Applicants from other countries
If, when applying to Upper Secondary School, you are not registered as living in Sweden in the national register of population, there are a number of factors that will affect your chances of being admitted to an educational programme. The Swedish population register plays an important role in upper secondary school applications.
About the Swedish Population register
Upper secondary schools in Sweden are primarily directed towards young people living in Sweden. The Swedish population register is the primary register for Swedish citizens in Sweden. The register is important in determining whether or not a municipality can receive financial compensation for a student from the government. If you are not registered in the Swedish population register, you may have limited rights to be admitted to an upper secondary school. Below is a list of different categories of applicants, and the rules that apply to them. Swedish citizens who apply from another country and intend to move to Sweden should ensure that they are registered in the population register before final admission. Applicants with final grades from Swedish compulsory school compete with these grades. Applicants with foreign grades have the possibility of being admitted via the independent quota.
Applicants from the Nordic region
Nordic applicants living in Finland, Denmark, Norway or Iceland have a right to upper secondary school education in Sweden. Nordic applicants are also exempt from the prerequisite of having a final grade in Swedish or Swedish as a Second Language in order to be admitted to national programmes.
You should contact the municipality or the independent school to which you wish to apply in order to find out what information they need from you and the possibilities for admission. You can contact us in order to get contact details for the municipal authorities.
Expatriate Swedes
If you are a Swedish citizen living abroad, you may be considered to have the status of Expatriate Swede if your legal guardians are also living abroad and at least one of them is a Swedish citizen. According to the Swedish Education Act (2010:800), an Expatriate Swede can apply on the same terms as residents of the municipality to which they are applying.
EU Citizens
For citizens of the European Union who intend to register themselves in the Swedish population register. When you are registered in the population register, you can apply on the same terms as other residents of the municipality in which you are registered. Registrations are processed by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket).
For citizens of the European Union who are not registered in the Swedish population register. You should contact the municipality or the independent school to which you wish to apply in order to find out what information they need from you and the possibilities for admission. You can contact us in order to get contact details for the municipal authorities.
Diplomats
For applicants who are not Swedish citizens but have a connection to an embassy in Sweden and wish to apply for upper secondary school. You should contact the municipality or the independent school to which you wish to apply in order to find out what information they need from you and the possibilities for admission. You can contact us in order to get contact details for the municipal authorities.
If you are currently enrolled in year 9 of compulsory school within Stockholm County, or in Håbo or Gnesta municipalities, you will receive your login credentials by post.
Asylum seekers
Young people under the age of 18 who are seeking asylum have a right to upper secondary school education in Sweden, and provide a copy of their valid LMA card in order to be considered for admission.
Refugees with protection under the Temporary Protection Directive (Massflyktsdirektivet) must provide their residence card that states that they are under temporary protection.
Irregular migrants
Irregular migrants under the age of 18 have the right to education in Sweden. This concerns youths whose temporary residence permit has expired, whose residence permit application has been declined, or who have arrived in Sweden without making themselves known to the authorities.
The school where this student is enrolled when applying to upper secondary school should provide a certificate of the student’s status as an irregular migrant.
Other Applicants
In order to study in Sweden, you will need a residence permit. See the information from the Swedish Board of Migration about residence permits in Sweden.