Higher education in Stockholm 2026

Foreign students will definitely be pleased with the fact that many international programs at universities are held in English. However, if you want to learn Swedish, then there are many more opportunities and directions for you to enter.

The professional qualifications we talked about earlier are courses that allow you to start working immediately after receiving a diploma. But don't think these are short-term programs – up to five years of full-time study are required to complete a full course. This format is popular especially in engineering, law, healthcare and pedagogy.

The academic year in Swedish universities, in principle, does not differ from other countries, the academic periods in it are divided into autumn and spring semesters. The fall semester starts from the end of August and lasts until mid-January, and the spring semester from the end of January to the end of June. Some universities hold additional summer sessions on individual requests and programs.

The evaluation system of Stockholm universities is also identical to many foreign approaches: in order to receive credits during exams and a diploma in the future, a student needs to collect a certain number of credits. On average, 30 credits per semester and 60 credits per academic year are required.

Studying abroad at universities in Stockholm has its own bonuses, including scholarship programs that help to compensate or significantly reduce the cost of studying at Swedish universities. The government of the country also allocates additional grants for talented foreign students under the VISBY and SISS programs. An important feature: a bachelor's degree is most often not included in scholarship support programs, payments begin only with a master's degree.

Most of the universities in Stockholm are of the state type, but there are also several private international universities. In general, higher educational institutions of the city are divided into the following categories:

• Universities
• higher vocational schools,
• Colleges
• online universities.

The top leading universities in Stockholm include:

• Karolinska Institute,
• Uppsala University,
• Lund University,
• Stockholm University,
• Chalmers University of Technology.

An academic year abroad consists of both a pleasant unusual experience and classic financial expenses: from food to education. The exact calculation of the amount that you will need on a trip to Stockholm depends on your preferences and additional nuances, for example, health characteristics or the area of residence in the city.

To make it a little easier for you to navigate the mandatory expenses, we have compiled a list of average prices for educational programs in Stockholm universities for expat students:

• Bachelor's degree — from SEK 80,000 to SEK 300,000,
• Master's degree — from SEK 80,000 to SEK 200,000,
• Doctoral studies often fall under scholarship and grant programs, so foreigners have a high chance of getting this degree for free.

We recommend that you start preparing for a foreign university as early as possible, as you will probably be one of the many foreign applicants who want to get into a Swedish university. Therefore, it is important for you to show yourself as a responsible, competent and capable student in front of the admissions committee.

Our specialists will help you pass the admission stage quickly and easily: you can sign up for a free consultation with them and together draw up a detailed action plan on the way to the university of your dreams. It is worth starting your preparation with the collection of documents - the mandatory list of universities in Stockholm most often includes:

• copies of passport and certificate,
• diplomas or certificates from previous places of study with grades,
• written recommendations from teachers and staff of the school, college or university,
• motivation letter about the applicant's strengths and life goals; It is especially useful to indicate in the text the advantages that you will give to the university as a talented student and researcher,
• certificates of passing language tests: TOEFL, IELTS for English, TISUS, SLTAR for Swedish.

If you plan to receive a scholarship after entering a university, then you also need to choose a program or grant that will provide it to you in advance, often applications to the university and for a scholarship/grant are submitted separately.