If you are a foreign citizen

In order to receive financial aid for studies, you must first meet the requirements for the basic right to Swedish financial aid for studies according to Swedish regulations or rank in the same category as a Swedish citizen according to EU Legislation. If you are the child of a visiting scholar or of a Turkish citizen who is working in Sweden, special rules apply. Please contact us for further information.

You must also meet the other requirements for financial aid for studies, for example that the studies qualify for financial aid for studies.

You can qualify to receive financial aid for studies both in Sweden and abroad.

Are you going to study in Sweden?

You are normally only entitled to financial aid for studies if you have moved to Sweden for another reason than to study here. If you are a visiting student, you must finance your studies yourself.

First we will check whether you have the basic right to financial aid for studies according to the Swedish regulations. If you do not meet those requirements and are an EU citizen or a relative of an EU citizen, we will test whether you rank in the same category as a Swedish citizen according to EU Legislation.

Right to financial aid for studies according to Swedish regulations

You may have the basic right to receive financial aid for studies, if you meet one of the following requirements:

• You have a permanent residence permit.
• You have refugee status or status as eligible for protection or have received a residence permit because of particular hardship according to the Swedish Migration Board.
• You have a right of residence and are an EU citizen or are a relative of an EU citizen, and you have lived and worked in Sweden for at least two years.
• You have a right of residence and are an EU citizen, and you have been married or cohabited in Sweden for at least two years. The person with whom you are married or cohabiting must be a Swedish citizen or be living in Sweden and have the basic right to financial aid for studies. Under certain circumstances, you may qualify if you have been married or cohabiting for less than two years.
• You have a right of residence and are an EU citizen or are a relative of an EU citizen, and you were younger than 20 when you moved to Sweden. You accompanied or joined your parents, who are living and working in Sweden.
• You and one of your parents have a valid residence permit based on close family ties with someone who lives in Sweden.
• You have a parent who is a Swedish citizen.
• A Swedish agency has placed you in a foster home institution.
• A special guardian has benn appointed for you under the Children and Parents Code.

Right to financial aid for studies according to EU Legislation

If you are an EU citizen or a relative of an EU citizen, you can be ranked in the same category as a Swedish citizen according to EU Legislation and thus qualify for financial aid for studies. You must meet one of the following requirements:

• You have a permanent right of residence.
• You came to Sweden to work or run a company and have established yourself on the Swedish labour market before you start to study. You must continue to work during the period that you study. Even if you have stopped working you may have the right to financial aid for studies, but then you must meet special requirements.
• You are a relative of an EU citizen who came to Sweden to work or run a company and who has established themselves on the Swedish labour market.

If you are a citizen in a country outside EU, you can also be ranked in the same category as a Swedish citizen according to EU Legislation and thus qualify for financial aid for studies. You must meet the following requirement:

• You are a long-term resident in Sweden or another EU member state according to the Swedish Migration Board, and you have therefore received a residence permit in Sweden.

Are you going to study abroad?

Normally, only Swedish citizens are entitled to Swedish financial aid for studies outside Sweden. If you are an EU citizen or related to an EU citizen, in certain cases you can be ranked in the same category as a Swedish citizen according to EU Legislation.

If CSN decides to rank you in the same category as a Swedish citizen, you must also meet the other requirements to receive financial aid for studies. If you are applying for a study allowance for example, you must have lived in Sweden for a continuous period of two years during the last five years.

The rules for receiving financial aid for studies abroad differ depending on whether you are an EU citizen or related to an EU citizen.

EU citizens

You are entitled to Swedish financial aid for studies abroad if you

• have a permanent right of residence in Sweden
• came to Sweden to work or run a company, and have established yourself on the Swedish labour market before you start to study. You must continue to work during the period that you study. Even if you have stopped working, you may have the right to financial aid for studies. However, in these cases you must meet special requirements.

Relatives of EU citizens

• If you are married to, cohabiting with or the child of an EU citizen who works in Sweden, you can be ranked in the same category as a Swedish citizen according to EU Legislation and thus be entitled to financial aid for studies. Even if he or she has stopped working, you may still be entitled to financial aid for studies in certain cases.
• If you are married to, cohabiting with or the child of an EU citizen and have received a permanent residence card in Sweden from the Swedish Migration Board, you can be ranked in the same category as a Swedish citizen according to EU Legislation and thus be entitled to financial aid for studies.

If you are planning for upper secondary education abroad, there are specific regulations.

If you are studying within an exchange program, you can receive Swedish financial aid if you have qualified to the basic right to receive financial aid for studies in Sweden.

Last updated: 2010-06-01