Globalization and ubiquitous computerization (which, according to paranoids, allows Big Brother to follow us) helps every person with an Internet connection to truly feel like a citizen of the world. And this means not only looking at photos in social networks of residents of different countries, but also getting the opportunity to visit them yourself or even go there to study. Seems affordable only for the children of we althy parents? But no: if you are smart, hardworking and not afraid of difficulties, you have a chance to get an education abroad. For example, in the homeland of ABBA. Let's find out about the features of the education system in Sweden and how a foreigner can enter her university.
Birthplace of Carlson and Pippi Longstocking
This country today is one of the richest and most prosperous. Moreover, to modern man it is better known not by ABBoy or books by Astrid Lindgren, but as the birthplace of IKEA.
We are talking about Sweden, which still has a monarchy (constitutional), which does not prevent it from being very progressive in allrelations.
This kingdom is quite large in size for Europe - 447,435 km². However, a high standard of living here (GDP per capita is $40,418 a year) is ensured not only through the competent use of a favorable geographical location and natural resources, but also thanks to a well-thought-out educational system.
Annually, 4.9% of GDP is allocated to this area, which is a very high figure. What exactly is this money going for? Let's find out more.
Sweden's early childhood education system
Unlike Holland, where babies tend to be pulled out of their mother's arms at the age of 3 months, Sweden has more democratic laws, and children are taken to kindergartens from the age of 1.
The main goal of such institutions is to help the child adapt in society by teaching him to get along with peers.
Preschools in this country are divided into 3 categories.
- Inskolning is the so-called adaptive kindergarten, in which the child is helped to get used to getting used to parental care and become more independent. To make this process as smooth as possible, during the first month, the presence of dad or mom in class is practiced for an average of 4-5 hours a day.
- Dagis are familiar kindergartens that children attend at the age of 1 to 5 years. The daily routine here is similar to ours, except for the absence of a mandatory quiet hour. Although if you remember childhood - then which of us actually sleptthen? In Sweden, if a child gets tired, he can lie down in a corner on a special mat and take a nap there.
- Förskoleklass - this is the name of the zero classes or preparatory classes. Six year olds go here. They are taught to read, count and write in a playful way.
All kindergartens in Sweden are paid. Moreover, their cost depends on the level of income of parents and the number of children in the family. The fee for 1 month of education in a preschool institution cannot exceed 130 euros. At the same time, the Swedish government welcomes large families. Therefore, the more kids in the family, the cheaper kindergarten costs her.
Fee for one child -3% of the monthly income of parents but not more than 130 euros, for two you will have to pay 2% for each, for three - 1%. And if there are four children in the family, their stay in kindergartens is fully paid by the state.
At the same time, the system of pre-school education in Sweden, although it welcomes large families, does not allow itself to sit on its neck. Thus, a child is en titled to kindergarten only if both parents work. And if one of them is sitting at home - be kind, raise your children on your own before entering the Förskoleklass. However, even in this case, parents are given an indulgence - their crumbs can attend kindergartens for 3 hours a day or 15 hours a week in a free order.
Features of Swedish schools
The next stage of education in Sweden is Grundskola. This is the name of the nine-year school, consisting of three levels:
- Lågstadiet- initial. It consists of 3 classes.
- Mellanstadiet - intermediate level - grades 4-6.
- Hgstadiet -high school - grades 7-9.
At the elementary and intermediate levels, students are not assigned homework and are not graded. During this period, almost all subjects are taught by the same teacher.
Starting from the senior level, the Swedes not only have subject teachers, but also an grading system in letters from A to F.
Among the subjects that are added to high school students are a second foreign language, economics, drawing, natural science (a mixture of physics, chemistry and biology) and social science (geography, history, law, basic religion).
At the end of each year in Sweden, students are tested in their native language, English, and math. Interestingly, the result does not affect the child's academic performance in any way, it simply helps to assess the level of mastering the material.
After graduating from Hgstadiet, a student can go to work as a laborer or continue his studies at a gymnasium (Gymnasieskola).
All schools in Sweden are divided into 2 types: private and municipal. The vast majority of children study in the latter. The fact is that private ones almost always pay, and the cost of studying there is very high - 9236 euros per year.
For migrants from other countries, each municipal school has specialized classes in which the level of education is adapted to the knowledge of children, as well as their age. At the same time, teachers make every effort to ensure that their students learn Swedish as soon as possible and catch up with the local program.
Gymnasiums
Gymnasium education in Sweden is optional. Hereschool graduates enter and study from 16 to 20 years old.
Unlike the school, the programs here are profiled. They prepare students in three areas: professional, technical and academic. For this purpose, 26 programs have been developed in Sweden. A third of them prepare for university entrance, and the remaining 2/3 provide professional knowledge in a certain area.
After graduating from the gymnasium, it is not necessary to immediately enter the university. Many Swedes take "holidays" and travel. Or they temporarily take low-skilled jobs to figure out what they want to do in life.
It happens that a temporary part-time job becomes a matter of a lifetime. Therefore, in many enterprises, employees who have shown themselves well are offered distance learning without leaving production. This is what Volvo Trucks does in Sweden. The training of diagnosticians-auto-electricians or diagnosticians-mechanics is one of her areas of interest. The fact is that the timely repair of trucks is no less important than from production. Therefore, handymen who have shown ability in this area are usually sent to master the above-mentioned speci alties more thoroughly.
However, more often, having made sure that they do not like working for pennies, after a couple of years, graduates of gymnasiums enter universities. Therefore, the average age of Swedish freshmen is 25.
Considering the pros and cons of studying in Sweden, it is worth mentioning such a phenomenon as Folkhögskola. These are the so-called higher folk schools, which are aimed at teaching adults, there are about 150 of them.
If the Swedes for some reason do not have a completed secondary education (gymnasium certificate) or they are migrants from other countries, they can study here already in adulthood and fill in the gaps in their education.
These institutions have a wide variety of programs, ranging from short courses to longer and more in-depth study in some of the selected profiles.
At the end of their studies, Folkhögskola graduates receive a diploma, which is a full-fledged analogue of a gymnasium certificate.
If an adult wants to get a higher education, he needs to take the preparation for university entrance in KomVux (public schools for adults).
Higher education in Sweden
You can get it in more than 50 educational institutions. These are not only universities, but also higher schools.
Here you can get diplomas at three levels:
- bachelor (3 years);
- master (2 years);
- doctor (4 years).
In the predominant majority of Swedish universities, instruction is provided in their language. However, there are many programs in English.
Please note that undergraduate studies are taught in the language of the British only for selected speci alties, and even then only in a third of institutions. While in a master's or doctoral program, studying in Sweden in English is in most cases mandatory even for citizens of another country.
The most in-demand majors here are Engineering and Computer Science, Agriculture, Business Administration, and Science and Humanities.
An interesting situation is observed in the field of pedagogy. This specialization is not particularly popular in the country due to low salaries, which leads to a shortage of personnel in this area. That is why Swedish universities are often invited to teach foreigners from poorer countries or for some social programs, thanks to which they cost the universities mere pennies.
Distance learning in Sweden
This state is estimated as one of the most high-tech. Therefore, the use of computers and Internet technologies has long been taken for granted here.
Digital libraries and various test programs, as well as the ability to hold Internet conferences, lectures and seminars, allow students of Swedish universities to study remotely.
Today, in some universities there is a so-called dual mode of study. Its essence is that the same courses can have full-time and distance learning. Despite the fact that students of different forms, of course, study separately, the exams are common for them, although for the second category they can be conducted using online programs.
At the moment, distance learning (or, as it is called, e-learning) is very common in Sweden. Moreover, not only foreigners resort to it, but also the Swedes themselves. Especiallyif they work in parallel with their studies (as is the case with the program at Volvo Trucks) or it is simply convenient for them to study at home.
As for foreigners, they can practice under this regime, even while outside Sweden.
It is worth noting that distance learning foreign students are not granted a student visa.
Best universities in Sweden
Although there are many educational institutions in this country, not all of them are the same. Let's look at the top ten of them, whose diplomas are quoted around the world.
- Uppsala University specializes in providing medical and legal education.
- Karolinska Medical University. This is where the Nobel Prizes in Medicine and Physiology are awarded. It is one of three universities in Sweden with an English-medium system of study. Although quite a few programs are in Swedish.
- Lund University - recognized as the best university in Scandinavia. The main areas of study are politics, law, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, medicine, communication and linguistics.
- Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology. The largest Scandinavian of its kind.
- Stockholm University is the largest university in Sweden. It consists of 4 faculties: natural, humanitarian, legal, and public.
- Stockholm Academy of Liberal Arts, aims to train painters and sculptors.
- Chalmers University of Technology located in Gothenburg. The main specializations are architecture, design,natural sciences, computer science, and nanotechnology.
- Gothenburg University prepares specialists in finance, information technology, medicine, economics, law, fine arts and design.
- Swedish Agricultural University. Its name speaks for itself. However, in addition to livestock breeders and agricultural specialists, it also trains genetic engineers and ecologists.
- Luleå University of Technology aims to conduct practical research in various fields. Therefore, it is precisely such specialists that are being trained here.
Issue price
Finally got to the point that everyone who dreams of studying in Sweden cannot but worry about, namely the cost of studying at its universities.
For citizens of this state, as well as immigrants from EU countries, getting higher education here is free. But for people from other powers (including Russians), education in Sweden is paid. This applies to both face-to-face and distance learning programs.
As for the cost itself, it varies depending on the university and the specific subject. On average, one academic year costs 7500-21000 euros. And that's just the university fee. When deciding to study in Sweden, it is important to take into account the cost of the flight and the accommodation itself - this is about 10 thousand euros per year. As a rule, these expenses include payment for accommodation, food, transport, medical insurance, not counting the office, books and personal expenses.
PleasePlease note that when applying for a study visa, among the package of documents, you will need to submit a certificate from the bank on the availability of funds in the account, which are planned to be used to pay for living in the country (850 euros per month for the entire period of study). And besides, it will be mandatory to take out insurance in the amount of at least 30 thousand euros.
Grants and social programs
The high cost of studying in Sweden is probably one of its main disadvantages. However, do not fall into despair. Indeed, in this state there are a number of scholarship programs for foreigners. In addition, since 2010 (when education for non-EU foreigners became paid), their number has increased significantly. So any of us has a real opportunity to receive a grant for education.
As a general rule, most scholarship programs are available for graduate or doctoral studies. Everything is simple here: the Swedes are aimed at "exporting brains" from other, less we althy countries, and therefore are interested in ready-made specialists (bachelors), who will only have to learn a little, and can be lured to their place. Therefore, preference is given to future masters and doctors.
Free education in Sweden for Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Georgians and Moldovans can be obtained through the Visby program (Swedish Institute B altic Sea Region Program). Its main advantage is the full coverage of all expenses not only for academic needs, but also for accommodation and air travel.
For immigrants from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Armenia andKazakhstan has developed a similar program - The Swedish Institute Study Scholarships.
Besides them, grants for studying in Sweden can be provided directly by the universities themselves, again, only for masters and doctors. However, they generally cover only or part of the academic expenses.
There is a nice feature of doctoral studies. Foreigners receive a small monthly salary of 1.5 thousand euros for their research activities.
In addition to the above Swedish programs, there are also international ones - these are ERASMUS MUNDUS or TEMPUS. They provide scholarships for particularly outstanding students, as well as compensate for other expenses.
Although most courses for foreigners are taught in English, which almost everyone in Sweden knows, when applying for a scholarship or grant, you need to keep in mind that applicants who know or study Swedish are preferred.
How foreigners can get here
When deciding to get a higher education in Sweden, you need to take the following steps:
- Select a university and study program. As a rule, such data is available on the official websites of each university. However, they can change, so it's best to send an email with a question to the site administrator.
- Find and apply for free education opportunities.
- Prepare documents and apply for training. Pay attention to the periods of their submission, so as not to be late. Luckily this can be done multiple times.per year.
- Wait for an answer. Whatever it is, it will be sent to you.
- If you are accepted, you need to start collecting a new package of documents for obtaining a student visa.
Although each university has its own requirements for applicants, usually these items are still included here.
- School certificate translated into English and notarized.
- Certificates of knowledge of foreign languages (TOEFL (90), IELTS (from 5 to 7 points) - for English and TISUS, SLTAR - for Swedish.
- Motivation letter - explaining why the applicant wants to study here and why it should still be accepted.
- Recommendation letters from school.
- Printing out the title page of your personal account from the website of the university admissions office.
- Copy of passport.
- Receipt of payment of the mandatory contribution.
The above package of documents is suitable for admission to the bachelor's degree. If we are talking about a master's degree, instead of a certificate, a bachelor's degree with an insert is submitted, and letters of recommendation are provided from the university, and not from the school.
It's even easier with doctoral studies: the same as for a master's program, plus a diploma and examples of scientific papers.
Exams for entering Swedish universities are very rare. As a rule, enrollment occurs through the competition of certificates. You can improve your chances of admission with the Högskoleprovet (English and Mathematics) exam. However, please note that it is conducted in Swedish.
If you weighed all the pros and cons of studying in this country, and the firstmore - go for it! May good luck be with you!
