Financial matters

Individuals who are citizens of countries that are not part of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, are called fee-paying students.

If you are a fee-paying student, you must both pay the application fee of SEK 900 once you send in your application and the tuition fee for the courses or programme you will study. Depending on the programme, one semester of full-time study costs between SEK 50,000 – SEK 72,500.

If you are a citizen of a country within the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you are not required to pay application or tuition fees to study in Sweden.

Fees for studies at Uppsala University

Uppsala University awards several scholarships every year to international fee-paying Master’s students. We have a very limited number of scholarships for our Bachelor's students. These scholarships cover the full cost of tuition, but not living expenses, and are awarded on a competitive basis. There are also external sources such as the Swedish Institute.

Scholarships for studies at Uppsala University

To obtain a Swedish residence permit, students are required to have a minimum of around SEK 10,314 per month for the duration of their studies. Please visit the Swedish Migration Agency, Migrationsverket for an exact number and further information.

When you apply for your residence permit, you must enclose a bank statement showing that you have your own bank funds available in an account belonging to you. Please note that living in Sweden can be costly, and around SEK 10,314 per month is the minimum amount of money you will require.

Monthly expenses depend on your individual lifestyle and where you live. Aside from rent and food, you will have expenses such as textbooks, transportation and socialising. If you come from a part of the world with a warmer climate, it is strongly recommended that you purchase winter clothing and shoes while you are in Sweden.

To give you a rough idea of how much it costs to live in Sweden, we have put together this average student budget.

Note that this example does not take the current inflation into account.

We do not place any restrictions on students working alongside their studies and neither does the Swedish Migration Agency. However, finding part-time work in Uppsala or Visby is very difficult. We would recommend that you have your finances sorted before starting to study in Sweden.

Do not depend on working to support yourself during your time as a student in Sweden as it is very difficult to find available part-time jobs. Many employers require Swedish language skills and depending on your university workload, it may be difficult for you to commit to work outside of your studies.

Some international students find employment at pubs, clubs and restaurants at the student nations in Uppsala. However, while working at the nations is enjoyable and a great way to make new friends, the amount of money you earn will not be enough for you to live on.

For more information about the job market, visit the Swedish Public Employment Services.

It may take some time to open a bank account in Sweden once you have arrived before you have received a Swedish personal identity number. Banks are required to check the identity of their customers and some banks have more strict criteria than others.

Make sure that you have enough money to cover your expenses for the first few months of your stay. International debit and credit cards are widely accepted in Sweden. We strongly advise that you bring a VISA/Mastercard with sufficient funds in your existing bank account.