This chapter describes how students can get support in Sweden in the form of grants and loans, but also in the form of discounts and special insurance. The chapter also explains what is required in order for you to qualify for financial support and what you need to do to apply for it.

The benefits described are:

• study allowance (studiehjälp)
• financial aid for studies (studiemedel)
• study allowance for people with disabilities (Rg-bidrag)
• education entry grant (studiestartsstöd)
• student finance for transition and retraining (omställningsstudiestöd)

This Guide does not describe in detail other benefits within the financial support system such as extra child allowance, supplementary loan and additional loan. More information about other types of student financial support can be found on the Swedish Board of Student Finance’s (CSN’s) webpage: http://www.csn.se/.

In what situation can I claim?

As a student in Sweden, you can get financial support. There are various forms of financial support, but they all have in common the fact that you apply for them via the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN).

There are different types of financial support depending on your age and what you are studying. From the autumn term of the year in which you turn 20, you can apply for financial aid for studies (grants and loans) to study at folk high school, adult secondary education programme (komvux), national adult education programme, or another compulsory or upper secondary school. Until the spring term of the year you turn 20, you are eligible for study allowance instead.

If you will be attending a college or university, or taking certain other courses after upper secondary school, you can apply for student aid even if you are younger than 20 years old (there is no minimum age limit for financial support for this level of studies).

If you will be attending a certain national upper secondary school for students who are deaf, hearing impaired or have another disability, you can apply for a study allowance for people with disabilities.

You can apply for financial support for studies both in Sweden and abroad. Special rules apply to foreign citizens.

If you are unemployed and have a short prior education and need education at the primary or upper-secondary level to be able to get a job, you may qualify for the Education entry grant.

As a student, you may also be entitled to certain discounts and special insurance.

Student finance for transition and retraining is a new kind of student finance aimed at adults who have already entered the labour market. It is primarily available for studies in Sweden starting on 1 January 2023 or later.

What conditions do I need to meet?

The type of support you can get depends on your age and what you will be studying. You can get financial support to study abroad if you meet certain requirements. If you are a foreign citizen and are planning to study in Sweden, you can receive Swedish financial support for studies if you meet certain requirements.

Study allowance

You are eligible for a study allowance if you are between the age of 16 and 20 and are studying full-time at upper secondary school, adult secondary education programme (komvux) or folk high school. The study allowance consists of a grant and in some cases a supplementary allowance (extra bidrag) and a boarding supplement (inackorderingstillägg).

Financial aid for studies

From the autumn of the year in which you turn 20, you can apply for financial aid if you are studying at folk high school, adult education, and adult secondary education programme (komvux), national adult education programme, or another compulsory or upper secondary school.

If you will be attending a college or university, or taking certain other courses after upper secondary school, you can apply for financial aid even if you are younger than 20 years old (there is no minimum age limit for financial aid for this level of studies).

The upper age limit for financial aid is 60 years, regardless of the level of your studies. Some restrictions apply from the year you turn 51.

Financial aid consists of both grants and loans. You can choose whether you want to apply for loans or just receive grants. The loan must be repaid within 25 years and should be completely repaid by the time you are 64 years old. How much you pay depends on the size of the loan, the interest rate and how many years you have left to pay back the loan. The amount you pay will usually increase year after year. If you are having difficulties repaying your loan after your studies or if you have exceptional individual reasons, you may apply for a reduction of your annual amount based on your income.

Study benefits for people with disabilities

You can apply for a study allowance for people with disabilities if you have a hearing impairment or motor impairment when attending a national upper-secondary school. You can receive a study allowance for people with disabilities if you attend the national upper secondary schools for the deaf and hearing-impaired in Örebro or the national upper secondary schools for young people with severe disabilities in Gothenburg, Kristianstad, Stockholm or Umeå. The grant is intended to help you pay for extra expenses, such as the cost of food, housing and travel home.

Education entry grant

It is a grant directed at those who are unemployed, who have a short prior education and need education at the primary or upper-secondary level to be able to get a job.

Some of the requirements you need to meet to have the right to the education entry grant are the following:

• being 25-60 years of age;

• being unemployed for a total of at least six months in the last twelve months;
• having a short prior education and having an extensive need for education at the primary or upper-secondary level to be able to get a job;
• not having received student aid in the past three years;
• studying at least 50% of full time for at least three weeks.

Student finance for transition and retraining

It is a new kind of student finance aimed at adults who have already entered the labour market. Student finance for transition and retraining allows you to study and broaden your skills to improve your employability, either by further developing your expertise within your chosen field, or by starting down a new path.

It is available for 44 weeks or longer if you choose to study part-time. If you are under the age of 40, the studies may not last longer than 80 weeks of full-time studies, or the equivalent amount of time for part-time studies.

In order to be eligible for student finance for transition and retraining, you must meet a number of requirements, such as:

• being between 27 and 62 years of age;
• having worked for a total of 96 months (8 years) over the past 14 years;
• having worked for at least 12 out of the last 24 months;
• your studies must strengthen your position in the labour market.

What am I entitled to and how can I claim?

Support for studies

If you are a Swedish citizen you do not need to apply for study allowance when you study in Sweden. Extra supplements and boarding supplements must be applied for. Application forms can be found on CSN’s website How much assistance you receive depends among other things on your household finances and the distance to your school.

If you are a foreign citizen, you need to apply for study allowance. Application forms can be found under the heading Blanketter.

Student aid

There is also a higher grant, which you can receive starting from the year you turn 25 and if you meet all requirements. Since 2011 you can, under certain conditions, get the higher grant if you are under 25 years and unemployed. The highest weekly grant you can receive is SEK 1,021 if you are a full-time student. In addition, you can take out a loan of SEK 992.

If you have children, additional costs or have worked before your studies you can get an extra supplement.

If you are studying part-time or just for a short period, amounts may be lower. If you work while studying you can also get a reduced student aid depending on how much you earn. If you study for 20 weeks full-time over a 6-month period, you can earn up to SEK 101,697 without your student aid being reduced. This amount is called the free amount (fribelopp).

You can apply for financial support, both grants and loans, on the Swedish Board of Student Finance’s (CSN's) website: www.csn.se. If you have e-ID you can fill in, sign and send your application directly via the website. If you do not have e-ID you need to print, sign and submit the application by post to CSN.

Study allowance for people with disabilities

The size of the study allowance for people with disabilities depends on how much you pay for your accommodation and what income you receive. Contact the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN) for more information.

E-mail: rgbidrag@csn.se
Postal address: CSN i Eskilstuna, Box 488,
631 06 Eskilstuna

Education entry grant

You can receive the Education entry grant of SEK 2,493 per week for 50 weeks for full-time studies.

Municipalities assess whether the student is entitled to the education entry grant. The application is submitted to the municipality (it is not possible to apply directly to the CSN).

Student finance for transition and retraining

It consists of a grant and an optional loan. How much you receive through the grant and loan depends on your income.

The grant corresponds to 80% of your previous income, up to a maximum amount (SEK 5,143 per week before tax in 2023). If you earn SEK 27,863 or more per month before tax, you will reach the maximum amount. The grant is taxable and also pensionable.

Some transition organisations can offer an additional study grant to top up any remaining net losses of income during the study period, depending on the contents of their collective agreement.

The student loan is also based on your income and subject to a maximum amount (SEK 3,139 per week in 2023).

You can apply for student finance for transition and training on the Swedish Board of Student Finance’s (CSN's) website: https://www.csn.se.

Student discounts

As a student, you are entitled to various discounts. To benefit from some of these, you will usually need to show a student ID card (Studentkortet) or a Mecenat card (Mecenatkortet). You can usually obtain both cards automatically or by applying through the companies’ websites.

When you attend a Swedish college or university in Sweden, you are covered by an injury insurance policy through Kammarkollegiet (Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency).

If you are studying at another school, please ask your school if you are covered by an insurance.

If you are studying abroad, it is important that you have a private insurance. Costs for medical care can otherwise become very expensive. You can apply for a loan for insurance from the Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN).

Jargon busters

E-ID - see the chapter on Benefit during sickness.

Annuity loan (annuitetslån) is a loan for students calculated with a special annuity formula. This means as a rule that the annual amount you pay back later increases year after year.

“The free amount” (fribeloppet) is the limit which tells you how much income you may earn alongside your studies without your student aid is being reduced.

Forms you may need to fill in

You apply for financial support through the Swedish Board of Student Finance’s (CSN’s) online application on the website (in Mina sidor), www.csn.se.

Know your rights

Sweden:

• Study Support Act (1999:1395)

Who do you need to contact?

Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN)
Website: www.csn.se
E-mail service: https://www.csn.se/epostaoss/indexFraga.jsp
Tel. +46 771276000

For study allowance for people with disabilities
CSN in Eskilstuna
Box 488
631 06 Eskilstuna
Sweden
E-mail: rgbidrag@csn.se