Studying in Sweden

What a year costs

Tuition applies if you are not a citizen of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. Study in Sweden, the official portal, gives these ranges per academic year:

• Most programmes: SEK 80,000-110,000
• Mid-range programmes: SEK 120,000-145,000
• Architecture and design: SEK 190,000-295,000

The average is about SEK 129,000 a year. At the top end, KTH states that the full fee for most two-year master's programmes is SEK 385,000, charged in advance each semester. Always use the fee on your programme's own page, because it varies within the same university.

On top of tuition, you pay an application fee of SEK 900 through University Admissions in Sweden, due by the document deadline.

Living costs. Study in Sweden puts a student budget at about SEK 10,584 a month: accommodation SEK 4,900, food SEK 2,700, local travel SEK 620, phone and internet SEK 400, and SEK 1,964 for everything else. Budget roughly SEK 750 a month more for books, and SEK 50-350 a term for student union membership.

That figure is close to the immigration minimum, so treat it as a floor. Stockholm, Gothenburg, Lund and Uppsala rents push many students well above it, and first-year students who arrive without university housing usually pay more for sublets.

The visa

Sweden does not issue a student visa. You apply for a residence permit for studies at higher education from the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), normally online, before you travel. The fee is SEK 1,500 for adults and SEK 750 for under-18s, the same online or on paper.

Pay tuition first. Migrationsverket states you must have paid any tuition fees before applying, and that you are only finally admitted once the fee is paid. Apply without proof of payment and you are applying without the core document.

The money. You must show at least SEK 10,656 a month if you apply in 2026 (it was SEK 10,584 for 2025 applications), and it must cover the entire period you are applying for. Permits are granted for one or two years depending on the university, never longer than the studies. Scholarships, grants, student loans from home, sponsorship and your own savings all count and can be combined. Bank statements must be issued no more than four months before the date you want the permit to start.

Health insurance. If your studies last less than a year, you need comprehensive private health insurance covering emergency and other medical care, hospitalisation and emergency dental care.

Processing. At the time of checking, Migrationsverket reported that 75% of recent cases were decided within three months. Apply as soon as you have paid the first instalment.

Working while you study

This changed on 11 June 2026. If your permit was granted on or after that date, you may work at most 15 hours a week during semesters, and without limit in June, July and August. Before that date Sweden had no weekly cap, and students with older permits keep the old terms until they renew, when the new rules apply.

Hours worked in these categories do not count towards the cap, provided the work is at your institution or linked to your programme: education-related work, student representation, administration, traineeships, and research or artistic research. Once you have completed a programme of at least two semesters and hold the diploma, the cap no longer applies.

Migrationsverket is explicit that working more than you are allowed can lead to your permit being revoked or not extended. Do not plan your budget around evening work.

The same reform added study progress requirements: 37.5 credits in your first year and 45 credits a year from the second year onwards. Fall short and the extension can be refused. You must also tell Migrationsverket your address within 30 days of getting a permit or moving, unless you are registered in the population register.

After you graduate

You can apply for a residence permit to seek work for up to 12 months after a bachelor's or master's, and between 12 and 18 months after a doctorate. The conditions:

• You completed the entire programme you were first admitted to, with passing grades in every course.
• The programme lasted at least two semesters.
• You apply before your current study permit expires. Miss this and the route is closed.
• You meet the same maintenance requirement, SEK 10,656 a month for 2026 applications, and hold health insurance if your stay has been under a year.

The fee is SEK 1,500. Since 11 June 2026, switching from a study permit to another permit, such as a work permit, generally also requires a completed programme of at least two semesters, so a short course is no longer a route into work.

Language

No Swedish is needed for the permit or for English-taught programmes. The standard English requirement, called English 6, is set nationally:

• IELTS Academic 6.5 overall, no section below 5.5
• TOEFL iBT, for tests taken from 21 January 2026: 4.5 overall on the new 1-6 scale, no section below 4. Older tests need 90 overall with at least 20 in writing.

Some programmes ask for English 7, which is higher: check your programme.

Swedes speak excellent English, but part-time jobs outside tech and the hospitality trade, and many graduate roles outside multinationals, expect Swedish. Universities run free or cheap Swedish courses; start in your first term if you want to stay.

When to apply

Most international students apply in the first admissions round through University Admissions in Sweden (universityadmissions.se). For programmes starting in autumn 2027:

• Application opens 16 October 2026
• Application deadline 15 January 2027
• Fee and supporting documents due 1 February 2027
• Results: 1 April 2027 for master's, 8 April 2027 for bachelor's

A second round opens 15 March 2027 with a 15 April deadline and results on 9 July, but that leaves too little time for tuition payment, a permit decision of up to three months, and housing. Treat the January round as the real one.

What to watch out for

The 11 June 2026 rules are recent and your permit date matters. The 15-hour cap, the credit requirements and the two-semester rule for switching permits all apply from that date, and to older permits at renewal. Advice from agents and older forum posts assumes unlimited work. It is wrong now.

Housing in university cities is scarce. Student housing queues in Stockholm, Uppsala, Lund and Gothenburg are long. Before you pay tuition, find out in writing whether your university offers you housing, and on what terms. Never pay a deposit for a sublet you have not seen confirmed through a trusted channel: fake listings targeting incoming students are common in July and August.

The permit comes after payment. You pay the first instalment, then apply, then wait up to three months. Read your university's refund policy for a refused permit before you pay: the conditions and deadlines differ between universities.

Fall behind on credits and your permit is at risk. The new progress requirement of 37.5 credits in year one means failing two or three courses can threaten your right to stay, not just your degree.

Keep your funds visible and your own. The money must be available for the whole permit period. Statements older than four months relative to your start date are not accepted.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it. The maintenance figure is set per calendar year, so applications made in 2027 will use a new amount.