With a unique culture and team-based approach to learning, studying abroad in Sweden fosters skills that are highly desirable in the global job market. Not to mention the fact that the nation constantly ranks highly in quality of life surveys and boasts breathtaking natural landscape.
The cost of living in Sweden may be notoriously high, but tuition costs are actually the opposite in some cases. A lot depends on whether you are an EU or non-EU student – find out if you are by looking at the list of EU countries. Let our guide to tuition costs in Sweden help breakdown costs of your time spent abroad.
The fees below are a guide; we always recommend checking with the institution or department for the exact fee for the course you’re interested in.
Note: SEK 1 = £0.085 = €0.097 (as of November 2018)
If you’re an EU student...
EU students are those who come from countries which belong to the European Union. Most of the time, they are not even referred to as ‘international students’ because of this proximity amongst EU countries. EU students do not require a visa to study in Sweden, and nor are they required to pay tuition or application fees for undergraduate study or master’s programmes. Students may however pay around SEK 50- SEK 350 per semester in student union fees.
If you’re a non-EU student....
Non-EU students are those who come from countries outside the European Union.
Undergraduate
Non-EU nationals are required to pay admission fees as set by the institution, as well as an application fee of SEK 900. The fee is payable every semester, regardless of courseload, to the Swedish University Admissions body. Students receiving scholarships are still required to pay the fee.
Tuition fees are paid directly to the university who set these. Generally they will range from SEK 80,000 to SEK 140,000 per year. For example, 2014/2015 Bachelor’s programmes at the Lund University cost an average of SEK 140,000 per year, excluding application fees.
Stockholm University charges SEK 90,000 per year for courses in Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, and SEK 140,000 per year for a course in any sciences. Degrees in subject areas of Teacher Education, Social Work, Psychology, Journalism, Media and Communications all have special pricing.
There are a number of scholarship options available to non-EU students, both from government agency The Swedish Institute and directly through your university. Students must pay relevant application fees when applying for funding.
Learn more about scholarships offered by The Swedish Institute
Postgraduate
As with undergraduate study, non-EU master’s students are required to pay both tuition and application fees. PhD courses are tuition-free.
Tuition fees are set by the institution, but vary across the same range as with undergraduate courses: between SEK 80,000 and SEK 140,000 per year, not including application fees. Stockholm University charges the same by subject area for master’s courses as it does for undergraduate, but Lund has a whole new set of pricing. For entry into a 2014/2015 masters programme, you would pay the following by subject area:
- Chemistry... SEK 140,000
- Economics...SEK 110,000
- Finance (two year programme)... SEK 110,000
- Mathematics... SEK 140,000
- Literature...SEK 100,000
There are similarly a number of scholarship and funding options available to postgraduate students, both through specific universities and through The Swedish Institute. Students are advised to pursue specific institution websites for more information.
Once more, we always recommend you confirm the fees for a specific course with the institution or department themselves. This information is available on our site or you can contact the institution themselves through us.
Now that you know how much it costs to study in Sweden, start browsing courses in Sweden now to plan your study abroad adventure!
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