Swedish Universities: International Students Remain Top Priority

Sweden'suniversitiesare keen to ensure top international students continue to choose the country, following the introduction of tuition fees for non-EU/EEA/Swiss applicants.

Sweden is a well-established higher education destination, with a strong presence in the QS World University Rankings, a well-established global reputation for research and innovation, and a highly developed, international society.

The Swedish university system has also become known for its emphasis on equal access and openness, with tuition entirely funded by the government, and relationships between faculty and students known for their informal character.

However, as for much of the world, this is a time of change for universities in Sweden. Facing mounting funding challenges and rapidly rising numbers of foreign students, the government introduced tuition fees for international students from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, starting from 2011.

The full impact of this decision has yet to be seen, but those within the sector are concerned that it will almost certainly mean fewer applicants from outside of Europe – a trend they would be keen to reverse.

International diversity a priority for universities

Fewer international students would be bad news not only for Swedish universities, but for the country in general, believes Eva Malmström Jonsson, deputy president of KTH, Royal Institute of Technology.

“We consider it a significant backlash for Swedish society if Swedish higher education institutions are becoming populated by European, and especially Swedish, students only,” Malmström Jonsson says.

“We have to provide students and researchers which a similar learning culture and environment as in society at large – which is becoming increasingly international. We do believe our graduates and PhDs will be better prepared if the culture on our campuses is international.”

Uppsala University’s international coordinator, Kay Svensson, agrees that international diversity is linked to the quality of education provided. “With a mixture of cultural backgrounds in the classroom, the quality of discussions improves.”

As for the scholarship schemes introduced by the government to assist incoming bachelor’s and master’s students, Svensson says these help, but are currently too few, and not guaranteed to attract the best applicants.

Still among the world’s leading HE destinations

So far the picture is mixed. Applications to international master’s programs dropped dramatically in the first year of fees, while 2012 saw at least some recovery – though still only 31,223 applications compared to 132,000 in 2010.

But even in 2011-12, international student ratios do not seem to have suffered at the country’s top universities. In the 2012/13 QS World University Rankings, the top four (including Uppsala and KTH) all saw improved scores for international student ratio – though this does not differentiate between EU and non-EU students.

All four also improved their overall rankings, and the majority of Sweden’s ranked universities climbed this year in the global academic and employer surveys, suggesting the country’s global reputation is continuing to grow.

This is unsurprising. Sweden’s public spending on higher education remains well above the OECD average, and its levels of research and number of world-ranked universities are particularly impressive in the context of its population size.

For students, Malmström Jonsson and Svensson argue that Swedish higher education really does have a unique offering to make. They point in particular to its reputation for nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship, through a combination of personal challenge, teamwork and ‘non-hierarchical’ support from faculty members.

If the country can effectively communicate these strengths, then it should be well placed to compete for international fee-paying students alongside other popular HE destinations.