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Archive for Karl Peterson — Study

– What I love about higher education in Sweden is that it's not about who you are, but about what ideas you have, says Karl. “Education is not just about learning things. It should also teach you to be critical of old presumptions and encourage new ideas. That's what moves the world forward – and that’s what Sweden does well.”

Increasing number of applications for master’s programs in Sweden

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According to Universityadmissions.se the number of international applicants for master’s degree programs at Swedish universities have increased with 24 % compared to 2011.

The number of students that have paid the application fee has increased with 22 % so the increase is not mainly related to an increase in applicants that are exempt from fees. (Due to EU legislation, students from the EU/EEA, like Swedish students, do not need to pay tuition fees.)

Increasing number of international applications

Increasing number of international applications for Swedish mastern's degree programs. Photo: Ulf Lundin

Here’s a list of the top ten countries (with the number of applicants from each country in parenthesis)*:

  1. Sweden (1330)
  2. Germany (918)
  3. China (883)
  4. Great Britain (807)
  5. India (755)
  6. U.S.A. (639)
  7. Greece (562)
  8. Iran (531)
  9. Bangladesh (475)
  10. Pakistan (425)

And here’s a breakdown over the top ten most popular universities (with the number of applicants in parenthesis):

  1. Lund University (11449)
  2. Stockholm University (6724)
  3. KTH Royal Institute of Technology (5534)
  4. Chalmers University of Technology (5032)
  5. Uppsala University (4611)
  6. Linköping University (3905)
  7. University of Gothenburg (3592)
  8. Stockholm School of Economics (2169)
  9. Malmö University (2084)
  10. Blekinge Institute of Technology (1931)

If you are interested in more detailed statistics, including number of applicants for individual study programs, here is an excel file of the complete list of statistics from The Swedish Agency for Higher Education Services (VHS). We’re all about transparency. :)

* The list refers to the number of students that have either paid the application fee or are exempt from application fees. The total number of applicants per country can be found in the excel file above.

Karl Peterson — Study

February 28, 2012

Studera.nu is no more — Long live Universityadmissions.se

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When you apply for university level studies in Sweden you are bound to come in contact with Sweden’s national (online) application portal. The Swedish Agency for Higher Education Services (VHS), which is responsible for the application and admission process, has recently unveiled Universityadmissions.se.

Universityadmissions.se
Universityadmissions.se is directed exclusively to international students applying for higher education in Sweden. So if you are from Sweden or want to apply for programs held in Swedish — you should instead go to Antagning.se. I hope and believe that Universityadmissions.se will be a step forward compared to the now defunct application portal Studera.nu, which received substantial criticism (sometimes well deserved) for its lack of usability.

So what’s new, what does it do, and how do I use it?

In short, Universityadmissions.se provides a searchable database of all degree programs and courses that are available for international applicants. When the application period for Autumn 2012 has started (December 1, 2011), it is through Universityadmissions.se that you send in your online application, pay the application fee (if applicable), follow your application in progress (including sending in the required documentation) — and when you have received your notification of selection results, reply to any offers of admission.

However, before you get carried away and start with your online application I would recommend that you have a look at the general guidelines about how to apply to higher education in Sweden at Studyinsweden.se.

Karl Peterson — Study

September 29, 2011

Sweden and beyond

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When on the topic of diploma ceremonies, Örebro University recently held a diploma ceremony for their international master’s students. I was invited, as a representative of the Swedish Institute, to say a few things about Sweden and some encouraging words about keeping in contact with Sweden in the future.

Except for being treated to Swedish folk music, a speech from the Vice-Chancellor of Örebro University and h’or d’euvres, the most fulfilling part of the ceremony was to see the well-deserved sense of pride and accomplishment in the faces of all the graduating students. Some which are heading straight home to their home countries, some that are pursuing a PhD at Örebro university or elsewhere, and some which are looking for work in Sweden.

What they all share however, is leaving the international community of fellow students and professors that they have been a part of the past years in Örebro and Sweden. What I hope that they will do, is stay in touch with Sweden and each other. The world needs cooperation and understanding, and who are better fit for the task than the international community of graduating students and researchers?

My notes for my speech. (Click on it to view an enlarged picture if you're curious.)

Karl Peterson — Study

June 21, 2011

Study in Sweden in 中文, русский and العربية

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What I am talking about is not the language of tuition in Sweden. All study programs in Sweden are held either in English or Swedish (when it comes to master’s level programs almost all of them are held in English). However, if you are looking for information about studies in Sweden you will soon be able to access it in either of the languages above. (For those of you that don’t read/write Chinese, Russian or Arabic — those are the languages above, in respective order.)

A Chinese version of Studyinsweden.se already exists, in the form of Sweden.cn/study. The Russian and Arabic versions of Studyinsweden.se are in the making as I write this, aiming for a launch sometime during the summer. Obviously, if you are going to study at a bachelor’s or master’s level program in Sweden you will need to have a good command of the English language, including proving that you do so through one of the internationally recognized English tests, i.e. TOEFL or IELTS.

Study in Sweden in Russian — Work in progress

Studyinsweden.se in Russian — snapshot of work in progress.

So what is the reason for making Chinese, Russian and Arabic language versions of Studyinsweden.se if all students need to know English in order to get accepted to a Swedish university? First of all it gives us an opportunity to tailor the information to the students, since a Chinese, Arabic and Russian student usually have different questions when it comes to what they want to know about Swedish higher education. For example, a Russian student might not have so many questions about the Swedish climate and what kind of food you will find in Sweden due to Russia’s relative proximity to Sweden, but have more questions about the Swedish/European educational system since the Russian system differs quite a bit.

Secondly it also gives the parents and other relatives of the student (that might not speak English) an opportunity to read about Sweden as a study destination. We all know that all parents invest a lot of love (and money) in their children and their children’s education, so it is only fair that they can also form an opinion of Swedish higher education and life in Sweden.

Thirdly, see it as a token of goodwill and respect towards the non-native English speaking part of the world, which Sweden too belongs to. Even though English is the international language above all, it is  not the native language of the majority of the world’s population.

I will let you know through this blog when the Arabic and Russian sites are launched. In the meantime, everything you need to know about Swedish higher education (well almost) can be found at Studyinsweden.se (in English). If you just can’t wait to read about Swedish higher education in your own language — well, you’ll just have to settle for Google Translate for now.

Karl Peterson — Study

April 27, 2011

Decrease in international applicants to Swedish universities

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Since this is the first year that international students from outside of the EU/EEA area are required to pay tuition fees for programs held at Swedish universities, the number of international applicants has decreased dramatically. As expected, data from VHS (Swedish Agency for Higher Education Services) shows that the number of applicants to master’s programs decreased by 73 % compared to applications for autumn 2010. 25,094 applications were submitted for master’s programs of autumn semester 2011, compared to 91,788 for autumn 2010 (all statistics from VHS).

Lund University received the highest number of applicants for 2011.

Lund University was the most popular Swedish university — with the highest number of applicants both in total and as the first-hand choice university — followed by KTH, Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University. A detailed list of the number of applicants per university can be found here.

Although a decreased number of applicants do not necessarily translate to a decrease in admitted students, some Swedish universities will most likely have fewer non-EU students arriving to their campuses in 2011 compared to previous years. The same pattern, to a comparable or even larger extent, could be seen in Denmark and the Netherlands, who recently made a similar switch to tuition fees. However, competition for most programs is still high.

Because of the many positive effects an international climate has on the education and research conducted at the university level, this is of course an unwanted situation. On the positive side is that many Swedish universities have started recruiting qualified international students more actively and taken it upon themselves to work harder with ensuring quality and services for their students. Both on their own and in collaboration with the Study in Sweden team at the Swedish Institute. Hopefully the number of available scholarships will also continue to increase. It all comes down to a strong belief that Swedish higher education has a lot to offer the world, and that the world has a lot to offer to Swedish higher education.

It is truly a challenge for the Swedish universities, which I hope they will take on with passion.

*Update: If you want to find out more about the reasons for introducing tuition fees, please follow this link.

Karl Peterson — Study

February 3, 2011