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KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Sweden Sweden

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THE World Ranking: 97

Overview

Overview

KTH Royal Institute of Technology is based in Sweden, and it’s one of the best universities in Europe, ranked especially highly for its postgraduate research courses. KTH has been leading the technical research and technical education fields for almost 200 years since it was first established in 1827. In total, over a third of Sweden’s research and postgraduate study is provided by KTH, the country’s leading university for tech and engineering subjects.

 

The university only offers one bachelor’s degree taught in English, but most of its master’s programmes are available in English to attract promising international postgraduates from English-speaking countries. Students interested in KTH’s subject specialisms could attend one of the top 100 universities in the world (according to the QS World University Rankings 2022) if they chose to enrol, getting a high-quality education impossible to beat across most of Europe.

 

There are five KTH campuses in and around Stockholm (Flemingsberg, Kista, Solna, Sodertalje and Valhallavagen). The learning environment is comfortable and beautiful, and the university uses a combination of basic research, applied research and specific industry experience to give students a grounded, full education that isn’t just theory, it’s also very practical.

 

KTH tutors and lecturers aim to create a new generation of talented architects, engineers, and teachers. They aim to give students all the skills they need to become leaders in their industries, including access to international research partnerships and work placement opportunities/internships across the US, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia.

 

The university has more than 13,000 full-time students across its five campuses, including over 1,700 PhD students. The campuses themselves are in beautiful locations, filled with useful modern facilities but built to last. Sustainability is a big focus for KTH’s research, and it’s a university that works by its own research morals.

 

Learn more about KTH:

 

Teaching quality

Entry requirements

Scholarships & funding

University structure

Facilities

Student support

Graduate outcomes

 

Teaching Quality

KTH is one of Europe's leading universities, and the teaching quality is a big part of this. 12 of its programmes are in the top 50 globally when ranked by subject, and the institution has a history of innovation and new ideas that goes right back to when it was established. Small class sizes help to ensure high-quality teaching is the standard, with under 20 students to each lecturer and plenty of room for each student to get the individual focus they need.

 

KTH alumni are recognised for some of their impressive contributions to technology and modern society. The university’s research initiatives are interdisciplinary, sharing resources and methods to create a great experience in every field and subject area. This interdisciplinary way of working also encourages creativity and opens new doors when problem-solving.

 

Quality teaching methods give students theoretical knowledge in the lecture theatre and practical application in the research lab. The learning experience is focused and interactive, and students are prepared for academic and professional success at the same time.

 

A lot of the research being done at KTH is focused on the real-life issues of today, and a lot of the researchers on staff are doing very important work (often with the help of students). It’s a great place to go for any student who cares about sustainability and the future of the planet.

 

As one of the largest public universities in Stockholm, KTH works with specialists to develop research funds and grants. Students get the chance to work with big names on big projects, developing important skills like professionalism before they ever reach graduation. Therefore, when they do, they are well-prepared for work.

 

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements to get into a master’s programme at KTH can vary from course to course. The university is competitive, especially at the postgraduate level, so these university entry requirements are created to make sure that successful applicants are each a perfect fit for their programme of choice.

 

Students with a bachelor’s degree from an internationally recognised university are eligible to apply for a master’s at KTH. Students with university qualifications from a bachelor’s equivalent course will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Students in the final year of their bachelor’s may apply for a master’s, but they will be admitted conditionally if their application is successful. They will then need to get their predicted grades or higher to be admitted.

 

Students in the final year of their bachelor's degree at any Swedish university don’t have to provide a personal statement to be conditionally admitted onto a KTH master’s programme, but they are required to have completed 150 ECTS credits in their course by 1st February.

 

The university requires applicants for undergraduate courses to provide copies of complete high school documentation and qualifications. Again, students currently in the final year of high school/the equivalent in their country won’t be accepted if they don’t receive their predicted grades.

 

Successful applicants to KTH will all have a passing grade in advanced high school English, mathematics, and physics (or the equivalents in their country; specifics for international students are explained on the KTH website). Every application for admission will be evaluated individually, and promising academic research is very much considered in applications for postgraduate studies.

 

English Score Required

In order to be eligible to study an English-taught course at KTH, students will need to prove their English proficiency. English proficiency must equal an advanced Swedish high school course, known in Sweden as English Six. Any level of understanding below this will mean that a student isn’t getting the most out of their education and that they might be better off studying a course in a different language.

 

International students who don’t speak English as a first language and haven’t been educated in an English-speaking institution will usually need to complete an English language test. There are a lot of different options, including the Cambridge Academic English Test, The Pearson English Test (PET), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

 

Every test will have its own required minimum score for admission, though requested scores might change between programmes. Generally, applicants to KTH will need an overall IELTS band score of at least 6.5, with no individual band scores below 5.5.

 

Admission

KTH’s master's programmes can be very competitive. Over 25,000 students from across the world apply to study master's courses at the university, and the average acceptance rate is 30 per cent. Though things are competitive, KTH makes them as stress-free as possible with an efficient, fair and simple admission process.

 

International bachelor’s applicants are asked to submit a personal statement with their student admission application, and all master’s students (domestic and international) have to do the same thing. KTH is a university that cares about student creativity and personality, and these personal statements are a place for applicants to show these parts of themselves.

 

There are two rounds of admission dates to apply to the university each academic year. International students from countries outside the EU should aim to apply in round one, as they will need to apply for a visa before they can begin their studies at KTH and should give themselves as much time as possible to sort all the paperwork and get everything organised.

 

Students can apply from October onwards, and the first round of applications closes in January. The university admission fee for all programmes is SEK 900 (equivalent to USD 84), and it needs to be paid before the end of January. Applications can’t start being assessed until the fee is paid, so it’s important to get it sorted out as soon as possible.

 

After applying and paying the fee, applicants will be asked to submit their supporting documents. Round one applicants will find out whether their applications have been successful in mid-April. Round two applicants (usually EU and Swedish students) can apply from mid-March and will find out whether their applications have been successful in July.

 

Scholarships & Funding

International students from Switzerland and the EU aren’t required to pay admission or tuition fees, and neither are domestic students already living in Sweden. Other international students will be charged, but there are a range of university scholarships and funding options available to support them, especially if they are high academic achievers.

 

The full programme tuition fees for non-EU and Swiss students studying a bachelor's degree are an average of SEK 520,000 (just over USD 48,000). For students studying for a master’s, they are an average of SEK 310,000 across a two-year programme. Tuition fees are charged in advance for each semester and can be paid online. KTH offers three main self-funded scholarship opportunities for master's studies:

 

  • The KTH Scholarship grants a full tuition fee waiver for one-year and two-year courses and is awarded based on academic merit and student contributions to sustainable development.
  • The KTH One-Year Scholarship, which is aimed at present KTH master's students and covers the tuition fees for their second year of studies and is awarded based on stand-out academic achievement during their first year of studies.
  • The KTH Joint Programme Scholarship is aimed at students studying joint programmes and covers their tuition fees for the whole study period they spend at the university.

 

KTH scholarships are competitive, but a good portion of students are successfully awarded full tuition waivers. The university also collaborates with external organisations to arrange other methods of funding support and scholarship for students from a range of backgrounds. This includes specific financial aid for students from Chile, Indonesia, India, and Colombia (more information is available on the KTH website).

 

University Structure

KTH welcomes students from nearly 200 partner universities across the globe and offers over 1,000 English-taught master's courses. It’s important to note that KTH only offers one bachelor's degree taught in English, and that is a bachelor’s in information and communication technology. Subjects at KTH are split into five schools, and each school contains a number of smaller departments/subject areas:

 

  • The School of Architecture and the Built Environment
    • The Department of Architecture
    • The Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering
    • The Department of Philosophy and History
    • The Department of Real Estate and Construction Management
    • The Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering
    • The Department of Urban Planning and Environment
  • The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    • The Department of Computer Science
    • The Department of Electrical Engineering
    • The Department of Human Centered Technology
    • The Department of Intelligent Systems
  • The School of Industrial Engineering and Management
    • The Department of Energy Technology
    • The Department of Industrial Economics and Management
    • The Department of Learning
    • The Department of Machine Design
    • The Department of Materials Science and Engineering
    • The Department of Production Engineering
  • The School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health
    • The Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems
    • The Department of Chemical Engineering
    • The Department of Chemistry
    • The Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology
    • The Department of Gene Technology
    • The Department of Industrial Biotechnology
    • The Department of Protein Science
    • The Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Biology
  • The School of Engineering Science
    • The Department of Applied Physics
    • The Department of Engineering Mechanics
    • The Department of Mathematics
    • The Department of Physics

 

The university's research covers a huge variety of disciplines, including architecture, engineering, natural sciences and industrial management. There are research centres across the five campus sites, and the facilities for research at KTH are some of the best in Europe. Great examples of specialist research centres include:

 

  • The Centre for Building Efficiency
  • The Centre for Cyber ​​Defence and Information Security
  • The Centre for Sustainable Aviation
  • The Centre for Sustainable Nuclear Research in Sweden
  • The Climate Action Centre
  • The Competence Centre for Gas Exchange
  • The Swedish e-Science Research Centre
  • The Swedish Maritime Robotics Centre
  • The Wallenberg Centre for Protein Research

 

Facilities

KTH encourages its international students to make the most of studying in such a beautiful and exciting city. It aims to provide extracurricular facilities that let student life at KTH be about more than just classes. There’s a balance in life between fun, growth and intellectual challenge, and the university wants all of its students to find that balance.

 

There are lecture theatres and specialist spaces across KTH’s five campus locations that meet any and all student needs. The campus library is a student activity centre for studying alone or in a group, with bookable rooms, printing facilities, computer labs and of course, a huge number of physical and digital resources like books and journals. Students can even check to see if a seat’s free in the KTH library before they leave the house.

 

The convenience doesn’t end when classes do, as there are also lots of student life centres for eating and relaxing on campus, as well as student recreation centres for keeping fit and trying out new extracurricular activities. The KTH Student Union regularly hosts events and activities to help students enjoy their time in a great city like Stockholm.

 

Accommodation

KTH Accommodation is the name of the university accommodation service available to new students. This service helps to find student houses and apartments for people who are newly enrolled since the right student accommodation can be hard to find in the popular tourist city of Stockholm.

 

Finding long-term housing on short notice is especially challenging, so KTH recommends students start their search as early as possible, and the university offers as much support as it can in this search. KTH Accommodation is state-funded and not-for-profit, so the amount of rooms available through the service is limited. KTH rents buildings from landlords to make it easier for students to secure housing, but students can also choose to remove the middleman and find a private rental of their own.

 

This can take time and can be harder for international students, as they likely won’t be able to view properties in person before they arrive (though they will be able to see the campuses, if they want to, via a thorough virtual tour). KTH recommends that newly admitted students do plenty of research and act quickly, whichever accommodation route they choose to go down.

 

Student Support

The KTH student services team has a lot of experience in all areas of student support and is always happy to help. The Student Union office can assist students with their membership and answer any questions they might have about student life, as well as connect them with all the clubs and student groups that might interest them at KTH.

 

There are also easy-to-book appointments with a range of different student guides across the university, from academic advisors and career coaches to mental health counsellors and financial advisors. Overall, students will always find they have someone to talk to about their problems and worries at KTH. They’ll never have to suffer in silence or go through something without support.

 

A full student support programme is essential for student success, and KTH understands this. It’s a caring university with a faculty dedicated to keeping students happy and healthy, meeting their needs with varied, accessible student support services.

 

Graduate Outcomes

KTH keeps up close working relationships with a growing network of companies across the world. It supports an industrial community across several fields, which KTH students get to make use of in their research and extracurricular projects. There are a few excellent employment services and career guides at KTH to help students explore their career options and figure out what they want to do after they finish their studies.

 

Students feel supported during their journey at KTH, and this combined mentorship leads students to success. During their time at the university, they get to grow their own network and increase their knowledge of research, commercialisation, and industry, which leads them to great job prospects and a strong idea of their professional path after graduation.

 

A lot of the career support at KTH is programme-integrated and led by experts in the relevant science and engineering sectors. Plus, employability is massively boosted by the number of internships, research opportunities and work placement opportunities students have access to during their studies.

 

Businesses and organisations are happy to recruit from KTH before and after graduation, and they can find current students who are interested in their projects easily via the KTH Degree Project Portal. Industry skills are the focus, the curriculum is practical and the facilities are amazing. This isn’t just a university that students can rely on for great academic learning (though it is this, too). It’s also the first step on the path to professional success in a student’s chosen field.

 

Subjects you can study at KTH Royal Institute of Technology

  • Applied and Pure Sciences Applied and Pure Sciences
  • Architecture and Construction Architecture and Construction
  • Business and Management Business and Management
  • Computer Science and IT Computer Science and IT
  • Creative Arts and Design Creative Arts and Design
  • Engineering Engineering
  • Health and Medicine Health and Medicine
  • Humanities Humanities
  • Social Studies and Media Social Studies and Media
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Key facts and figures at KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Rankings

Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024
Source: THE

97

OVERALL SCORE

66.9%

TEACHING

53.5%

INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK

82.5%

INDUSTRY INCOME

97.7%

RESEARCH

57.8%

CITATIONS

81%
QS World University Rankings 2024
Source: QS

73

Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023
Source: ARWU

201

Student life in numbers

COSTS PER YEAR
LIVING COSTS

SEK90,540

CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION

SEK62,400

AVERAGE TUITION FEE PER YEAR

UNDERGRADUATE

SEK122,000

POSTGRADUATE

SEK152,720

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