Bachelors in Schweden

Swedish universities and university colleges are open to everyone. About half the population study at a higher education institution at some time in their lives. Some people go on to higher education directly after upper secondary school, others choose to work for a while or travel abroad before they begin to study. Most students in Sweden are between 20 and 25 years old but some are also older. Equal numbers of women and men study in higher education. Sweden

University or University College?

Sweden has some forty university colleges and universities

Whether a higher education institution is a university or a university college does not mean that there is any difference in quality. The differ¬ence instead is that a university can always offer post-graduate studies for students who have completed their first degrees. A university college can offer post-graduate studies if it has been assigned one or more so-called areas of research by the Government. From now on we will refer to both universities and university colleges as higher education institutions

It is not possible to say that one higher education institution is better than another. It depends on what you yourself think is important. Some higher education institutions specialize in certain types of education, for example artistic disciplines or engineering subjects. Others offer pro-grammes in many different fields. The quality of the education is examined regularly by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education.

Choosing a study programme
The great majority of higher education institutions have course catalogues where they present their courses and study programmes. You can order these by contacting the institution. If you have access to the internet you can also visit the institutions

If you need help or advice when you are planning your studies, you can contact a study and careers guidance counselor. You can find careers guidance counselors in upper secondary schools, in municipal adult edu¬cation and at the higher education institutions. Public Employment Serv¬ices offices can also provide information about studies.

Courses or a programme?
All higher education consists of courses but there are two ways in which you can study. You can either choose to combine courses into a degree yourself, or you can choose a study programme where the higher educa¬tion institution has decided beforehand which courses are included. All study programmes lead to a degree.

When you read a study programme, you are guaranteed a place on all the included courses. If you study single subject courses, on the other hand, you must apply to and be admitted to each individual course dur¬ing your studies.
Studies can be full-time or part-time. If you cannot or do not want to move to a town or city with a higher education institution, you can choose distance learning. This means that you can work at home or at a learning centre in your local municipality and study the course literature follow-ing special instructions. The learning centers have student counselors who can give you advice and support. You may, though, have to visit the higher education institution at times, for example to sit an examination.

How programmes and courses are graded
All courses and programmes in higher education give you a number of study credits. One full term of study gives 30 credits and a full academic year gives 60 credits. It takes three years to reach 180 credits and a four-year programme gives 240 credits.

Two types of degree
When you have completed your studies, you can ask to be awarded a degree by the higher education institution at which you studied. There are two types of degree that a higher education institution can award: general and professional.
Most higher education programmes lead to a general degree, of which there are four kinds:

* University Diploma, 120 credits
* Bachelor
* Degree of Master, 240 credits
* Master

Programmes that give a qualification to practice in a certain profession lead to professional degrees. Examples of such programmes are nursing, engineering, and psychology.

Application and admission
Eligibility
In order to study at the higher education institution, you must have some previous knowledge. All study programmes require what is known as basic eligibility. All national programmes at upper secondary school give this eligibility. You must have a school leaving certificate. This is a requirement even if you have the lowest grade, Pass, in at least 90% of the upper sec¬ondary school credits that are needed for a full programme.

There are also other ways to acquire basic eligibility. One is to work at least half-time for at least four years and be aged 25 or over. In order to have a value to compete for a place with, you also have to sit the National University Aptitude Test. You can read more about the National Univer¬sity Aptitude Test later.

If you have secondary school education from another country that qual¬ifies you for higher education studies in your home country, you also have basic eligibility in Sweden. You also need to provide proof of adequate lan¬guage skills in Swedish and English.
For most programmes, you also need additional previous knowledge. This is called special eligibility. Special eligibility requirements differ between programmes and universities. Certain programmes, for example in artistic disciplines, also have special admission examinations.

If you do not have the basic or special eligibility that is required, there are various ways of acquiring it. Upper secondary schools, municipal adult education offices and folk high schools can give you more information.

Selection
Sometimes more people apply for a programme than there are places for, and a selection procedure must be carried out. Selection is based upon secondary school grades and results achieved in the National University Aptitude Test. In order to be able to rank the applicants, an average called a merit value is calculated. The different selection quotas are listed in the admissions catalogue published by the National Agency for Services to Universities and University Colleges (VHS). You can find out more about application and admission from VHS and on the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education

The National University Aptitude Test

If you satisfy both the basic and the special eligibility requirements for a programme, the National University Aptitude Test is a good way to improve your chances of being admitted. The test is held twice a year and you can take it as many times as you wish. Your results are valid for five years. You do not have anything to lose by taking the National Univer¬sity Aptitude Test

How to apply
The National Agency for Services to Universities and University Colleges, VHS, together with the universities, deals with admissions to most courses and programmes.

You can search for and read about the different courses and programmes that the higher education institutions offer on the Studera.nu internet portal. You can also apply for courses and programmes directly via the internet.
If you do not have access to the internet, you can order the admissions catalogue published by the National Agency for Services to Universities and University Colleges by calling 08-613 99 00. There is an application form in the catalogue.
The universities also have course catalogues and application forms that you can order by contacting them directly.
The academic year at the universities is divided into two terms. The autumn term begins in August/September and ends in the middle of Janu¬ary and the spring term begins in the middle of January and ends in June. Students are admitted twice a year. The final day for applying is:

* 15 April for courses/programmes that begin in the autumn and
* 15 October for courses/programmes that begin in the spring.

Financial support
Tuition fees apply to students who are not citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland. The fees apply only to bachelor

Financial aid for students
Special rules apply if you are not a Swedish citizen. You must have moved to Sweden for some other reason than to study. You must also be officially registered as residing in Sweden. If you are a citizen of a country outside the Nordic area you must have a permit to live in Sweden. If you have a permanent residence permit, official refugee status or both right of residence and permanent family ties, you are entitled to receive student aid. Assessments are made by the Swedish Migration Board, who also issue residence permits. You can get more information about student aid from CSN.

Scholarships and housing allowances
Because Sweden has such a comprehensive student aid system, there are not many scholarships that students in higher education can apply for. The ones that exist are seldom sufficient to live on. You can get more informa¬tion about where to apply for scholarships from a public library. If you are under 30 or have children you can apply for a housing allow¬ance from your local authority.