Hogskoleprovet: Sweden's Second Route Into University

Swedish universities rank applicants in two separate queues, one by school grades and one by this test. Here’s who can sit it, what it can and can’t do for a non-Swede, and the practical traps on test day.

When you need this

You live in Sweden, you’re learning Swedish, and you want a place on a competitive Swedish-taught programme. Your foreign school grades are low or hard to compare, and you’d like a second chance at the same place. Your teenager is in Swedish upper-secondary school (gymnasium) and asks whether to sit the test. Or you took it years ago and wonder whether the result still counts.

If you’re applying to an English-taught bachelor’s or master’s programme from abroad, you almost certainly don’t need it; see tuition fees in Sweden and your first weeks as an exchange student instead.

How the test gets you into university

Högskoleprovet (the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test, SweSAT) is one common admission test for all Swedish universities. The Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet, UHR) produces it and must hold at least one test every calendar half-year. In practice it’s given twice a year: in spring on a Saturday, in autumn on a Sunday, at locations around Sweden.

Its power comes from the Higher Education Ordinance. When a beginner-level programme has more eligible applicants than places, the places are split by urvalsgrupp (selection group):

If you have both grades and a test score, you sit in both groups, so the test is a second, independent chance at the same place. That’s why Swedes call it the second route into university: a strong score can make up for modest school grades, or for foreign grades that compete poorly. Applicants with foreign upper-secondary qualifications compete in grades group BI. For how grades become a meritvärde (merit rating), see Swedish grades and university admission.

A few exceptions: artistic programmes may fill all places by their own entrance tests, and UHR can let a university use a different split for a programme where, for example, competition in the test group is low. Some programmes require the test; for most it’s optional. Master’s admission isn’t covered by the thirds rule at all; universities set their own criteria. Ties within the test group are broken by another test, an interview or a lottery.

What the test can’t do

A test score never makes you eligible. Selection only happens among applicants who already meet the general and specific entry requirements. The Higher Education Ordinance says applicants whose mother tongue isn’t Swedish, Danish, Faroese, Icelandic or Norwegian must have the Swedish needed for general eligibility. For Swedish-taught programmes that means Swedish 3 or Swedish as a second language 3 from upper-secondary school or komvux (municipal adult education), or a pass in the Tisus test. A Finnish native speaker with at least three years of Swedish at a Finnish upper-secondary school already meets the requirement.

So the order matters. First reach Swedish 3 or Tisus (see learning Swedish as a newcomer), then use the test to compete. A high score with no Swedish eligibility is never used.

Two more limits. The result counts only in Swedish admissions, not abroad. And applicants who pay tuition fees can be admitted in separate admission rounds.

Who can sit it

There’s no citizenship or residence-permit requirement. But the test is given only in Swedish, apart from one English reading section, so realistically you need strong Swedish to score well.

• Age: you must turn 18 at the latest in the calendar year of the test.
• Under 18: you can still sit it if you’re in at least the spring term of your second year of upper-secondary school, or already have an upper-secondary diploma or equivalent.
• Adjustments: extended time is given only for the diagnoses specific reading disorder (F81.0) or mixed learning disorder (F81.3); that adapted test day has four 80-minute passes. Certificates must be uploaded by the last registration day.

How to register

Registration is open for one week in early January (spring test) and one week in mid-August (autumn test). There’s no late registration, so set a reminder.

1. Check your eligibility for each programme at antagning.se or universityadmissions.se.
2. Create an account at hogskoleprov.nu before registration opens.
3. Register and pay the 550 kr fee during the window. Paying completes the registration.
4. Upload any adjustment certificate before the window closes.
5. Get the right ID ready (see below).

You’re placed at a test location by the postcode you enter. If too few people register, UHR can move you to a nearby town; Luleå University of Technology, for example, warns its six Norrbotten towns can be dropped when registrations are low. If you cancel or miss the test, the fee isn’t refunded and can’t be moved to another test or person.

Test day: ID, security and timing

ID is where newcomers get caught. If you have a Swedish personnummer (personal identity number), you must show Swedish ID: a Swedish passport, Swedish national ID card, Swedish driving licence or a Swedish state ID card such as Skatteverket’s. A foreign passport isn’t accepted, and neither is electronic ID. Without a personnummer, bring a valid foreign passport with text in English, French or Spanish; EU/EEA citizens can also use a national ID card. Ordering a Swedish ID card takes time, so do it early; see the Swedish ID card and the personnummer explained.

Your notice to attend (kallelse) appears in your account about a week before. The day runs from 08:10 to about 17:00:

Since autumn 2023 security guards may check you with a metal detector on the way in and out of the room. Refuse and you can’t continue; refuse an exit check and you’re also barred for two years. Phones, smartwatches, digital watches and headphones are banned at your desk. Leave the room during a pass and that pass counts for nothing. UHR gives anyone caught cheating no result and a two-year ban.

Only answers marked in the paper answer booklet within the time count. A 2021 government inquiry proposed digitalising the test, but as of October 2026 it’s still on paper.

What’s on the test and how it’s scored

The test has 160 scored questions, split evenly between a verbal half and a quantitative half:

You get one raw point per correct answer, with no deduction for wrong answers, so answer everything. Each half is “normed” to adjust for that test’s difficulty, and the average becomes your score from 0.00 to 2.00 in steps of 0.05. Because norming changes each time, old norming tables can’t tell you how you did. Results appear in your account about four weeks after the test.

If you think a question was wrong, report it by the Thursday after the test: to Umeå University for the quantitative part and the Swedish verbal sections, or to the University of Gothenburg for English reading.

Using your score

A result can be used for programmes starting the term after the test, and stays valid until the end of the calendar half-year eight years later. Admissions always use your best valid result, so sitting more than once can only help. With a personnummer the result moves to antagning.se automatically; without one, you upload the result PDF yourself.

Check UHR’s admission statistics for the score that admitted the last applicant in each group in earlier rounds, but remember cut-offs change every year. A guidance counsellor (studie- och yrkesvägledare) at komvux, a folk high school or a university can tell you whether your Swedish is ready.

Mistakes to avoid

• Thinking it’s for Swedes only. Anyone can register; the barrier is the language, not a permit.
• Quoting a 450 kr fee or five-year validity. The fee is 550 kr and results last eight years; older guides are out of date.
• Treating it as a shortcut past Swedish 3. It ranks eligible applicants; it doesn’t make you eligible.
• Bringing a foreign passport when you have a personnummer. You’ll be turned away.
• Leaving answers blank. A wrong answer costs nothing.
• Counting on one pass being the trial. The unscored pass isn’t identified, so give every pass your best.

Practical information

FAQ

Can foreigners take the Swedish university entrance exam?

Yes. Högskoleprovet has no citizenship or residence permit requirement; anyone who turns 18 in the test year can register. But the test is given only in Swedish, apart from one English reading section, and the result counts only for Swedish admissions. If you have a Swedish personnummer, you must bring Swedish ID on test day.

How long is a högskoleprovet result valid?

A result is valid until the end of the calendar half-year that falls eight years after the test, so a result from April 2027 counts until the end of June 2035. You can first use it for programmes starting the term after the test, and admissions always use your best valid result. Older guides still say five years.

Does högskoleprovet make me eligible for university?

No. The test is a way to compete for places, not a way to qualify. You must still meet the general entry requirements, including Swedish at the level of Swedish 3 for Swedish-taught courses, and any specific requirements such as a maths course. Only eligible applicants are ranked by test score.

What share of places goes to högskoleprov scores?

In beginner-level programmes with more eligible applicants than places, at least one third must go by grades and at least one third by test results; universities may allocate at most one third by their own criteria. If you have both grades and a test score, you compete in both groups.

When is the next högskoleprov?

As of October 2026, the next test is on Saturday 10 April 2027, with registration open 7–14 January 2027 at hogskoleprov.nu. The test is normally held in April and October, and registration is open for just one week. Late registration is not possible, so check studera.nu for the dates.

How is the högskoleprov scored?

You get one raw point per correct answer out of 160, with no deduction for wrong answers. The verbal and quantitative halves are each normed to account for that test’s difficulty, and the average gives your score from 0.00 to 2.00 in steps of 0.05. A fifth trial pass is not scored.

Related guides

• Swedish grades and meritvärde — how the other selection group ranks you.
• Learning Swedish as a newcomer — reaching Swedish 3 or Tisus before you compete.
• Tuition fees in Sweden — who pays once admitted.
• The personnummer explained — why it decides which ID you bring.
• Swedish schools for newcomer families — the gymnasium years before the test.

Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Higher Education Ordinance), Universitets- och högskolerådet (studera.nu), Lund University, Stockholm University, Luleå University of Technology — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.