Sweden

Read more about The organisation of the academic year

The organisation of the academic year 2025 /2026 in Sweden is organised as follows:

Beginning of the academic year

1 September

Periods when there are teaching activities

1 September – 18 January (Autumn semester) (20 weeks)

19 January – 5 June (Spring semester) (20 weeks)

Periods of examination

The exams are in the end of each course and depend on the lenght of the course.

National Information

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National Information

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National Information

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Academic year
Type of support

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Minimum, maximum, and most common annual fee amounts (in EUR)

Cycle
Type of Students
Status of Students

FEES

Fees are charged to international students.
Higher Education Institutions determine independently the amount of the fees based the principle of full cost coverage.
The size of the tuition fees are not regulated nationally and there is no comprehensive statistic information.
There are two government scholarship programs for incoming, paying students studying at the undergraduate and advanced levels which may lead to waivers and reductions of tuition fees. The first program aims to promote the internationalization of higher education institutions by facilitating the recruitment of specially qualified students from countries outside the EU / EEA and Switzerland. The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) administers the program and distributes funds to applicant higher education institutions, which themselves decide on the use of the scholarships and whether they are to cover all or part of the tuition fee. The second program is administered by the Swedish Institute (SI). Some of the scholarships are aimed at students from countries with which Sweden has a long-term development cooperation, and others are aimed at students from countries classified as low- or middle-income countries according to the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (OECD / DAC). The Government's goal with the program is to contribute to a qualified supply of skills in developing countries. The scholarships cover the entire tuition fee and also the students' living costs.

Annual grant amounts (in EUR)

Cycle
Type of Students
Status of Students
Type of Grants

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - GRANTS

Need based and universal grants are available to home full and part-time students.
Part-timers are paid half the amount of full-timers.
The need based amount is granted on top of the universal grant for the eligible students, which are students with children.
Citizens of a country outside the EU / EEA or Switzerland may be entitled to grants and loans from CSN in various ways. This applies to people having a permanent residence permit, have been granted a residence permit based on family ties, or have a refugee status.
Grants are distributed on weekly basis. The reported amounts are the equivalent of 40 week academic year.
The shares reported combine first and second education levels.
Access to grants is limited to 60 years.

Annual loan amounts (in EUR)

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - LOANS

Publicly-subsidised loans are available to home full and part-time students.
Exemptions may be applied for international students under specific conditions.
Amounts are made available on weekly basis; The reported figures correspond to 40 weeks academic year.
Access to loans is limited to 60 years.

Key Features of the Education System

Almost half of the Swedish population is involved in some forms of organised education. All education, from preschool class to higher education, is free of charge. Sweden has among the highest public spending on education relative to GDP in the EU.

Read more about Glossary

A

Anpassad grundskola

Compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities

Read more about Institutions

Governing institutions

Regeringen

Regeringskansliet
103 33 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone: +46 (0)8- 405 10 00
Website: http://www.regeringen.se

Read more about Legislation and official policy documents

General Legislation

Laws

Arbetsmiljölag (1977:1160)

The Work Environment Act

Read more about National reforms related to adult education and training

2026

New model for short courses to benefit professionals

Published 01 October 2025

The labour market is changing rapidly and therefore it needs to be easier for professionals to study while in the middle of their careers. In the budget bill for 2026, the Government proposes that a few universities will receive a total of SEK 20 million (EUR 1.8 million) in 2026 to develop short courses that are relevant to professionals. This sum will double for the years following.

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Sweden

National Information

National Information

National Information

Minimum, maximum, and most common annual fee amounts (in EUR)

FEES

Annual grant amounts (in EUR)

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - GRANTS

Annual loan amounts (in EUR)

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - LOANS

Further readings

Key Features of the Education System

A

Anpassad grundskola

Governing institutions

General Legislation

Laws

2026

New model for short courses to benefit professionals

Eurydice Tools

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