Tuition fees

An application fee of 900 SEK (Swedish kronor) must be received to the University Admissions by the fee deadline 1 February in order for your application to be processed.

If you are already registered on a course or programme and studying in Sweden you will not need to pay an application fee.

Once you are admitted to a Master’s programme or Bachelor’s programme at SLU, you will be sent an email with payment instructions for the first instalment of your tuition fees. This amount will cover tuition for the first semester. The instalment must be paid in full, and have reached SLU by 20 May – you cannot spread the payment over the semester. It usually takes a couple of weeks for the fee to arrive to SLU, after the payment is made. The deadline cannot be extended due to the regulations of the Swedish Migration Agency. If you have any other scholarships than the SLU, SI or Colfuturo Scholarship, the fees must reach SLU by 20 May. You will be able to apply for a residence permit from The Swedish Migration Agency, once you have paid your first instalment and received a confirmation email from SLU.

The application for residence permit for studies will not be processed if the first instalment tuition is not paid. The application process for the residence permit can take up to 4 months.

You do not need to send in a payment receipt to SLU. 

Payment deadlines for each semester

First semester - autumn - 20 May
Second semester - spring - 15 December
Third semester - autumn - 1 August
Fourth semester - spring - 15 December

If your first payment for your programme has not reached SLU by the end of May, you will lose your place in the programme. If you have studied at least a semester in your programme, SLU must receive your tuition fee for the semester before you can start your course. If you pay your fees after the deadline, please check with the course coordinator if and when it is possible to register after the course has started.

If you cannot pay your fees

If your tuition fee for your first semester in your programme has not reached SLU by the end of May, you will lose your place in the programme.

If you have already started a programme, and you cannot pay the fee for your upcoming semesters, you cannot begin your studies for the semester. The tuition fee for the semester must be paid in full to be able to begin the studies that semester, you cannot pay part of the fee and study the first course. If SLU has not received your fee by the middle of the semester, you will be suspended from studies.

Note that the Migration agency requires students to be registered on 30 credits each semester. If you are not registered on 30 credits each semester, your residence permit might be revoked, or an application for an extension denied.

SLU have no scholarships for students already in a programme, or other ways of helping students who cannot pay their tuition fees.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay the tuition fee for the first semester after 20 May?

20 May is the absolute last day the fee can arrive to SLU for you to have a chance to receive a residence permit in time. If SLU has not received your payment by 20 May, you will lose your place in the programme. It is not possible to extend this deadline. Note that not all students who pay before 1 June manage to receive a residence permit in time. The applications are processed in the order they came in to the Migration Agency. You can only apply for a residence permit after you have paid your fee. Please pay the fee as soon as possible to be able to receive your residence permit in time.

How long does it take for the fee to reach SLU?

The transfer time vary greatly depending on the transfer route. Payment made from Sweden usually takes up to a couple of days. International payments usually takes a couple of weeks to arrive into SLU’s account, however it may take over a month. Please pay the tuition fee as soon as possible to ensure that it arrives in time.

Is it possible to pay the tuition fee without making a bank transaction?

The transaction can be made by others, such as an online payment service. Please note that if you need your fee to be refunded, we can only make the refund to the same account the payment was made from. If you use an online payment service you have to collect the fee yourself in case of a refund.

You cannot pay the fee using credit cards or bitcoin.

Can someone else pay the tuition fee for me?

Yes, anyone can make the tuition fee payment. Make sure that your name and birthdate is included in the reference.

Can I pay the fee in other currencies than SEK?

You are welcome to pay the fee in other currencies, such as US dollar, Euro or British pounds. SLU cannot tell you the tuition fee in other currencies than SEK. You can find the current exchange rate at your bank, or by some other means. 

I cannot pay the fee for my first semester before the deadline, can you keep my place until next year?

You can only defer your studies if you have paid your fee, and you have a special reason you cannot start this year. SLU will keep your tuition fee until next year.

I have paid my tuition fee, what do I do now?

Wait for the confirmation email from SLU. You do not have to send in your payment receipt to SLU. Apply for a residence permit immediately after you have received the confirmation email from SLU. You can read more about the process in the checklist for international students.

The status on University Admissions still says I have to pay the fee, but I have received a confirmation email from SLU?

The status on University Admissions will not change, even after the tuition fee has been paid. The status on University Admissions indicates that you are a fee paying student.

You can receive a refund for your tuition fees if:

• you are refused a residence permit for your studies;
• you have been conditionally admitted and do not meet the entry requirements two weeks after the enrolment day;
• you have become exempted from paying tuition fees, for example through a residence permit in Sweden for other reasons than studies.
• there are other special circumstances that can be supported.

Email to: tuitionfees@slu.se if you want to apply for a refund. Your email must include a written statement of why are you requesting the refund, and official documentation supporting your reasons for requesting a refund. All documentation must be in English, and any translations must be by a sworn translator.

SLU can only refund tuition fees to the bank account from which they were paid. To avoid any problems with your refund, we strongly advise that you make your payment from an account in your name. The refund process takes approximately one month.

Please contact us for further information.

If you would like to take different courses to those you ranked at the top of your 30 credits at the time of the second selection round, you will need to contact tuitionfees@slu.se and tell us which courses you want to take instead. Here are some examples of when you will need to contact us:

• If you accept a reserve place after the second selection round
• If you submit a late application and are admitted
• If you are admitted to more than 30 credits and want to study courses which are prioritised lower than your top 30 credits
• If you want to study more than 30 credits.

Can I study less than 30 credits each semester?

The Migration Agency demands that students are registered for 30 credits each semester. Please consult with the Migrations Agency if you wish to study less than 30 credits. You still need to pay for your entire semester (30 credits) if you wish to study less than 30 credits.

Can I study courses at other universities?

If you study courses at other universities during your programme, you still have to pay the fee to SLU. SLU will not transfer the fee to the university you wish to study, you must pay the tuition fee to them as well. The tuition fee payment for your last semester can be lowered if the courses you have taken at other universities can be included in your degree. Contact tuitionfees@slu.se for such a request.

The tuition fee for each course is lower than my tuition fee this semester?

Your tuition fee is the same each semester, regardless of the cost of the individual courses. Some semesters your tuition fee will be higher than the fee for the courses, some semesters your tuition fee will be lower than the fee for the courses. It adds up in the end. 

During your studies, you can:

• Take courses outside your programme at SLU, up to 30 credits. The tuition fees will be the same as those for your original programme.
  
  
• Participate on a student exchange. The fee paid to SLU will be the same as if you were studying on your programme at SLU. If you are unable to transfer 30 credits per semester from exchange studies, you must pay for additional courses at SLU to be able to be awarded your degree. Make sure you plan your exchange carefully to ensure that full credit transfer will be possible. Additionally, you may be entitled to a scholarship from SLU for your exchange period.

The cost of living in Sweden largely depends on your lifestyle. The living expense requirement for you as an applicant in 2023 is at least SEK 9,450 per month. For applications received by the Swedish Migration Agency during 2022, the living expense requirement is at least SEK 8,694 per month.

This amount is slightly less than what Swedish students receive. Therefore, before you leave home, make sure that you will be able to finance your stay. It will save you a great deal of unnecessary stress and make your study experience in Sweden much more enjoyable.
For more information about cost of living, visit Study in Sweden.

Will SLU provide housing for me?

Fee paying students are guaranteed housing for themselves. The rent is not included in the tuition fee. If you want to get housing for other persons, such as a partner and/or child, you have to find housing on your own. More information regarding housing will be sent to all paying students during June.

To be able to study in Sweden, you need a residence permit. Application for a residence permit for studies can be sent after the tuition fee has been paid, and you have received a confirmation email from SLU.

Application for a residence permit is made through the Migration Agency website. The Migration Agency is responsible for the entire residence permit process. SLU cannot in any way affect your application. Questions regarding your residence permit should be asked to the Migration Agency.

The waiting time for a decision from the Migration Agency is usually between 2-5 months, sometimes longer. Therefore SLU urge students to pay their tuition fee and apply for a residence permit as soon as possible after you have received the payment instructions from SLU (shortly after you receive the notification of selection results). You can check Time to a decision.

The only document you need to prove that you have admitted to SLU, and that you are insured, is the notification of selection results emailed to you after the selection. For contact to the university, you can provide tuitionfees@slu.se. However, that step is optional.

You must be registered to 30 credits each semester. If you study less than 30 credits during a semester your residence permit may be revoked, or an application for an extension denied. If you cannot study for any reason, such as illness or because you cannot pay your tuition fee, you are expected to leave Sweden, as a residence permit for studies only allows residence for studies.

Study in Sweden put together a video presentation together with the Swedish Migration Agency. This presentations will walk you through all the basic information related to applying for a residence permit for studies in Sweden. You can find the presentation here.

Please do not depend on working to support yourself during your time as a student in Sweden as it is very difficult to find available part-time jobs. Many employers require Swedish language skills, and depending on your university workload, it may be difficult for you to commit to work outside of studies.