Upper secondary education in Sweden

In Sweden there are both municipal and private upper secondary schools. The education is free of charge and voluntary, and you can choose to study at upper secondary level after compulsory school.

There are two main specialisations in Swedish upper secondary education:

1. Higher education preparatory programmes (högskoleförberedande program): These programmes prepare you for higher education at universities and university colleges.
2. Vocational programmes (yrkesprogram): These programmes focus on vocational learning, and prepare you to go straight into the labour market.

Both types of programme are three years. There is also an adapted upper secondary school (anpassad gymnasieskola), which is a four-year education for young people with intellectual disabilities.

Admission to upper secondary education in Sweden

All young people in Sweden are entitled to study at upper secondary school when they have completed compulsory (secondary) education. The aim of upper secondary education is to prepare pupils for either a vocation or higher education.

If you come from another Nordic country, are under 20 years of age, and have completed secondary education, you are entitled to apply for Swedish upper secondary education. If you are over 20, you can apply for admission to the adult education system instead.

How is upper secondary education organised in Sweden?

Sweden offers a broad range of upper secondary programmes, with 18 national programmes (nationella program) available at upper secondary schools throughout the country. In addition, there are specialised programmes that are only offered at selected schools.

Common subjects at upper secondary school

Eight subjects are common to all upper secondary schools and all pupils must study these - English, History, Sport and Health, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Religion, Social Studies, and Swedish/Swedish as a Second Language. These common upper secondary subjects (gymnasiegemensamma ämnen) are designed to prepare the pupils for both working life, higher education, and active participation in society.

Individual and programme-specific subjects

In addition to the common subjects, pupils can choose individual subjects, and they will also study subjects that are specific to their programme (programgemensamma ämnen). Many programmes also include unpaid workplace-based learning (arbetsplatsförlagt lärande/APL).

Some schools offer unique study specialisations, but these are only found at a few places in the country. If you want to find out more about which subjects different schools offer, contact the individual upper secondary schools.

Does Swedish upper secondary education prepare you for higher education?

Yes, the Swedish upper secondary programmes are designed to prepare you for higher education studies at university and university college. All programmes prepare pupils for admission to higher education or to higher vocational education (yrkeshögskolan). Even if all programmes give basic competencies, the different study specialisations offer specific qualifications that may be required for admission to certain higher education programmes.

If you follow a vocational upper secondary education programme, you can choose to go straight out onto the labour market when you have completed the programme. You can also choose subjects that qualify you for higher education.

To get more information about specific entry requirements and subject-based competencies, it is a good idea to contact the educational establishment you are interested in.

Study programmes at Swedish upper secondary school

In Sweden you can choose between different study programmes at upper secondary level, divided into higher education preparatory programmes and vocational programmes.

Higher education preparatory programmes

There are six higher education preparatory programmes that give you both general skills for higher education and the opportunity to specialise. These programmes are:

• Business Management and Economics Programme
• Arts Programme
• Humanities Programme
• Natural Science Programme
• Social Science Programme
• Technology Programme

Vocational programmes

There are twelve vocational programmes (yrkesprogram) in the national programme, that prepare you for specific professional areas or a vocation. These programmes are ideal if you want a practical education that leads to Swedish higher vocational education (HVE, yrkesutbildning). In order to apply for HVE in Sweden, you must first complete upper secondary education.

International and specialised programmes

• International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme: An English-language programme that offers an internationally recognised student diploma. The programme combines academic courses with practical specialisations.
• Sports programmes: These combine upper secondary education with sport at a high level.
• Apprenticeship education: A combination of tuition at school and workplace learning. The latter involves around half of the three-year education programme.

Adapted upper secondary school

If you have an intellectual disability or a non-congenital brain injury, and you need extra adaptations, an adapted upper secondary school can be an option. This school form offers vocational national programmes and individual programmes that focus on specific subject areas instead of traditional subjects.

If you live in another Nordic country, you are not entitled to be a pupil on introductory programmes or in the adapted upper secondary school in Sweden. However, if you live in Sweden with a parent who has the right of residence, these are special circumstances that come under EU legislation. 

If you are doubtful about your situation, you should contact the relevant authorities for more information. You can also contact your local school or college to find out more about the programmes and opportunities suitable for you.

Most young people in Sweden apply for admission to an upper secondary programme in the spring of Year 9. You can apply for admission up to and including the spring term of the year of your 20th birthday.

How to apply

Admission to upper secondary education in Sweden is administered by the local municipality. This is what to do:

1. Contact the municipal advisory service: If you want to apply for a place at a state upper secondary school, contact the advisory service in the municipality in which the school lies.
2. Application to private schools: If you want to apply to a private school, send your application direct to the school.

Application methods

• Online application: Many municipalities use a common website for admissions.
• Paper application: Some municipalities require that you use physical application forms.

Important deadlines

The deadline for applications to upper secondary education can vary among municipalities. It is therefore important to check your municipality’s website for the specific deadlines and details about the application process.

Further information and help

For more information about the application process and guidelines, you can visit your municipality’s website or contact the municipality direct.

To start an upper secondary programme in Sweden you must have completed compulsory school, with pass grades in Swedish (or Swedish as a Second Language), English and Mathematics.

When you meet the requirements for entry to upper secondary education, you are said to be eligible (behörig). Here are the requirements for the different types of upper secondary education:

In order to satisfy the entry requirements and become eligible for admission to vocational educational programmes, you must have pass grades in:

• Swedish/Swedish as a Second Language
• English
• Mathematics
• Pass grades in any five other subjects, i.e. a total of eight subjects.

In order to satisfy the entry requirements for higher education preparatory programmes, you must have pass grades in:

• Swedish/Swedish as a Second Language
• English
• Mathematics
• Pass grades in a further nine subjects, i.e. a total of twelve subjects.

For admission to the Business Management and Economics Programme (ekonomiprogrammet), Humanities Programme (humanistiska programmet), and Social Science Programme (samhällsvetenskapsprogrammet), four of the nine subjects passed must be Geography, History, Social Sciences and Religion.

For admission to the Natural Science Programme (naturvetenskapsprogrammet) and the Technology Programme (teknikprogrammet), three of the nine subjects passed must be Biology, Physics and Chemistry.

For admission to the Arts Programme (estetiska programmet), pass grades must be attained in any nine subjects.

If the programme you are interested in is very popular, it may be necessary to have attained a higher grade average.

For more information about entry requirements and whether you satisfy them, you can contact the educational establishment you are interested in.

If you lack the necessary qualifications for admission, you can instead choose to apply to one of the introductory programmes (introduktionsprogram): preparatory education (preparandutbildning), programme-oriented individual options (programinriktat individuellt val), vocational introduction (yrkesintroduktion), individual options (individuellt alternativ), and language introduction (språkintroduktion).

If you have completed part of your upper secondary education in another Nordic country and want to continue your education in Sweden, your earlier grades and language proficiency will be assessed in relation to the corresponding level in a Swedish school. Your grades from the other country can be validated in three ways:

1. Tests in Swedish courses: You may be asked to take a test in the Swedish courses to document that your competencies correspond to the Swedish level.
2. Head teacher’s assessment: If your previous grades or certificates show that you meet the requirements for a pass grade, the head teacher can give you a grade E (pass). Note that the head teacher cannot give you a higher grade than E based on this assessment.
3. Tuition and grades: You can choose to participate in tuition in the relevant courses and attain a grade directly in Sweden.

You can get precise information about validation of your foreign grades by contacting the school to which you want to apply or the advisory office at the Swedish municipality.

When a pupil from another Nordic country is to start school in Sweden, the Swedish school will assess the pupil’s abilities in Swedish to see whether their language skills are strong enough for the pupil to keep up with the tuition. If the school assesses that the pupil’s proficiency in Swedish is insufficient, they will be offered tuition in Swedish as a Second Language.

For entry to an upper secondary educational programme in Sweden you must:

• Have sufficient knowledge of Swedish to keep up with the tuition.
• Satisfy the general entry requirements i mathematics and English.

Are you entitled to mother-tongue teaching in Sweden?

If you have a parent/guardian whose mother tongue is not Swedish, you are entitled to mother-tongue language teaching if that language is spoken daily in the home and if you have a basic knowledge of the language.

If your parent/guardian speaks a national minority language as a mother tongue, you must be offered mother-tongue language teaching even if the language is not spoken daily in the home. The national minority languages are Finnish, Meänkieli (Tornedal Finnish), Sami (all dialects), Romany Chib, and Yiddish.

If you are a Nordic citizen and want to do all or part of your upper secondary education in Sweden, you can receive support from the student finance authority in your home country if the school in Sweden is approved by the authorities in your home country.

Can you apply for a higher education programme abroad with a diploma from a Swedish upper secondary programme?

The Nordic countries have an agreement on co-operation on upper secondary school education. This agreement ensures that people from other Nordic countries have access to upper secondary education in Sweden under the same conditions as Swedish citizens.

If you have a qualification from a Swedish upper secondary school that makes you eligible for higher education, you can apply to higher education in all the Nordic countries.

Swedish educational institutions can apply for state support for pupils from other Nordic countries. You can find more information about this in the Upper Secondary School Ordinance (Chapter 12).

Nordic pupils can be admitted to an upper secondary programme if they have undergone an education that corresponds to a Swedish compulsory school education and satisfies the entry requirements for the programme they are interested in. These pupils are exempted from the requirement for a pass grade in Swedish. Alternatively, they are treated on an equal footing to local applicants in the municipality where they are applying to upper secondary school.

National study guides are a useful resource when you are looking for information about educational opportunities and careers in the Nordic countries. They provide details about upper secondary educational programmes, vocational education, and other relevant study programmes. These guides give you an overview of different upper secondary educational programmes, the application process, entry requirements, and guidance on choosing subjects.

When you are planning to study at upper secondary level in Sweden, it is important to be aware of several factors. Consider information about student housing, finance for your education, and whether a Swedish education is recognised in the other Nordic countries. You can find useful information about these topics in the various study guides on the Info Norden website.