Sweden has no university-by-university application. One national website, one account and one set of documents cover all 39 universities and university colleges. The process is simple once you know its order, and unforgiving if you get the order wrong.
When you need this
You want a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Sweden, taught in English. You are a non-EU applicant trying to fit tuition, a residence permit and a move around one deadline. You are an EU citizen wondering which round to use. Or your results page now says “Reserve”, “Deleted” or “Conditionally admitted”, and you want to know what happens next.
This page covers the application itself. Who pays and how much is in tuition fees in Sweden. The permit is in residence permits for students. Swedish-taught programmes, applied for on the sister site antagning.se, are covered in högskoleprovet.
One system, two rounds
The Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet, UHR) runs universityadmissions.se. It registers your documents and checks whether you meet the general entry requirements. The university then decides who gets a place. Admissions officers anywhere in Sweden see the same scanned file, so you never send separate copies to each university.
Every semester has two application rounds:
| First round | Second round | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | International applicants | Applicants living in Sweden (the regular Swedish round) |
| What is offered | The whole English-taught catalogue | All Swedish-taught education, only some English-taught places |
| Deadline | Mid-January (autumn), mid-August (spring) | Mid-April (autumn), mid-October (spring) |
| Results | April (autumn), late September to early October (spring) | July (autumn), December (spring) |
| Reply needed? | No | Yes, after the first selection |
UHR’s advice is blunt: non-EU/EEA/Swiss applicants should not use the second round. July results leave too little time to pay tuition and get a residence permit before term starts. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens need no permit and can apply in both. Most programmes start in autumn, and Swedish scholarships are not offered for spring starts.
Step by step
- Choose the first round unless you are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen with a reason to wait.
- Read each programme’s page. Follow the link from the search result to the university’s own page for specific requirements and extra documents. Then read UHR’s instructions for the country where you studied.
- Create one account. International applicants use an email address. With a Swedish personnummer (personal identity number), you use that number or an eID such as BankID, Freja or eduID. Only one account is allowed.
- Select and rank up to four master’s programmes, or up to eight bachelor’s courses and programmes.
- Submit before the deadline and keep the confirmation email. A saved favourite is not an application.
- Pay the application fee, or prove you are exempt, before you upload documents. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens upload proof of citizenship. Personnummer holders are checked electronically within a few days.
- Upload one set of documents: transcripts, diploma, English proof and ID, scanned from the originals.
- Send university-specific extras (CV, motivation letter, essays) exactly as the programme page asks.
- Watch your account and email. UHR writes only if something is missing. Silence means your file is complete.
- Read your results on results day. Decline any place you will not take, and in the second round reply by the deadline.
- If you pay tuition, pay it, then apply for your permit. Migrationsverket, the Swedish Migration Agency, processes a study permit only once the first instalment is paid.
Order matters at step 6. UHR does not review documents until the fee or exemption proof is in. If you upload first and pay last, a missing transcript may only come to light after the deadline.
How ranking decides your offer
Ranking is where most applicants lose a place they could have had. Selection works down your list, and an offer cuts everything below it.
- Master’s: you can be offered one programme. If you are admitted to your second choice, choices three and four are deleted.
- Bachelor’s: you can be admitted to at most 45 credits per semester. A full-time programme is 30 credits a semester. Choices that would push you past 45 credits are deleted.
You can reorder freely until the application deadline. After it, the order is locked. You can still delete a choice or add a new one that is open for late application, but additions count as late and are only considered if places remain. Put the programme you most want first, not the one you think is safest.
One extra chance exists: once master’s results are out, you can add a fifth master’s programme that is still open for late application.
Documents and English proof
Uploads must be scans of original documents and need no certification. Certified copies are only for documents sent by post or courier; your university or a notary must certify them. Self-certified copies and screenshots of a student portal are rejected. Send one set only: posting copies of what you have already uploaded slows your file down. Uploaded files cannot be viewed or deleted, so give a corrected file a clear name, such as “CV updated”.
Entry requirements in short, as UHR lists them:
| Level | General requirement | Also check |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s (English-taught) | Completed upper-secondary school; English 6; Mathematics 1 if your final grades came after 2009 | Specific subject requirements on the programme page |
| Master’s | A bachelor’s degree of at least 180 credits, or a foreign equivalent | English (almost always English 6) and subject courses |
Swedish upper-secondary courses were renamed in 2025, so English 6 now also appears as “English Level 2”. Programme pages use both names.
To prove English 6 with a test, UHR accepts IELTS Academic 6.5 with no section below 5.5. IELTS General Training is not accepted. TOEFL changed scale in January 2026: results from 21 January 2026 need 4.5 on the 1–6 scale with no section below 4. Only older results use the familiar 90 total with 20 in writing. All results must be verifiable online. A letter from your school does not count, except to show 60 credits taught in English in an EU/EEA country or a listed English-speaking country. If you live in Sweden, you can also study English 6 at komvux, municipal adult education.
Final-year students. Most universities accept a master’s application with an official statement that your bachelor’s degree will be awarded before the programme starts. Upper-secondary students in their final year have little chance in the autumn first round, which selects in April before final grades exist. UHR suggests applying in the spring first round, or in next year’s.
Reading your results
Results appear in your account and in a PDF, the Notification of Selection Results, which is your official copy.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Admitted | You have a place | Decline it if you will not attend |
| Conditionally admitted | Usually: you must pay tuition (it stays this way after paying); sometimes: documents missing | Follow the university’s instructions |
| Reserve | You are on the waiting list | Watch your email, including spam |
| Deleted | Not eligible, or admitted to a higher choice | Check which; consider an appeal |
| Not processed | Late application, not yet reviewed | Wait; review is at the university’s discretion |
In the first round, you do not reply to keep a place. In the second round, you must reply after the first selection, or you lose every place and waiting-list position. Declining online does not withdraw you from a course you have already registered for. Tell the university directly.
At bachelor’s level, your merit rating runs from 10 to 22.5 and is based on your upper-secondary grades. Master’s criteria are set by each university, often credits, grades and a motivation letter. Your rating and selection group appear in your account once your complete application has been reviewed. No one can tell you in advance what score will get you in.
Appeals and late applications
You can appeal only an eligibility decision, not the fact that you were eligible but not selected. Use the appeals guide in your account within three weeks of reading your results. The appeal goes to the Higher Education Appeals Board (Överklagandenämnden för högskolan), whose decision is final. A few privately run universities, including Chalmers and Jönköping University, decide appeals themselves. If you simply have new documents, reapply rather than appeal.
Late is late. Documents that arrive after the deadline are not registered until results are published. You then have to reapply, and only if the programme still has places. For popular programmes, late applications are usually never reviewed.
One fee change for families. Fee rules changed twice in 2026. From autumn 2027 admissions, a non-EU applicant whose Swedish permit is as the family member of a non-EU bachelor’s or master’s student no longer escapes the fees. For autumn 2026 and spring 2027 admissions, they still did.
Practical information
| Item | Detail (checked 2026-10-15) |
|---|---|
| Autumn 2027, first round | Opens 16 October 2026; apply and rank by 15 January 2027; fee and documents by 1 February; results 1 April (master’s), 8 April (bachelor’s) |
| Autumn 2027, second round | Opens 15 March 2027; apply by 15 April; documents by 21 June; results 9 July; reply by 16 July |
| Spring 2027, second round | Deadline 15 October 2026; results 9 December |
| Application fee, non-EU/EEA/Swiss | SEK 900 per semester, however many choices; not refunded |
| Application fee, EU/EEA/Swiss | None; citizenship must be documented |
| Choices | Up to 4 master’s (one offer); up to 8 bachelor’s (max 45 credits) |
| Appeal window | 3 weeks from reading the decision |
| Tuition | Set per programme; see the tuition fees guide |
FAQ
When is the deadline to apply to Swedish universities for autumn 2027?
For the first round, which international students should use, the deadline is 15 January 2027. The round opens on 16 October 2026, and the application fee or proof of exemption and all documents must arrive by 1 February 2027. Master’s results come on 1 April and bachelor’s results on 8 April. The second round closes on 15 April 2027.
How many programmes can I apply for on universityadmissions.se?
Up to four master’s programmes, or up to eight bachelor’s courses and programmes, all on one application and at any mix of universities. Rank them carefully. At master’s level you can be offered only one place, and lower choices are deleted. At bachelor’s level you can be admitted to at most 45 credits per semester.
Do I need to send certified copies of my documents?
Usually not. Most applicants upload scans of their original documents, and those need no certification. Certified copies are only for documents sent by post or courier, certified by your university or a notary. Send one set only, and check the instructions for your country of study, which can add special requirements.
Can non-EU students apply in the second admission round?
They can, but University Admissions advises against it. Second-round results come in July or December, which usually leaves too little time to pay tuition and get a residence permit before term starts. The second round also offers only part of the English-taught catalogue. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens can use either round.
What does conditionally admitted mean?
It means you have a place on a condition. Usually the condition is paying tuition, because applicants who must pay fees are always listed as conditionally admitted, even after paying. It can also mean the university still needs documents from you. You will then get instructions from the university on how to confirm your place.
Can I appeal if I’m not admitted?
Only if you were found not eligible. Eligibility decisions can be appealed to the Higher Education Appeals Board within three weeks of reading your results, using the appeals guide in your account. A decision that you were eligible but not selected cannot be appealed. If you have new documents, reapply instead.
What English test score do I need for a Swedish university?
Most programmes need English 6, now called English Level 2. That means IELTS Academic 6.5 with no section below 5.5, or TOEFL iBT 4.5 on the new 1–6 scale with no section below 4 for tests from 21 January 2026. Older TOEFL results need 90 with 20 in writing. Results must be verifiable online.
Related guides
- Tuition fees in Sweden — who pays, how much, and the payment date that unlocks your permit.
- Residence permits for students — the application that starts once tuition is paid.
- Student housing in Sweden — the queues to join as soon as you are admitted.
- Swedish grades and merit rating — how grades turn into the number you compete with.
- Högskoleprovet — the test and route into Swedish-taught programmes.
Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: Universitets- och högskolerådet (universityadmissions.se), Sveriges riksdag (Högskoleförordningen 1993:100, Förvaltningslagen 2017:900, Förordning 2010:543 with SFS 2026:468 and 2026:1719), Migrationsverket — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.