It is widely known that Sweden, among its Scandinavian counterparts, provides tuition-free higher education to its citizens and to EU/EEA citizens. Before 2011, however, Sweden provided free education to foreign students from around the world seeking bachelor's and master's degrees. Non-EU students can now expect to pay SEK 80,000 to 140,000 ($12,350 to $21,613) for tuition alone, not counting travel and living expenses. This can total to about SEK 250,000 or $44,000, a lot of money for some international students who are seeking higher education.
Since introducing fees, Swedish universities have
struggled to attract foreign students. Before 2011, Sweden had nearly 8,000
international students in their last year of university at various
institutions. Since then, enrollment for non-EU nationals has decreased by 80%
or 1,600 students. Some Swedish universities offer stipends for master's
students from non-EU countries, though these stipends are only able to cover
about 60 students out of an average 5,000 applicants.
Another problem for international students is Sweden's
visa policy. If a student is studying for less than three months, depending on
their country of origin, they will need a visa. If the student is staying for
longer than three months, the student will need a residence permit that lasts
for up to one year. Should a student need to stay for longer than one year or
one school year, the residence permit will have to be renewed. EU citizens do
not need to obtain these documents, as they only need to register with the
Swedish Migration Board to alert the government of their presence.
While these seem like relatively normal procedures, these
documents cause potential problems for students who want to stay in the country
after graduation. Once these documents expire, the student is given only ten
days to leave the country. About 76% of international students want to stay in Sweden
and find jobs, but only 17% are actually able to find employment. It is
actually more common for international students to find jobs with Swedish
companies outside of Sweden. Graduation is now a frantic search for jobs if a
student wants to remain in Sweden.
Critics argue that Sweden's visa policies are too strict
and need to be reformed. There is also criticism that "…Sweden needs
better links between education and industry," to encourage more foreign
involvement and foreign take-away. Tobias Krantz, the Head of Education at the
Confederation of Swedish Enterprise cites the reason for imposing tuition fees
as "large numbers of non-paying students distorted the education market."
He also added that "overseas students should look to Sweden because they
want to benefit from a high level of education, not because the university
entrance is free of charge."
While benefiting from a Swedish education is the ideal,
Swedish institutions are damaging PD efforts to bring students over to learn
about Sweden and its culture. Without free tuition or wide availability of
stipends, foreign students are losing incentive to come to Sweden. This, in turn,
hurts Sweden by pushing away highly-skilled or highly-trainable students and
future employees, as Sweden is facing an aging population and a skills shortage.
Tight restrictions on student visas and residence permits encourages the
out-flow of talented students who may bring Swedish ideas back to their home
country, but who actually want to stay and contribute to the local economy.
While it is important to spread Sweden's message and ideals abroad, these
education and visa policies can contribute to a negative view of how Sweden
treats youth, spoiling their brand among a new generation of students.
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