Education In Sweden

Sweden, which is approximately the size of California and has a relatively small population of 9.2 million, is one of the most highly developed countries in the world with 100 per cent literacy.Though people here speak Swedish, English is the leading medium of international communication, especially with students and professionals. Most schools and universities tutor in both the languages.The Swedish local currency is SEK (Swedish Kronors). SEK 1 = Rs. 6 approximately.A typical classroom for a graduate or postgraduate course in a Swedish university would comprise students whose age range from 19-50 years. Ninety per cent of the undergraduate studies, postgraduate studies and research in Sweden is carried out at the 13 State universities and the 23 university colleges.Alongside the public universities and colleges, there are a small number of privately-run higher educational institutions that receive government funds. These include the Stockholm School of Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH- Kungliga Tekniska Hogskolan) and the University College of Jonkoping.The selection process is highly organised and unbiased. Higher education in Sweden is free for all students (local and international) except for a small fee paid to the student union for social services. The student also gets to enjoy many benefits through this union such as discounts on purchases at bookstores, airlines, etc. Approximately 85 per cent of the funding for undergraduate programmes comes from state grants.The average cost of living for an individual in Sweden in major cities such as Stockholm and Göteborg would be around SEK 5000 per month, which is inclusive of house rent and other expenses. Stockholm is one of the most expensive capitals in the world. But since education is free, the living expenses would not hurt your purse as much as it would if you studied elsewhere in the West.In addition to these, there are about 10 smaller private institutions with the right to award certain degrees of higher education. Types of jobs for which there is a current or expected future high demand include graduate-level IT specialists, engineers, finance and accounting professionals, and marketing and sales professionals. Renowned companies such as Ericsson, Volvo, Tetra Pak, SKF and IKEA are based in Sweden. hindu