Sweden guide · verified 2026-07-04
Cost of Studying in Sweden: Tuition, Living and Proof of Funds
Money & proof of funds
Non-EU/EEA students face two separate costs: tuition (paid to the university) and a government-set minimum living-cost threshold (the maintenance requirement, proven to Migrationsverket). Health insurance is mandatory for shorter stays and effectively bundled in for longer ones via population registration.
Tuition (non-EU/EEA)
≈ SEK 80,000 to 300,000+/year
Varies by university and subject, Humanities/Social Sciences/Law programmes tend to sit lower in the range, Sciences/Engineering/specialised programmes (e.g. medicine, design) higher. There is no single national rate; always confirm on the specific programme page.
Application fee
MandatorySEK 900 per semester applied for
Maintenance/proof-of-funds requirement (2026)
Mandatory≥ SEK 10,656/month
= 18% of the year's price base amount, revised annually (was SEK 10,584/month for 2025 applications, SEK 10,314/month for 2024). Must be shown for the WHOLE permit period applied for. Reducible by SEK 4,736/month for free housing and SEK 2,960/month for free food if provided by the institution or an exchange organisation.
Acceptable funds evidence
Bank statement, scholarship, sponsorship, employment income, or study loan
Bank statements must be dated within 4 months of the intended permit start date. Sponsorship/scholarship letters must state the amount and payment schedule.
Residence-permit application fee
MandatorySEK 1,500 (adults) / SEK 750 (under 18)
Health insurance (permits under 12 months)
MandatoryComprehensive private insurance, ≈ SEK 400 to 800/month
Must cover emergency and other medical care, hospitalisation, emergency dental care, and medical repatriation. Many universities arrange free FAS/FASplus cover (via Kammarkollegiet) for fee-paying students for the length of their programme, check whether the university provides this before the student buys a private policy.
Health insurance (permits 12+ months)
ConditionalPublic healthcare via population registration (folkbokföring), not a separate purchased policy
See Arrival section, access follows automatically once the student is population-registered and holds a personnummer, rather than through a policy the student buys.
Confirm the current-year maintenance figure before quoting it
MandatoryThe maintenance requirement is revised roughly annually and tracks Sweden's 'price base amount', it moved from SEK 10,314 (2024) to SEK 10,584 (2025) to SEK 10,656 (2026). Always pull the live figure from Migrationsverket's page for the year the student is applying in, and never carry forward a prior year's number.
Sequence tuition payment before the residence-permit application
MandatoryPay the first tuition instalment as soon as the university requests it after admission, Migrationsverket will not begin processing the residence permit until the university has confirmed payment. This is the step most likely to blow the whole timeline if delayed.
Assemble funds evidence dated correctly
MandatoryWhatever combination of bank statement, scholarship, sponsorship, employment income, or loan the student uses, make sure bank statements are dated within 4 months of the intended permit start, and that scholarship/sponsorship letters spell out amount and payment timing exactly as Migrationsverket's checklist requires.
Check whether the university provides free FAS insurance
RecommendedFee-paying students are often automatically covered by Kammarkollegiet's FAS (or FASplus) insurance, arranged and paid for by the university, covering travel to/from Sweden, the full study period, and a short window either side. Confirm this with the admissions office before buying a separate private policy for programmes of a year or more.
Budget realistically beyond the funds-requirement floor
RecommendedSEK 10,656/month (2026) is a regulatory floor, not a comfortable living budget, Stockholm and other major cities run higher, chiefly on rent. Counsel students to budget with a margin above the minimum and to start the housing search (including queue-based systems) months ahead, since housing, not admission, is often the real bottleneck.
Housing shortages in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and other university cities are severe, start the search as early as possible.
The maintenance requirement changes almost every year with the price base amount. Always re-check the current SEK/month figure on Migrationsverket's page before a student funds their account or submits evidence.
Sources
- Apply for a residence permit for studies at higher education, Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket)
- Fees and scholarships, University Admissions in Sweden (UHR / universityadmissions.se)
- Insurance for students who pay tuition fees (FAS and FASplus), Kammarkollegiet (Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency)
Where this fits
This is one step of the full Sweden journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
More on Sweden
Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.