The number of applicants admitted to international master’s programmes starting autumn semester 2011 has decreased by 58% in comparison to autumn semester 2010, while the number of applicants admitted to international courses has decreased by 64% in comparison to the same period. These new statistics were reported by The Swedish Agency for Higher Education Services (VHS) after the publication of applicants’ selection results.
A total of 8,075 applicants were admitted to an international master’s programme at Sweden’s universities and university colleges with a start date this autumn. The corresponding number of admitted applicants to international courses was 1,944.
|
Master’s, autumn semester 2010, total admitted |
19,147 |
(100%) |
|
Master’s, autumn semester 2011, total admitted |
8,075 |
(100%) |
| Change |
-11,072 |
(-58%) |
|
International courses,
autumn semester 2010, total admitted |
5,398 |
(100%) |
|
International courses,
autumn semester 2011, total admitted |
1,944 |
(100%) |
| Change |
-3,454 |
(-64%) |
Large decrease in number of applicants
When the application period closed on 17 January, 2011 for autumn semester’s international courses and programmes, the number of applicants to master’s programmes had decreased by 73% (from 91,788 applicants to autumn semester 2010 to 25,094 to autumn semester 2011) while the number of applicants to international courses had decreased by 86% (from 40,429 applicants to autumn semester 2010 to 5,772 applicants to autumn semester 2011).
The decrease in applications was expected and depended to the largest extent on the Swedish government’s decision to introduce application and tuition fees for students from outside the EU/EES and Switzerland applying for courses and programmes, starting with the autumn semester, 2011. Other countries, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, saw similarly large reductions to their international applicant pool when they introduced fees.
”One of the reasons for the introduction of application fees was to reduce the number of applicants who weren’t really interested in studying in Sweden,” said Andreas Sandberg, Coordinator of Admissions Production at VHS. “The percentage of applicants from the applicant pool who were admitted is higher, which would seem to indicate that we have reached that goal. What’s left is to see how many of the admitted applicants choose to pay their tuition fees and start their studies in the autumn.”
For more information, please contact:
Andreas Sandberg
Telephone: +46 (0)8-50 58 95 80
VHS Press Service
Telephone: +46 (0)8-725 96 91 or press@vhs.se.