Address
Eurydice Swedish National Unit
Universitets- och högskolerådet/The Swedish Council for Higher Education
Physical address:
Universitets- och högskolerådet
Solna strandväg 68
SE-171 54 Solna
Postal address:
Universitets- och högskolerådet
Box 4030
SE-171 04 Solna
Tel: +46 10 470 03 00
E-Mail:
Website
2026
Sweden is investing in attracting foreign researchers and taking measures to prevent the misuse of residence permits for studies
Published 29 January 2026
Sweden should be an attractive country for talent and international expertise. The Government has therefore decided on a legislative proposal with proposals that aim to improve the migration conditions for foreign researchers, doctoral students and students. They also aim to prevent the misuse of residence permits for studies.
The legislative proposal proposes, among other things, that foreign doctoral students and researchers should be granted a permanent residence permit more quickly and that doctoral students should be granted a residence permit for research. Furthermore, this group should be given greater opportunities to change the basis for their residence permit from within the country and to obtain a longer residence permit to seek employment after completing their research or studies.
In order to reduce the risk of residence permits for studies being abused, it is proposed that the possibility of foreign students working alongside their studies be limited. It is also proposed that higher requirements be placed on foreign students to make progress in their studies in order to avoid the risk of their residence permits being revoked or not being extended. It is proposed that the Government be given the right to decide what progress in studies is acceptable. It is also proposed that rules be introduced for revoking residence permits for family members of students.
The Government is now also securing additional resources for the strategic recruitment of prominent international guest researchers and is allocating SEK 25 million (2.3 million EUR).
The amendments to the law are proposed to enter into force on 11 June 2026.
For more information (in Swedish)
Strengthening student health care to promote students' mental health
Published 02 January 2026
Mental health problems are common among students at university level and the proportion of students experiencing stress-related ill health has also increased over time. In the budget bill for 2026, the Government is making an effort to strengthen the work within student health care to promote mental health among students. The 22 million SEK (around 2 million EUR) that the government has allocated in 2026 is now distributed to all state universities as well as Chalmers University of Technology and the Jönköping University Foundation.
The Government's ambitions for mental health and suicide prevention are high, which is not least evident from the national strategy that the government decided on at the beginning of 2025. Several initiatives in the strategy have a specific bearing on the work to develop initiatives for young adults, including by supporting student health care at universities and colleges to promote students' physical and mental health.
The strengthening of student health care also complements the Public Health Agency's assignment to implement initiatives to strengthen and develop work with student mental health, which the government decided on in August 2025.
The Government estimates that SEK 22 million (EUR 2 million) per year will also be allocated for this purpose in 2027 and 2028.
For more information (in Swedish)
Teacher education is being reformed
Published December 19, 2025
Teacher education needs to be better at preparing students for work with pupils in the classroom. Therefore, the Government has now decided to reform teacher education. The changes include stricter admission requirements, a reformed educational content and increased collaboration between the higher education institutions that offer teacher education.
Today, too many students are dropping out of teacher training. That is why the Government is tightening the admission requirements for certain teacher training and preschool teacher training. The provisions on stricter admission requirements will begin to apply before autumn 2027.
The stricter admission requirements mean that fewer teacher students will be admitted. This frees up resources to improve the quality of teacher training and preschool teacher training. These resources make it possible to increase the remuneration amounts so that higher education institutions receive more resources per student for the training.
The content of teacher education is being reformed to better prepare students for the teaching profession by expanding subject studies and subject didactic studies. Cognitive science is being given a greater place in the education system and students are thus better placed to plan and implement teaching that supports students' learning.
The changes related to a reformed content of teacher education are coordinated with the introduction of a ten-year compulsory school and the work on new curricula and will therefore be introduced in the autumn of 2028.
The government has also given the universities that offer teacher training courses the task of jointly planning so that the dimensioning of teacher training corresponds to student demand and the needs of school administrators.
In order for higher education institutions to have qualified teachers who teach cognitive science in teacher training courses, a number of higher education institutions will receive funds to organize skills development initiatives for these teachers.
The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) is also tasked with following up the reform so that the Government can ensure that the reform's objectives are achieved.
For more information (in Swedish)
2025
Strengthened protection of academic freedom
A special investigator shall analyse the current regulatory framework and, if necessary, propose changes to the regulatory framework aimed at strengthening the protection of the individual academic freedom of researchers and teachers. The investigator shall also examine the need to strengthen support for researchers and teachers in matters concerning their academic freedom. The aim is to strengthen the individual academic freedom of teachers and researchers and thereby strengthen Swedish higher education and research.
The investigator shall, among other things,
- analyse and decide whether the current regulatory framework is appropriate for protecting the individual academic freedom of researchers and teachers at Swedish universities,
- decide whether and, if so, how support for researchers and teachers in matters concerning their academic freedom can be strengthened, and
- submit the necessary legislative proposals.
The assignment shall be reported on by 30 June 2026.
The use of course literature at universities to be mapped
During the spring 2025, teachers at universities have sounded the alarm that a reading crisis has begun to appear among university students. The reading crisis is not only affecting students' knowledge but also Swedish course literature. The government is now giving the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) the task of mapping the use of course literature in universities.
UKÄ will map students' access to and use of course literature over time. The mapping will include information on how students use physical and digital literature in Swedish and English and how digital aids, such as AI tools and audiobooks, are used.
Literacy among students is important for their ability to use and understand course literature, which in turn can affect both knowledge acquisition and demand for Swedish course literature. The Government is therefore giving Swedish Higher Education Authority the task of mapping how students use course literature and what access they have to course literature.
Innovation office for more cooperation between culture and other industries
An innovation office is being established to facilitate collaboration between universities of the arts and other actors. The government is allocating a total of EUR 2 million between 2025 and 2028 to establish the office at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
The innovation office will facilitate collaboration between universities of the arts, other higher education institutions, businesses and the public sector. The aim is to promote technology transfer and develop new products and services that combine artistic and creative processes with technical innovation. The office can also offer support to students and researchers at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, the Royal College of Music, the Royal Institute of Art and Stockholm University of the Arts.
The introduction of an innovation office for the universities of the arts can increase the degree of commercialization of research within the universities of the arts. It can contribute to improving Sweden's competitiveness in the area.
A STEM strategy for Sweden - from preschool to postgraduate education
The government's STEM strategy contains goals to strengthen STEM education in Sweden. In addition, a new STEM delegation will work to ensure that more people are educated in mathematics, science and technology.
It is in the science and technology programmes in upper secondary school that the foundation for further study in STEM is laid. The proportion studying in these programmes has decreased in recent years. The government's goal is therefore to increase the proportion of students studying in science and technology programmes, reaching 25 percent of students in national programmes by 2035.
Today, not enough people are studying a STEM education at university level. The number of full-time students in these fields currently stands at just over 80,000. The government's goal is for the number of full-time students in higher education to reach at least 90,000 in science and technology, including foundation year programmes, by 2035.
Improved opportunities for credit transfer in higher education
The regulations for credit transfer within higher education have long been unchanged, which has led to few credit transfers actually being made. The current system makes it difficult for students to transfer their knowledge and shorten their time in education. The change that is now being made simplifies and makes credit transfer between higher education institutions more equivalent.
The government is now implementing amendments to regulations to improve the opportunities for credit transfer within higher education. A more flexible and equivalent system is considered to promote mobility in the labor market and reduce the costs of education, both for the individual and for society.
The changes are based on the Validation Delegation's interim report, Validation in higher education – for credit transfer and lifelong learning (SOU 2018:29).
Extended time limit for employment as an associate senior lecturer
The government has decided on an amendment to the Higher Education Ordinance. The amendment means that the time limit from doctoral degree to employment as an associate senior lecturer will be extended from the current five years, to five to seven years. With the amendment, the higher education institutions themselves may decide on which time limit should be used.
The employment form of associate senior lecturer is an entry-level position to the academic career path. The aim is for the associate senior lecturer to qualify to meet the requirements for a permanent employment as a senior lecturer. Currently, the time limit from doctoral degree to be considered for employment as an associate senior lecturer is a maximum of five years. This means that researchers who have, for example, completed several or longer postdoctoral stays abroad will have difficulty in applying for these positions.
The hope is that the amendment will lead to greater flexibility within the sector and a greater exchange of doctors between higher education institutions.
The amendment to the ordinance will enter into force on 1 November 2024.
2024
Attracting and retaining highly qualified international competence, improving conditions for foreign doctoral students and researchers and safer assessments of residence permits for studies
The Government instructs Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), Business Sweden, Swedish social insurance system (Försäkringskassan), The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationverket), Statistics Sweden (Statistiska Centralbyrån), The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), The National Government Service Centre (Statens servicecenter), Swedish Institute, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket), Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet) and the Sweden's innovation agency (Vinnova) to jointly identify and address problems linked to attracting, establishing and retain highly qualified international competence and other foreign labor that is important for Sweden's competitiveness in Sweden, as well as to strengthen the coordination of state authorities' processes and work in this area. The assignment and its reporting will be coordinated and reported by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth will submit partial reports to the Government Office (Ministry of Climate and Enterprise) by 31 January 2025 and 31 March 2026 at the latest. Furthermore, the Agency will submit a final report, including a financial report, to the Government Office (Ministry of Climate and Enterprise) no later than March 31, 2027.
In addition, an investigator is tasked with submitting proposals for measures that improve the possibilities of attracting and retaining foreign doctoral students and researchers in Sweden. The aim is, among other things, to strengthen Sweden's competitiveness as a research and innovation nation. The investigator will also review the regulations regarding residence permits for studies, with the aim of countering abuse of student permits. The assignment will be reported by 9 December 2024 at the latest.
For more information (in Swedish)
Even more information (in Swedish)
Reducing the administrative burden at universities
The administrative superstructure needs to be reduced in order to give time to the universities' core tasks, which are education and research. Researchers' time should be freed up to focus on conducting research. The Swedish Agency for Public Management (Statskontoret) is now tasked with analyzing the consequences of administrative tasks that the higher education institutions are obliged to perform.
The core activities at universities are education and research. The operation differs from other state administrative authorities, not least in light of the principles of research freedom and academic freedom. The universities have a higher degree of independence than other administrative authorities, both in terms of how the activities can be designed and how financial resources can be used.
The Swedish Agency for Public Management will analyze the consequences of the administrative tasks that state universities are obliged to perform as a result of general regulations and government decisions that apply to state administrative authorities. Based on the analysis, the authority shall, if necessary, propose measures that the government can take to reduce the administrative burden of the state universities.
The assignment includes that universities will be given the opportunity to submit information about which administrative tasks are particularly burdensome and to make suggestions for efficiency measures. If necessary, the Swedish Agency for Public Management will also obtain opinions from the Swedish Higher Education Authority (Universitetskanslersämbete) and other relevant authorities and actors.
This assignment is part of a larger effort to reduce universities' administrative burden. The assignment will be reported in September 2025.
On the other hand, the Swedish Higher Education Authority will carry out a mapping of the impact of evaluations on the administrative burden on universities. The mapping must include an assessment of which parts are most important and suggestions on how the administrative burden can be reduced.
The assignment will be reported to the Government Office (Ministry of Education) no later than 13 December 2024.
For more information (in Swedish)
Increasing university - industry mobility early in the academic career on referral
There is a great and growing need for mobility between universities and other sectors to increase the supply of skills in society. For example, it needs to be easier to combine work as a researcher and teacher at a university with work in healthcare or industry.
A memorandum proposes changes to the Higher Education Act that enable joint employment between the university and other sectors, which has previously been possible only for certain categories of employees at health care units that are assigned to medical education and research. This means that the regulation relating to combined employment in the case of specific occupational categories is removed. The proposals also make it possible to combine an employment as an associate senior lecturer or another employment as a teacher with an employment in another sector, which is currently only possible for senior lecturers and professors. The purpose of these proposals is to increase mobility between the university and other sectors, also early in the academic career.
The changes regarding the time limit between the doctoral degree and the application for employment as an associate senior lecturer are proposed to enter into force on July 1, 2024, and the changes concerning combined employment are proposed to enter into force on July 1, 2025.
For more information (in Swedish)
More people will have the opportunity to pursue EU studies with a scholarship
The Government has decided to increase the scholarship amount for studies at College of Europe. The increase means that the tuition fees for seven students can be fully financed with scholarships from 2024. This is one of the investments the Government is making to encourage more Swedes to apply to EU institutions in the future.
The scholarship is administered and applied for via the Swedish Council for Higher Education and is aimed at people who want to study at one of the University's three locations in Bruges, Warsaw and Tirana.
For more information (in Swedish)
Security competence must be taken into account when the educational institutions' new boards are nominated
The Government has decided on an adjusted assignment to the nominators who have previously been appointed to propose chairmen and external board members for state universities. The change means that they must take into account that the board as a whole has general competence in security matters.
In recent years, the security situation has deteriorated and become increasingly serious. Universities are interesting to foreign powers and therefore need to be more prepared for risks in the new security situation. This is an important step to ensure that the boards have the collective competence required to be able to handle overall and strategic questions about safety.
What is new in the assignment is that the nominators, when they propose new members for the upcoming appointment period, must take into account that the board as a whole has general competence in security matters. In other respects, the nominators' proposals must, as before, be preceded by consultation within and outside the university, and the persons who are nominated must have competence and experience from activities of importance to the university's mission. The members will be proposed for the period October 1, 2024 through April 30, 2028. The nominators must submit their proposals by June 14 at the latest, and the Government is expected to appoint the new boards in September.