In general, individuals who are citizens of countries outside of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are required to pay application and tuition fees. There are some exceptions to this general rule. The following is a list of criteria which exempts individuals, meaning they do not have to pay application and tuition fees. If you do not meet any of these criteria, you are mostly likely required to pay fees.

You are NOT required to pay application and tuition fees if:

  • You have Swedish citizenship
  • You have an EU/EEA or a Swiss citizenship
  • You have a UK citizenship and exercised your right to reside in Sweden under the rights of EU citizens before the end of the transition period and continue to do so after that date (31 December, 2020)
  • You have been granted a permanent Swedish residency permit
  • You have long-term resident status in Sweden
  • You have been granted a temporary Swedish residency permit for reasons other than studies (Having a temporary residency permit for studies in Sweden does NOT grant you exemption from fee payments).
    If your residence permit expires before the starting date of the studies, you must be able to show you have applied to extend the current residence permit (receipt from the Migration Agency).
  • You have long-term resident status in another country in the European Union and have Swedish residency
  • You are a family member* of a citizen of an EU or EEA country, or Switzerland, who has temporary or permanent right of residence in Sweden.
  • You are a family member* of a UK citizen and exercised your right to reside in Sweden under the rights of EU citizens before the end of the transition period and continue to do so after that date (31 December, 2020)
  • You are applying for or are registered for Third cycle (doctoral) studies. Application and tuition fees are only required for studies at the First cycle (Bachelor) and Second cycle (Master's) level
  • You are registered at a university or university college outside of Sweden and will be studying in Sweden on a temporary basis as part of an official study abroad programme as an exchange student.

* You may be considered a family member if you are a spouse, registered partner or common-law spouse; a child under 21 years of age who is financially dependent on their parent(s); or a parent who is financially dependent on their child who lives in Sweden.

For more information, please visit the website of the Swedish Migration Agency.

Requirements for students who have started a course or programme in Sweden

  • If you are a registered student at a Swedish University at the time you submit your application, you are not required to pay an application fee.
  • If you started a course or programme before 1 July 2011, you may finish that course or programme without paying tuition fees. If you apply for and are given a place in a new course or programme that starts after 1 July 2011, you must pay tuition fees for the new course or programme.
  • If you are combining courses towards a degree (but are not officially registered in a programme), you may finish that course without paying a tuition fee if you started it before 1 July 2011. If you start a new course or courses after 1 July 2011, you will be required to pay tuition fees for that course/ courses.