Entry requirements

Find out more about the general, specific and English requirements for admission - and questions about your own eligibility and merit rating.

General requirements

To qualify for courses and programmes offered at the bachelor's level, you have to meet the:

  • general entry requirements which are the same for all courses and programmes
  • specific entry requirements for the course or programme you're applying for

To meet the general entry requirements, you must:

  • have successfully completed an upper secondary education
  • be able to demonstrate proficiency in English

Most courses and programmes also have specific entry requirements. You can find out what they are by visiting the course description page at the university's website. You can find this link in the search results and at your application page here at Universityadmissions.se.

It's important to find out what the specific entry requirements are - and to meet all the entry requirements - before applying for bachelor's level courses and programmes in Sweden. For more detailed information and instructions, please go to Bachelor's requirements

Find out more about the English language requirements

To qualify for courses and programmes offered at the master's level, you have to meet the:

  • general entry requirements which are the same for all courses and programmes
  • specific entry requirements for the course or programme you're applying for

To meet the general entry requirements for master's level courses and programmes, you must have a Bachelor's degree (equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen) from an internationally recognised university.

All master's level courses and programmes have an English language requirement. Because the university decides what level of English is required, you must read the course description information on the university's website to find out what that is. In general, Swedish universities require a high level of English.

Find out more at English language requirements

Most courses and programmes also have specific entry requirements. You can find out what these are at the course description information on the university's website.

It's important to find out what the specific entry requirements are - and to meet all the requirements - before applying for master's level courses and programmes in Sweden. For more detailed information and instructions, please see Master's requirements

University Admissions will only review an admissions application - including checking if the applicant meets the entry requirements - after:

  • the applicant has submitted an admissions application
  • the application fee is paid (fee-paying students)
  • citizenship has been documented (EU/EES/Swiss applicants)

There's no guarantee an application will be reviewed if the application, documentation and/or fee deadlines have been missed.

English requirements

All students who wish to study a master’s programme in Sweden must document that they meet the English requirements for the programme they've applied for. Even students with English as their first language must document that they meet the requirement.

An option for all students is to submit a score that meets the requirement from an internationally recognised test, such as TOEFL or IELTS.

You can find out exactly what is required for your country of study right here at Universityadmissions.se at the section on required documents. Just select your country from the list.

Required documents for master's applicants

You can also read more about documenting your English proficiency at English language requirements

Please note: We are unable to answer questions or make a decision beforehand about whether you meet the English requirement. We ask that you wait until we complete the review of your application.

All applicants to bachelor's studies are required to document their proficiency in English - even if their native language is English.

Some completed upper secondary studies in certain countries are enough to demonstrate that you meet the English requirement. If your country is not one of them, you'll need to submit test scores from an internationally recognised English test.

It's also possible to meet the requirement with university studies.

You can find out exactly what is required for your country of study right here at Universityadmissions.se at the section on required documents. Just select your country from the list.

Required documents for bachelor's applicants

You can also read more about documenting your English proficiency at English language requirements

Please note: We are unable to answer questions or make a decision beforehand about whether you meet the English requirement. We ask that you wait until we complete the review of your application.

All applicants must demonstrate that they meet the English requirement. The same is true of Swedish students who apply for courses taught in Swedish - just having Swedish as your native language does not prove you have the skills in Swedish necessary to study at the higher education level.

There are three ways to meet the English requirement:

  • through certain upper secondary studies;
  • through certain university studies; or 
  • by a successful result on an approved English test. 

Please see English language requirements for further information.

Submit a copy of your test taker score to University Admissions, either by uploading a scan of the original document or through regular mail.

University Admissions will then be able to verify your score online. If your score cannot be verified, it will not be accepted. The TOEFL test can be verified for up to 2 years after the test date.

Eligibility and merit rating

We receive applications from thousands of applicants every semester. It takes time to review all the submitted documents and determine if an applicant meets the entry requirements. If you've submitted your application and documents on time - and have provided everything required - your application will be reviewed and your status updated. We review applications right up to admissions selection in April.

If you submitted your application or documents after the deadline, there's no guarantee your application will be reviewed.

If you've been granted an exemption from the entry requirements for a course or programme you've applied to, please contact the university that granted the exemption with any questions that you may have.

Find contact information for universities

That depends on if you're wondering about the general entry requirements or the specific entry requirements. General entry requirements are what everyone must meet to be eligible. The specific entry requirements are special for the particular course or programme you've applied to. 

For general entry requirements

Contact University Admissions. You can use the contact form, chat, or call us.

For specific entry requirements

You should contact the university offering the course/programme. They've decided what they specifically require and can best answer your questions.

Contact information for universities

Unqualified means you don't meet the entry requirements for the course or programme. This could be the general entry requirements, specific entry requirements, or both.

If your status on your admissions application is unqualified, you can find out why by clicking the text 'More information' under 'Unqualifed'. You'll find an explanation for why you don't meet the entry requirements.

Can't find the answer you were looking for?

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Please note not all questions can be answered in chat

Please contact us by email or telephone if your question is about:

  • your eligibility for a course or programme
  • if you meet the entry requirements (or if you don't, why)
  • your merit rating

We're available Monday to Friday, 9–16 CET

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Support centre number: +46 (0)77 155 0720

We're available Monday to Friday, 9–16 CET

Please note: there are times when many people are trying to contact us by telephone. We suggest you submit your question by email first if you don't require an immediate reply.