Sweden education system
A good place to start in your search for information about studying in Sweden is to learn some basics about how the academic system here works.
Academic year
The academic year is split into autumn and spring semesters. The majority of courses and study programmes start in the autumn.
The autumn semester starts at the end of August and continues until mid-January of the following year. The spring semester usually starts in January and finishes at the end of June.
Between the spring and autumn semesters, many universities have a short summer session. A student may be awarded a maximum of 15 credits for courses taken during the summer session.
Courses or study programmes
When applying to study in Sweden, you may choose to apply for self-contained (individual) courses or full study programmes.
If you choose to study a self-contained course or a range of courses, you are awarded credits on completion of these courses. It is possible to be awarded a diploma or degree if you accumulate the appropriate number of credits in appropriate combinations.
Alternatively, you may apply for a full study programme. Study programmes are made up of courses, some of which are compulsory (required) and some of which are optional. Some of the study programmes lead to professional or vocational qualifications. Study programmes vary in length from two to eleven semesters.
An earlier and later admission round each semester
The entire catalogue of international courses and study programmes is available for application in the First admission round for both the autumn and spring semester. We encourage ALL international students to apply to these earlier rounds. Not only are more courses available, the application deadlines and decisions come several months before the semester starts. This allows you to apply for and receive your residence permit (if needed), arrange for housing and have plenty of time to plan for your time in Sweden.
There are additional admission rounds – a Second admission round for the autumn and spring semesters. These admission rounds occur later, with admission decisions coming just a short time before the start of the semester. While this affords EU/EEA students the time they need to arrange for their studies in Sweden, students from other countries are not encouraged to apply to this admission round as they will most likely not have enough time to apply for and receive their resident permit.
Credit system
A normal workload is 30 higher education (HE) credits per semester or 60 HE credits per academic year. Prior to 1 July 2007, Swedish higher education institutions awarded points rather than credits. This was changed to make the Swedish credit system compatible with ECTS.
ECTS
ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. This is a system common in European countries and helps the recognition of higher education from other countries. For more information about ECTS, please see the following link:
Sweden as a part of education in Europe
The Bologna Process is intended to coordinate higher education in Europe. The aim is to increase student mobility so students are able to move freely between different countries and universities. For more information about the Bologna Process, please see the following link:
Information by: https://www.universityadmissions.se/en