Free education in Sweden

Sweden is attractive for its high standard of living, good career opportunities and quality education.There is a fee to study in the country, but there are different scholarships to cover fees and living costs.We invite you to find out how admission to a Swedish university takes place and what scholarships exist for students from Russia.

Higher education system

Sweden has a three-stage education system that includes bachelor's, master's and doctoral studies.

• Undergraduate programs take place after graduation from high school.The duration of study is most often three years (180 ECTS credits).

• Master's programs build on the knowledge gained by the student during their studies at the undergraduate level and can last one or two years (60 or 120 ECTS credits).

• In doctoral programs, you need to work on a thesis for several years.The duration of PhD programs in Sweden varies between universities

Sweden uses two designations for higher education: university and university college (högskola).The main difference is that universities are eligible to award doctoral degrees, while many university colleges do not.Therefore, there is no difference in the bachelor's or master's degrees offered by both types of institutions.

Face-to-face studies in Sweden correspond to approximately 40 hours a week, although sometimes you may only spend a few hours in lectures or seminars per week.The rest of the time the student works with literature and on group projects.Courses include lectures, workshops and activities aimed at gaining practical knowledge.The purpose of the classes is to develop critical thinking and teamwork skills, therefore students are expected to actively participate in discussions during classes and projects.

English-language programs

In Sweden, you will find a suitable program in English, of which there are more than 900 in the country, so for admission you need an international certificate of knowledgelanguage.Whenthere is no direct need to learn Swedish, as Swedes speak English well and you will have no difficulty in communicating.Moreover, some of the directions presented here are underdeveloped or absent in Russia, so Sweden gives you the opportunity to study and develop in a narrow direction that you are really interested in.

Admissions process

The entire admission process, with some exceptions, takes place on the Swedish portal University Admissions.This is where you submit applications, upload the required documents and prioritize the selected programs.

Universities that request documents or examples of work by mail are an exception.Therefore, always carefully check the additional requirements on the selected programs and calculate the time it will take to deliver documents to the designated address.At University Admissions, you can find the necessary admission requirements and key dates, but all additional information is posted on the websites of the selected programs.

The entire admission process can be divided into three main stages:

1. Selecting suitable programs and ranking them on the site.You can choose a total of 4 programs for training.

2. Uploading documents and paying registration fees.This fee is mandatory regardless of the number of programs and is 900 SEK.

3. If you have uploaded the documents and paid the fee, you just have to wait for the results of admission and apply for the scholarship.

Scholarships

Visby Program

Visby Program includes scholarships for all levels of study.For masters and degrees above, scholarships are provided for the entire period of study, for bachelors - only within the framework of exchange studies.Deadlines depend on the specific scholarship program.The scholarships cover insurance, flights and tuition fees.To participate, you need to register on the portal of the Swedish Institute and submit documents separately for each selected program at the stage of admission.

University Scholarships

Many universities offer coverage of fees or living expenses.Among them are the University of Gothenburg, Umeå University, Karolinska Institute and others.Be sure to pay attention to the conditions under which the commission will accept your application.Some educational institutions are ready to consider you as a candidate only if, when ranking training programs, you give the first place in priority to this university.

Erasmus Mundus

The program works with several universities in Sweden and covers tuition and living expenses. Here you can find a list of programs offered by Erasmus Mundus.Applications can only be submitted for three programs.

Timely preparation is half the battle

Regardless of the programs and scholarships you choose, remember the universal rule - you need to prepare documents in advance to avoid problems withby applying at the last minute.This will not only save you nerves, but also help to avoid a situation when the site is overloaded in the last hours.

The issue of student housing is also worth considering in advance.You can live in a student residence or find accommodation in the private market.Research options through your university or related student housing companies first, as this will lower rental costs and faster searches.

Housing availability varies from location to location.It is generally much easier to find a room in smaller cities, while searching in larger cities can be difficult, especially in Stockholm or Gothenburg, as well as in the student cities of Lund and Uppsala.This process is time consuming and can be unsuccessful, so if a university offers you a place in a dormitory, it may be better to accept it.If you do not want to stay in the hostel or there is no such opportunity, it will be convenient to team up with a couple of students to live together andshare with them the search and payment for housing.

Post-graduate employment

Sweden has the largest number of transnational corporations per capita.This country is home to the world famous IKEA, H&M, Volvo and TetraPak, which gives the opportunity to undergo an internship and climb the career ladder in a large company.

In Sweden, students can work during the period of their education, and graduates have the opportunity to look for work on the program within six months .In addition, in most cases, training involves an internship, so you will not be left without experience.

Useful links

• Required information about the admission process on the portal University Admissions

• Website about education in Sweden Study in Sweden