Universities in Sweden

Located in the Northern European region of Scandinavia, Sweden has a lot to offer international students, from its beautiful landscapes, high standard of living and education, the chance to study in English and relatively affordable tuition fees.

See also: Study in Sweden

The types of university

There are 39 universities in Sweden, that fall into the following categories:

• Universities (universitet). These include Lund University, Stockholm University and Linköping University. Universitet are public universities, with a focus on research output.
• University colleges (högskolor). These include the Royal Institute of Art, Halmstad University and Linnaeus University. Högskolor tend to be more focused on the studies of applied sciences, and are restricted in their ability to award doctoral degrees.
• Private universities. These include the Stockholm School of Economics and Chalmers University of Technology.

The majority of Sweden’s universities are publicly funded, whilst there are also several private universities in Sweden such as the Stockholm School of Economics.

Popular Swedish cities for international students

There are several fascinating cities in Sweden that offer international students a range of different experiences. These include:

• Stockholm – The capital city of Sweden, located in the south east of the country, Stockholm is a major European city and is host to several universities and university colleges.
• Lund – Well located to explore Europe in the south in Sweden, Lund is dominated by the prestigious Lund University. 
• Gothenburg – Located in the south east of the country, Gothenburg is highly multicultural and the second largest city in Sweden. It is known for its network of canals and is home to the University of Gothenburg.
• Uppsala – Just north of Stockholm on the east of the country, the main draw for students is Uppsala University, which is highly prestigious and often well ranked in world university rankings.
• Linköping – Located in central southern Sweden, Linköping is host to the prestigious Linköping University.
• Malmö – If you are looking for a multicultural experience, Malmo is a city full of many nationalities. Located across the Øresund Bridge to Denmark, students will be interested in studying at Malmö University.
• Umeå – A city in northern Sweden, Umeå offers museums, cultural institutions, and two universities. These are Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

The top universities in Sweden

For one of the least populated countries in Europe, Sweden can boast of having excellent educational standards, with several highly ranked universities. 5 of Sweden’s universities feature in the top 200 in the Times Higher Education university rankings, including Karolinska Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Lund University.

Table of the top ranked universities in Sweden

See below for a list of universities and higher education providers in Sweden. Click on universities you are interested in below to read more and to see which courses are available for international students.