Press release 19 February 2010
Ministry of Education and Research

Fees for foreign students to be introduced in autumn term of 2011

Today the Government will present the bill Competing on the basis of quality - tuition fees for foreign students to the Riksdag.

"These days, education is a global market. Sweden should compete in this market by offering education of high quality, not by offering a free education," says Minister for Higher Education and Research Tobias Krantz.

The fees will apply to students outside the EU/EEA. Universities and higher education institutions will make their own decisions as to the size of the fee, based on the principle of full cost coverage.

In connection with the introduction of fees, the Government proposes that two grant systems be launched.
One of these, which will initially consist of SEK 30 million per year, will target students in the 12 countries with which Sweden has long-term development cooperation. The grants will be administered by the Swedish Institute.
The second grant system, which in 2011 will consist of SEK 30 million and, as of 2012, of SEK 60 million, will target particularly qualified students. The money will be allocated to universities and higher education institutions, which will then take care of allocating the grants to students.

"Foreign students are an asset to Swedish higher education. By no longer offering everyone - including those who are able to pay - free education, we will now be able to give special attention to students from countries with which we have development cooperation and to particularly gifted students. This is a much more efficient way of using Swedish taxpayers money," says Mr Krantz.

The fees will be introduced in the autumn term of 2011.