University in Sweden is free for swedish citizens, it used to be free for foreign students as well, but since some years ago the universities are allowed to put fees on foreign students. Dont remember the exact details of how it works.
Edit: looked it up, still free for people from EU, EES and Switzerland, and people living in Sweden with a resident permit.
I was around when they introduced it. They basically killed some programs because it went from a few students to none. Because why would you pay for a Swedish uni noone heard of instead of a bit more for a famous uni. It was a stupid policy.
They are not, which is why they charge them upfront. But people with a residence permit or citizenship are much more likely to stay long-term.
I have no strong opinion whether that is the right choice, tbh. I see it at my Uni, a lot of foreign students study here and the majority then leaves the country again. Which is fair, but the idea of tax-funded education is, well, it’s tax-funded, so I am more or less directly paying for their education. Is that good/bad/worth it or not? I’m not sure.
Also, I feel like the majority of foreign students that come here just for a degree are already from wealthy backgrounds. I know I’m on dangerous “feelings, not facts” territory, but I get a lot of “rich kid who didn’t get into a good uni in their home country” vibes. The poorer foreign students are usually super smart and got in via a scholarship or the likes.
University in Sweden is free for swedish citizens, it used to be free for foreign students as well, but since some years ago the universities are allowed to put fees on foreign students. Dont remember the exact details of how it works. Edit: looked it up, still free for people from EU, EES and Switzerland, and people living in Sweden with a resident permit.
I was around when they introduced it. They basically killed some programs because it went from a few students to none. Because why would you pay for a Swedish uni noone heard of instead of a bit more for a famous uni. It was a stupid policy.
To be fair, I see the argument. It is tax-paid, so you want to reserve it for people who are likely to pay future taxes.
Why are rich expats more likely to pay taxes in sweden in the future than expats who could not afford tuition?
They are not, which is why they charge them upfront. But people with a residence permit or citizenship are much more likely to stay long-term.
I have no strong opinion whether that is the right choice, tbh. I see it at my Uni, a lot of foreign students study here and the majority then leaves the country again. Which is fair, but the idea of tax-funded education is, well, it’s tax-funded, so I am more or less directly paying for their education. Is that good/bad/worth it or not? I’m not sure.
Also, I feel like the majority of foreign students that come here just for a degree are already from wealthy backgrounds. I know I’m on dangerous “feelings, not facts” territory, but I get a lot of “rich kid who didn’t get into a good uni in their home country” vibes. The poorer foreign students are usually super smart and got in via a scholarship or the likes.
Yeah, if it’s free for your citizens it has to be free for all EU citizens. Getting in can be tricky though.
Oh nice! Get yourself a permit!