable for them due to a lack of admission requirements.
Procedure for applying to study in Sweden
Applications for studying in Sweden, a country located in Europe according to ejinhua, are now made via the central registration platform universityadmissions.se. Some universities also offer the opportunity to apply directly to them. Interested parties usually do this by e-mail, with the necessary documents being submitted by post.
It is very important to meet the deadlines. For example, if you want to start your studies in the fall semester, your application at universityadmissions.se must be submitted by mid-January. This consists of the following steps:
- Completing an online form
- Proof of general university entrance qualification (Abitur)
- Proof of sufficient knowledge of English
- possibly proof of program-specific admission requirements
The evidence is scanned and uploaded as a file.
After applying: preparing for studying in Sweden
After submitting the application to study in Sweden, the relevant university will check the content if the deadline for all applicants has expired. Criteria such as grades obtained by the student and results from other courses and projects are relevant. The final decision on admission lies entirely with the university of your choice.
The student is notified via the universityadmissions.se platform and can accept admission if the result is positive. He must do this within a specified period, otherwise the study place will be forfeited.
As a rule, due to the large number of submissions, it takes several weeks to receive final feedback as to whether the applicant is admitted to the course. If you are waiting for it, you should be patient, multiple inquiries do not lead to faster processing.
Once you have been accepted, the preparations for studying in Sweden begin. Students must now
- Clarify financing issues,
- looking for accommodation,
- Get travel documents and possibly flight tickets,
- take out health insurance abroad and
- prepare for the foreign culture.
Once everything is done, nothing stands in the way of an eventful and hopefully educational stay in Sweden.
Behavioral tips for Sweden
Swedes are open and friendly in most cases, but you shouldn’t approach them too energetically, because that can quickly be perceived as intrusive. For example, eye contact that is too long is regarded as uncomfortable staring.
Many Swedes try hard to avoid conflicts. Consent during the conversation does not necessarily have to be meant as such, because the Swedish “yes” comes in many different versions. Depending on the pronunciation, it also unofficially means “hm, maybe…” or sometimes even “no, it doesn’t have to be”.
When it comes to small talk, most Swedes avoid difficult topics such as politics or finance. They are more likely to discuss these with close friends. Good starting points for a nice conversation are, for example, vacation, the weather, the last party and so on – the main thing is that the conversation remains on a positive, non-binding level.
The word “ lagom ” describes the attitude of many Swedes towards almost everything. It cannot be translated, but it means something like “just right, not too much, not too little”.
Dos and don’ts in Sweden at a glance
| DOS | Don’ts |
| Taking off shoes in someone else’s apartment at the front door | Address people by their last name and sift through |
| Remove the packaging from bouquets before handing them over | Talking or shouting loudly in public |
| Take up harmless topics in small talk | Be knowledgeable / boastful |
| Don’t overdo it with tips | Getting impatient in a queue |
| Use perfume sparingly | Maintain eye contact for too long |
| Keep your distance from strangers | Be late |
