Financing

Studying at Swedish universities is free of charge. However, all students must be able to pay for personal living expenses, cost of literature, insurance, student union fee etc in Sweden.

Living in Sweden is, however, quite expensive. One of the conditions for being granted a residence permit for studies by the Swedish Immigration Board (Migrationsverket) is that you must prove that you will have enough money to cover your whole stay in Sweden. The minimum sum required by the Swedish Immigration Board at present is SEK 7,300 per month, approx EUR 775 or USD 1,150 (January 2008), for at least 10 months of the year if you plan to study for a full year. Students from EU, Switzerland and Scandinavian countries do not have to prove that they have SEK 7,300 a month at their disposal, but have to sign a document stating that they can support themselves in Sweden. Exchange students from other countries may not always be required to prove their financial status but must be prepared to do so if requested by the Swedish Embassy, Consulate or the Swedish Immigration Board when applying for a residence permit.

Scholarships
There are no scholarships awarded by Uppsala University. The majority of international students are financially self-supporting.

A limited number of scholarships for master studies are awarded by the Swedish Institute (SI) and not all of the master programmes participate in SI programme. Please note that not all countries are eligible for the scholarships either. Applicants who would like to apply for one of the SI scholarships should include a separate application letter concerning the scholarship with their application to a master programme.

Swedish Student Aid
The most common way for Swedish students to finance their studies is through Swedish student aid (study allowance and financial student aid). If you are not a Swedish citizen, you can receive financial aid assuming that you have a basic right to it. The National Board of Student Aid (CSN) can award you an entitlement to student aid only if you have moved to Sweden for a purpose other than study. You must also be officially registered as a resident in Sweden and must intend to remain here. Visiting students are expected to finance their studies themselves.

Read more about the Swedish student aid on CNS’s website (new window).

Part-time work
Finding part-time work can be difficult in Sweden because most employers require Swedish language skills. Even basic positions in the service sector require some knowledge of Swedish. For more information about the job market, visit the Swedish Public Employment Services ("Arbetsförmedlingen") (new window).