Study in Sweden

1500 kilometers long, Sweden stretches from white beaches in the south to snow-covered mountains in the north. Even if the climate and nature seems exotic, Sweden is well known for being open towards the international community and the educational system known for keeping to a very high quality standard. The people of Sweden are early adopters of international trends and the art, music and the design industry is rich and top of the line. Great companies such as IKEA and H&M were developed here and still have their headquarters in Sweden. The secret is an educational system that invites everyone, no matter what social circumstances, to learn and grow.

Sweden has a rich history stemming back to the famous Vikings that were the first people to travel the world. All over Sweden there are leavings from this time such as rune stones (Viking writings) and rebuilt Viking villages that you can visit to get an idea of what life was like at that time. Since Sweden was neutral throughout the World Wars the country has not suffered the war injuries that other European countries have, and the historical architecture from different time eras is well kept. Swedish Universities offer many courses in English and schools are used to welcoming international students. The educational system follows the Bologna System so that degrees are comparable all over Europe but also internationally.

Currency

Sweden turned down the Euro through a referendum and the official currency is still the Swedish “krona” (crown). The currency is often written as SEK or kr (short for krona).

€ 1 = 9,26 SEK
$ 1 = 6,76 SEK
(rates collected 2008-08-05)

The Swedish Kitchen

As mentioned, Swedes are early adopters of new trends, which is why the kitchen is not dominated by traditional Swedish food. The Swedes eat everything from Japanese to Lebanese, but there are still some classics that you have to try when visiting. Everyone has heard of Swedish meatballs, and they are traditionally served with potatoes, lingonberry jam and cream sauce. Another favorite is the Swedish cheesecake served with cream and cloudberry jam.

Language

The official language of Sweden is Swedish, but everyone studies English from the age of twelve and television shows and movies are texted, not dubbed. Hence, the Swedes speak very good English and you will be able to get very far without speaking the national language. If you do want to learn Swedish, most Universities offers language courses for international students.

The Bologna System

The Swedish system of Education is regulated by the Bologna declaration. The Bologna process was initiated in 1999 when the Ministers of Education from 29 European countries signed the Bologna declaration in the Italian city of Bologna. The purpose of the process is to create educational standards for academic degrees and quality assurance, in order to make it easier for students to move from one European country to another and to improve the overall quality of European higher education. The system also incorporates aspects of the American higher education system and thus simplifies comparison. The Bologna System uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to measure the amount of higher education credits.

The Bologna system, and thus the higher education system of Belgium, follows the Bachelor/Master system:
Bachelor's degree
3 years (180 ECTS credits) towards a professional bachelor or an academic bachelor. Offers students core teaching in the chosen discipline, as well as a broad general education. The academic bachelor gives access to master's studies.
Master's degree
1 or 2 years (60 or 120 ECTS credits). Provides specialized content whilst allowing for further development of the scientific research process.
After obtaining a Master's degree, students can choose to pursue research projects leading to a Doctorate degree (PhD). PhD's are only awarded by Universities.
The Bologna System also uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to measure higher education credits.

Higher education institutions

In Sweden you can pursue a higher education at Universities or University Colleges (“högskola” in Swedish). The difference between these two options is formally that Universities have a full right to award Licentiate and PhD degrees. However, the Swedish government can decide to grant this right to University Colleges too within specific fields of study.

Cost

There are no tuition fees at Swedish higher education institutions. However, students need to buy their own literature and should budget for about 800 SEK/month for this purpose. Living costs depend on where you study (bigger cities are generally more expensive) but lie at approximately 7000 SEK (€750) including rent.

Visa

Students from within the European Union do not need a Swedish visa to study in Sweden, but have to carry a national identity card. Students from outside the European Union must apply for a visa or residence permit depending on the length of the stay. If the student wants to stay for three months or less he/she needs to apply for a visa and if the stay extends three months a residence permit is needed. This can be done at the Swedish diplomatic or consular representation in the students’ own country of origin. More information can be gained from this representation or from the Swedish Migration Board that issues the visas.

Find more education in Sweden here >>

Discuss studying in Sweden in the forum here >>

More information

General: www.studyinsweden.se
Visa: http://www.migrationsverket.se/english.jsp