Sweden is one of the few countries in the world that offers free education not only to its own citizens, but also to international students from abroad. As of 2009, this is still the case, but discussions are ongoing to start charging tuition for students from abroad. The availability of free education along with a wide variety of especially Master Degree courses offered in English has made Sweden an increasingly popular study abroad destination.
Swedish Universities are used to welcoming international students. The educational system follows the Bologna System making degrees comparable all over Europe as well as on a wider international basis.
Language in Sweden
The official language of Sweden is Swedish however since everyone studies English from the age of twelve and television shows and movies are texted, not dubbed - Swedes are generally very good at English. Hence, you will be able to get very far without speaking the national language. If you do want to learn Swedish, most Universities offer 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 Sweden, follows the Bachelor/Master system:
Bachelor 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 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 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 of Education
Swedish higher education institutions do not charge any tuitions fees. As mentioned earlier, this may come to change. Students do however 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.
