Skip to main content
European Commission logo

Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice

Sweden

The organisation of the academic year 2024 /2025 in Sweden is organised as follows:

Beginning of the academic year2 September
Periods when there are teaching activities

2 September – 19 January (Autumn semester) (20 weeks)

20 January – 8 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

Sweden - Teachers' salaries and allowances

Teachers' salaries and allowances

  • Salaries and workings conditions are stipulated in the country-wide collective agreement between teacher´s union and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and interpreted on a local level. These stipulate minimum salaries and general working conditions. The more specific salary and working conditions of individual teachers are determined locally (i.e. at school level) in an individual-based pay system. 
  • The minimum qualification required for teachers at pre-primary level is ISCED 6 in education and ISCED 7 at all other levels. To be qualified to teach, a teacher should be registered and qualified for certain subjects and grades.
  • There are no statutory salaries. Teachers’ salaries are set individually and based on collective agreements. Salaries are differentiated and reflect achieved goals and results by the individual.
  • Collective agreements set the overall framework for salary progression, but the actual salary increase is negotiated individually, allowing for differentiated progression based on merit.

School heads' salaries

View data

    • :
    • :

    National information

    Sweden - School heads' salaries and allowances

    School heads' salaries and allowances

    • Salaries and working conditions are stipulated in the country-wide collective agreement between the school heads' union and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). The more specific salary and working conditions of individual school heads are determined locally in an individual-based pay system.
    • There are no required minimum ISCED qualification to become a school head. School heads must complete the Swedish National School Leadership Training Programme (3 years programme equivalent to 30 ECTS).
    • There are no statutory salaries. Salaries and progression of school heads are regulated by the dispositions of the collective agreements and their individual contracts.
    • School heads do not have a defined status. Most school heads have a teaching degree and have worked for several years before being appointed as school head.

    Teachers' salaries

    View data

      • :
      • :

      National Information

      Further readings

      National education system

      Fees

      Scholarships for international students

      Scholarships for students paying tuition fees

      Grants

      Loans

       

      The state-run international schools are a special type of grant-aided independent school for children who temporarily reside in Sweden or who for other reasons wish to have an education with an international dimension. Teaching in these schools is often in a foreign language and usually follows the curriculum of another country.

      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. 

      A

      Anpassad grundskola

      Compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities

      Governing institutions

      Regeringen

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

      2025

      Strengthened opportunities for the unemployed to attend municipal adult education