A few facts about CSN

It means that CSN:

• examines whether applicants qualify for financial aid for studies
• sends financial aid for studies to qualified applicants
• is responsible for repayment of loans.

Following are the various kinds of financial aid for studies that CSN is in charge of:

• Study allowances at the upper secondary level (age 16-20)
• Student aid at the upper secondary, adult secondary education (Komvux), folk high school, college and university level
• Study allowance for travel and lodging for national upper secondary school students with disabilities.

CSN is in charge of home equipment loans to people, primarily refugees, who are not Swedish citizens. A home equipment loan can be used to purchase furniture and kitchenware.

CSN is also appointed by the Government as the responsible authority for official statistics regarding financial aid for studies.

CSN in figures

In 2009:

• 444 000 students had student aid (studiemedel) and 490 000 had study allowance (studiehjälp)
• CSN sent about 13,4 billion kronor in grants to students and about 11,6 billion kronor in loans.
• borrowers owed a total of 183 billion kronor
• borrowers paid 12,2 billion kronor in principal and interest
• CSN answered 1,4 million phone calls and the time of waiting was on an average 2 minutes and 31 seconds.
• the CSN organisation costs 802 million kronor, or 319 kronor per client.

Did you now that:

• Financial aid for studies began in 1919. The maximum was a loan of 1,500 kronor a year. The loan had to be repaid within 10 years.
• General student grants were introduced in 1957. The grant was 34 kronor a month for 16-18 year old students. Before that, various performance-based scholarships were common.
• CSN was formed in 1964 when the Study Allowance and Guaranteed Loans Committees merged. CSN stood for the Central Study Allowance Committee at that point.
• The student aid system that is basically intact today was adopted in 1965. A number of local student grants committees also started that year. The purpose of the committees was to examine whether applicants qualified for financial aid for studies and send student aid to people attending colleges and universities.
• CSN moved from Stockholm to Sundsvall in 1974 and changed its name to the Central Student Grants Committee. The head office is still in Sundsvall.
• The adult studies reform of 1975 gave adults the opportunity to attend upper secondary programmes, particularly Komvux. Adult education grants equivalent to unemployment benefits were introduced at the same time.
• In 1975, adult education committees were formed in each county to examine applications for adult education grants. The local student grants committees and adult education committees were independent agencies with their own missions and boards. CSN supervised the processing of financial aid for studies applications by the committees and allocated appropriations.
• In 1986, CSN took charge of study allowances at the upper secondary level. Municipalities, county councils, folk high schools and independent schools had previously had that responsibility.
• The student aid reform of 1989 introduced a new repayment system and improved financial aid for studies for those who went to school abroad.
• CSN took charge of home equipment loans in 1991. CSN, the local student grants committees and the adult education committees merged into a single agency on 1 July 1992.
• The financial aid for studies system was reformed again in 2001. Adult education grants were eliminated, as the result of which the student aid system provided the only financial aid for adults. Repayment of student loans was also changed. Annuity loan, the kind of student loan currently available, was also introduced.
• The extra child allowance for parents receiving student aid was introduced in 2006. In addition, the maximum age for receiving student aid was raised from 50 to 54.

Last updated: 2010-12-22