There are a number of scholarships available for those who wish to study in Sweden for any period of time, whether it is for a semester for the entire university education. In this section, we’re going to take a closer look at scholarships and help you see what you will be eligible for as an exchange or free mover student.
There are two primary sources of funding that you will find in Sweden: The Swedish Institute and the universities themselves.
The Swedish Institute
This is a government agency that works to encourage international students to come and study in Sweden. This is for a number of reasons, including the fact that they want to help diversify the universities in Sweden, and because they want to help expand the creativity and innovation that the country is so proud of. It is only available for students who are from particular countries, however, and they are only for specific programs.
You usually have to apply between the 3rd of February and the 11th of February, the February that falls before your program starts (if you’re going to school in Autumn of 2014 or Spring of 2015, you need to finish your application in February of 2014). The information is available as early as the December before, you just can’t apply until that week in February. If you would like more information about the Swedish Institute, check out their website for more information.
The university that you are attending
Many of the universities throughout Sweden encourage international students to come to their schools. You have to apply directly to your university, which you can do through your financial aid office or through your student union.
The requirements will vary, but they could be based on any number of things including your country of origin, when you will be attending, what year of schooling you are in, what program you have applied to be in, what your grades were during your secondary education, and extracurricular activities that you may have been or intend to be involved in. Your individual university will give you exactly what you need to know about these scholarships, including application due dates, the application process, and eligibility criteria. You’ll have to do a little more research to determine what your university has to offer, but if you can get some funding out of it, it’s worth the time an effort.
If you are an exchange student, there may be other options available to you as well. The university in your country of choice and other financial aid means in your country may be available to you, since you are still technically enrolled in the university in your home country. You will have to talk to the exchange office at your home university to get more details about these programs; they will be able to give you the applications and documentation that you need to apply for this aid.
Don’t go to a university in Sweden (or any university) without trying to obtain financial aid. Even if you have the means, it can help you a lot throughout your university career if you decide to spend some time looking for additional funding. It can also help you to reduce a lot of stress when it comes to meeting your funding requirements as determined by the Migration Board (which we talk about more in our section on Visas and Immigration). Your university is always the first place to start your search, as they can give you advice and resources that outside websites like our own do not have access to.