How to Get Your Master’s Degree in Sweden (for Cheap)

Cost of Living for Master’s students in Sweden

For a very general guideline, living costs will be about 8000 SEK per month which roughly equates to $875. This is generous and monthly cost of living can definitely be less (or more!) depending on the city/town you live in, what type of housing you live in, and your lifestyle outside of the classroom.

Study in Sweden has a lot of great resources about cost of living written by experts and students themselves, so they’re pretty honest. Here’s a general guide to living costs in Sweden, which includes links to some great student blog posts comparing costs in different cities. They also include some helpful money saving tips.

You’ll of course want to factor into your budget some extras, like the application fee (900 SEK), the residence permit application fee, and a couple of flights to either head home for a visit or travel to other spots in Europe, which is pretty easy to do from Sweden. Of course, you’ll want to have some fun in between your studying so leave some budget for that, especially as Sweden’s known for its outdoor spots, like skiing, hiking, and biking.

Book your TOEFL or IELTS test

If English is your second language and you haven’t previously studied in English at university, you might be required to take a TOEFL or IELTS test to prove your language proficiency, as all of your classes in Sweden will be in English. If you’re certain you want to study in Sweden, then get your test booked ASAP so you can make sure you get your results back in time for the application process.

Research scholarships

As with undergrad studies, there are scholarships available to grad students, even when studying abroad. It’s definitely worth applying to as many as possible in order to get that tuition cost down even more.

Some graduate-level scholarship resources:

• The Study in Sweden website has a comprehensive list of scholarships for international students getting their Master’s degree in Sweden
• The University of Gothenburg scholarship resources list
• IIE’s Study Abroad Scholarship database

We also have a pretty comprehensive guide to finding scholarships for study abroad, complete with a free scholarship checklist. Every little bit helps, so apply for anything you can!

Get your documents in order, and apply!

Well, you’ve gotten this far, so I think you’re pretty serious about getting your Master’s degree in Sweden. Congrats! Your future career will thank you.

The application process is fairly straightforward and what’s great is that you can apply for all of your desired programmes (up to four per application round) with just one application– this is called a coordinated application system. It is important to double check application requirements for each, as sometimes extra steps need to be taken.

There will be a few supporting documents that you’ll need to include with your application so give yourself plenty of time to get those together and get them sent to Sweden if needed.

Make sure you apply by the deadline for the semester you’d like to start studying. Find key dates and deadlines here.

Wait for your notification of acceptance

Ooo…waiting for the results! Remember when you had to do this for your Bachelor’s? Seems like light years ago for me… anyways, you’ll eventually be notified if you’ve been accepted, waitlisted or rejected for each degree you applied for.

Here’s how the Notification of Selection Results procedure works, in more detail. Good luck!

Once you’ve received your notification, *celebrate*, and then you’ll need to send your reply. This is very important and needs to be done by the deadline or you’ll risk losing your spot.

Apply for your residence permit

If you’re not a citizen of the EU/EEA, then you’ll need a student residence permit. These take a while to process so apply early. As mentioned above, once you have a student residence permit you’re eligible for work in Sweden too. You’ll also need to pay your first tuition payment, collect some supporting documents, submit your application online and pay your application fee.

Here’s more information on getting a residence permit as a Master’s student in Sweden.

Get on a flight to Sweden!

You’re officially a Master’s student in Sweden — congratulations! To find out more about living in Sweden as a student, Study in Sweden has a great Student Life Guide with everything you’ll need to know, including how to find living accommodations, get health insurance, and how to find a job in Sweden during and after your degree.

Also, since you’re a student again, you can use StudentUniverse to get discounted flights to and from Sweden. Read more about how to get cheap flights when studying abroad.

Thanks again to Study in Sweden for sponsoring us to create this guide, and congrats to you for making it to the end. Let me know in the comments if you’re thinking of studying in Sweden and if you have any questions.

Image credits: Tina Stafren/imagebank.sweden.se, Cecilia Larsson Lantz/Imagebank.sweden.se, Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se, Ulf Lundin/imagebank.sweden.se