Study Counselling for Immigrants
Do you have foreign qualifications, are living in Sweden, and want to continue your studies here? Here you can find information to help you in planning your admission for studies at the University of Gothenburg.
Foreign qualifications mean a completed upper secondary qualification or a started, or a completed, university degree.
Programmes of study and activities
This section brings together all the programmes of study and activities that the University of Gothenburg offers that are specially intended for people who are new to Sweden.
Did you end up right?
Do you live outside Sweden and are considering studying at the University of Gothenburg? Please visit Study options.
Are you admitted to our University and is looking for information to prepare for your arrival and stay in Gothenburg? Please visit Before you arrive.
Evaluation and recognition of foreign qualifications
If you have previously studied at a university or university college, you can have your qualification evaluated for recognition by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). UHR's statement of recognition shows what your foreign qualifications correspond to in the Swedish education system. Having this statement is useful for planning your university studies or when looking for a job.
If you have a foreign upper secondary qualification, a statement from UHR will show whether this satisfies the general entry requirements for university studies in Sweden. The statement also shows if you satisfy the specific entry requirements in certain subjects. From this statement, you will know if you need to supplement your foreign qualifications before you can apply for university studies in Sweden.
- Recognition of foreign qualifications (external page)
- Read this before you apply for evaluation (external page)
Don’t have documentation of your foreign qualifications?
If you have a foreign post-secondary qualification but do not have the documentation for all or part of your qualification. In this situation, you can apply for a background paper, which is a description of foreign qualifications. By applying for a background paper from the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR), you obtain a useful document for planning further studies, validating your skills, or applying for jobs.
Validation of prior learning is about giving recognition to missing documents from previous studies or working for a long time within a profession. When you have been admitted to a course or programme at the University of Gothenburg we make an individual evaluation. The evaluation may include interviews with experts, theoretical or practical tests, or assignments.
No documents from your foreign education? (external page)
If you have questions about the University of Gothenburg's work with validation, contact our coordinator for validation, Pernilla Hultberg
Fulfilling entry requirements for university
To be admitted for university studies prior knowledge is required. To fulfil the general entry requirements, you need to have:
- Completed a foreign secondary school qualification.
- Good knowledge of Swedish* and English.
- You may also need a knowledge of mathematics, depending on when you left secondary school.
*A knowledge of Swedish will not be required for courses and programmes fully taught in English.
If you do not have a foreign upper secondary qualification, contact the adult education section in your home municipality for more information.
Entry requirements (universityadmissions.se)
Other ways of fulfilling entry requirements
If you cannot fulfil the formal general entry requirements for higher education studies, the University of Gothenburg can evaluate your experience from working life and from voluntary work or other activities through recognition of prior learning. This is an alternative way of proving that you have the competence for the education you have applied for.
Recognition of prior learning (information only available in Swedish)
Unsure about the general entry requirements?
You’ll find more information about general entry requirements, documentation, and important dates in the section Apply.
How to apply
You apply to study via antagning.se (in Swedish) or universityadmissions.se (in English). The antagning.se website lists courses and programmes of study taught in Swedish and to some extent also in English. The universityadmissions.se website lists courses and programmes of study taught in English at Swedish universities, as well as information about the application process.
Study counselling
Do you have further questions about planning your university studies? You are most welcome to contact the study counselors at the University of Gothenburg.
- For you who are unsure of what you want to study and need general counselling: General questions about university studies
- For you who know what subject area or programme you want to study: Questions about subjects, courses or programmes