“Competing on the Basis of Quality” – Tuition Fees in Sweden

Here’s some information (from February 2010) regarding tuition fees in Sweden, from the Swedish Government.

Apart from anything else, isn’t it time that the Swedish authorities stopped saying ‘third countries’ for non-EU countries and found a better expression? – I notice it appears in several places throughout the article; some international students recently pointed this expression out to me as being, at best, patronising.

The main points of the article are:

- The Government wants Swedish higher education institutions to compete on the basis of quality, not on the basis of a free education.

- The number of students coming to study in Sweden has trebled since 1999, and these students currently make up just over eight per cent of the student population in Sweden.

- As tuition fees are introduced, it is intended that the central government appropriations for undergraduate education will be gradually reduced.

- There will be two grant programmes.

Tuition Fees in Sweden for International Students – 10 000 to 15 000 EURO/year

Lund University and Uppsala University have published tuition fee levels for studying, as an international student, with them from 2011 onwards.

Lund University has confirmed tuition fees as being between 10 000 to 15 000 EURO a year, or 12 000 to 19 000 US Dollars.

Here’s some information on fee pricing from Linköping university.

Here’s tuition fee levels (in Swedish) from Linköping University. 10 000 to 27 000 EURO/year.

Tuition fee information from Malmö University.

Tuition fee information, for certain programmes, from Lund University.

Tuition fee information for programmes at Umea University

Tuition fee information for programmes at Chalmers

Jönköping tuition fee information.

Tuition fee information for programmes at KTH (Swedish) (Google translate into English).

IT Faculty at the University of Gothenburg – fees information.

Tuition fee information from Blekinge Institute of Technology.

Tuition fee information from Chalmers, updated.

Tuition fee information from Borås

Tuition fee information Karlstad University

 

Tuition Fees in Sweden for Non EU Students – Sources of Information.

Given the amount of traffic some of my older posts on tuition fees are receiving, I thought it might be worthwhile linking to some of the updated information which is out on the web:

The incredibly useful Study In Sweden site has a summary of the new law and a helpful FAQ: http://www.studyinsweden.se/Home/News-archive/2010/Tuition-fees-from-2011/

Study In Sweden can also be followed on Twitter, here: http://twitter.com/StudyInSweden

The Studera.Nu site has some information, very specifically targetted at applicants applying soon, here: https://www.studera.nu/studera/4424.html

I notice that the Wikipedia entry for Swedish Education has not been updated – when I get the chance, I’ll do something about that.

The Studera.Nu (National Admissions to Higher Studies in Sweden) facebook group has a discussion about this as well.

Application Fees – Wait, says Government Agency

Tuition fees will be implemented in 2011, and the Swedish authority for Higher Education services says that application fees should be introduced at the same time – not 2010 as previously thought.

Read about this at the ‘Local’ Swedish news in English’ site

See the press release here (In Swedish)

Non-European students to be charged tuition fees

Finally, the official confirmation for the introduction of fees:

The Swedish Government, on the 10th September, said:

“In the 2010 Budget Bill, the Government proposes that foreign students wishing to study in Sweden should pay fees.”

Read the full press release in English.

Note that the press release identifies a grant system, but details of this must wait until the Autumn.

Students Applying in 2010 Will Probably Pay Fees: New Information From The Swedish Authorities

The Swedish authority for  Universities (VHS) is investigating how to introduce application and tuition fees for Non EU students. It looks like students applying in 2010 will pay an application fee, and full fees will be introduced in 2011. The current information in Swedish says  that tuition fees will be introduced for those students starting their education in the Autumn 2011. Thus, apply in 2010, you will be paying fees in 2011 – though we must wait for the governments investigation , results on the 15th September.

Malmö university has more on this here: http://www.mah.se/english/News/News-2009/Application-fee-for-foreign-students—Autumn-Term-2010/

The governments decision can be read here (in Swedish): http://www.regeringen.se/content/1/c6/12/80/04/bd2a502b.pdf

Vote delayed until November – Tuition fees delayed until 2011

I heard today that it seems likely that the Swedish government will delay the vote on the Internationalisation of Swedish Higher Education Bill, which contains the new law on charging tuition fees to non EU Students, until September 2009. This is later than the previously reported date of March 17th 2009.  My sources are reliable and say the reason that the vote will be delayed is that the Minister for Higher Education in Sweden does not want to introduce a fee scheme without first having the money in place for scholarships. This, apparently, will delay the implementation of fees until 2011.  

This is the second delay we’ve had, but the first to effect the date of implementation which was originally proposed to be 2010. This presumably means that 2010, rather than 2009, will be the last opportunity to apply for ‘free’ education.

The Swedish Government will vote on tuition fees for International Students on the 17th March 2009.

Updated: February 4th 2009, once again the government delays the vote and fees look to be pushed back until 2011.

The most recent information from  the Swedish Government says that the vote on the proposal for the internationalisation of higher education, which includes tuition fees for non-EU students, will take place on March 17th 2009.

Here’s the link to the pdf which has this information, it’s a list of all the stuff the government intends to vote on and is, unfortunately, only in Swedish. It’s number 102, page 8.

Vote on Tuition Fees Delayed Until Spring 2009

The vote on tuition fees has been delayed until the spring of 2009, according to some very reliable sources. The date for the introduction of fees, should the vote pass (which it probably will) will probably be Autumn 2010.

So, more pain as we wait to see what happens with this. Hopefully we’ll get more information before the spring. What worries me is that this further reduces the amount of time we have to react to the bill, and its contents.

Read all my posts on fees

Common global practice is to send applications to the university – Not the case in Sweden.

I have been recently writing a report regarding the effect tuition fees will have on the university. One of the reviewers was concerned that we will probably continue to use studera.nu as our application tool after the introduction of fees. This is despite that fact that most other universities, elsewhere in the world, handle applications for post graduate applications themselves.

The UK is a good example. Their online application system, UCAS, is for undergraduate applications. Post graduate applications, whether from national or international students, are handled by the university – usually at the faculty level. Why? Well, it means that the faculty has direct control over the process, rather than a third party being involved. An undergraduate application is about getting the right grades, a post graduate application is much more complex involving a more subtle assessment of grades, motivation and appropriateness of experience. Also, the recruitment process is a key part of conversion – do you really want to have that out of your control?

The University of Gothenburg’s School of Business, Economics and Law handles their own admissions – a distinct competitive advantage for them. They’ve already got an edge now, as their application period is almost a month longer than the new one from studera. Gothenburg can, no doubt, respond quickly to student enquiries and give rapid acceptance decisions. Studera.nu, on the other hand, will not even tell you if your documents have arrived.