Sure JobsWhen you want to study in any of the Scandinavian countries as a foreign student, be it Norway, Sweden or Denmark, the first thing to look out for is the educational system in these countries to know if you will fit in or not.
Scandinavian or Nordic countries consist of three countries: Norway, Sweden, and Denmark which share historical, cultural, educational and linguistic ties among their citizens. They have similar educational systems; hence, if you want to study in any of the Nordic countries as a foreign student, you are going to follow similar procedures irrespective of your country of interest.
What is Scandinavia
According to wikipedia.org, Scandinavia is a region in northern Europe that has strong historical, cultural, and linguistic relationships between its constituent peoples. It consists of three main countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and part of Finland. Scandinavian countries are also called Nordic countries. Apart from sharing historical and cultural ties, these countries also have similar educational systems. So, if you want to study in Scandinavian countries, you should understand their educational system, especially if you are an international student, to enable you to cope with ease.
Why You Should Consider Scandinavian Countries if You Want to Study Abroad
According to worldpopulationreview.com, Scandinavian countries are ranked as the happiest countries in the world. In that ranking, Finland was ranked first, followed by Denmark and Sweden, which are ranked second and fourth on the list. So, if you want to study abroad as an international student, you can consider Nordic countries because there is a high quality of life there and a conducive environment for academics.
When it comes to education, most of the institutions in these countries are ranked highly due to the quality of education they offer. Some of the higher institutions in these Nordic countries rank above 100 in the international university ranking. The Nordic countries allow free speech and they have good security architecture to protect the lives and properties of people living with them. They discriminate against LGBT, so if you are a crossdresser, you can also study in any Scandinavian country because they can protect your rights.
Scandinavian countries offer free education to their citizens and students from other European countries. Although they do not offer outright free education to international students who are not from Europe, they have different scholarship opportunities for foreign students who want to study at any public university located in the Nordic countries.
So, as a foreign student who wants to study abroad, you can consider institutions in Scandinavian countries because they are happy countries with a high quality of life; they have excellent security architecture for the protection of life and there is free education for students from Europe and scholarship opportunities for international students who want to study there.
Scandinavian Educational System
The school system in Nordic countries, like Sweden, Norway and Denmark, is closely related. The educational system in these countries starts from preschool, where children are required to enter school once they are at least six years old. After preschool in Nordic countries, it will be followed by a 9-year compulsory school that is mandatory for all the citizens of these countries and beyond. Once a student completes 9 years of compulsory schooling, such a student can then decide to enroll in a voluntary upper secondary where students choose their area of specialization, like technology, business or, better yet, a vocational program. Although the upper secondary school in Scandinavia is voluntary, most students complete it.
Meanwhile, for a student to enroll in a Scandinavian university, such a student must have graduated from the secondary school with good grades. Once the student meets the requirements, they can then enroll for their undergraduate program in any of the Scandinavian universities.
Ordinarily, the undergraduate programs in European countries and Scandinavia last for three years with about 180 ECTS credits. Meanwhile, one-year studies (about 40 weeks) in Europe (Scandinavia inclusive) are equal to 60 ECTS credits. However, a credit from an American university is equal to 2 ECTS credits.
The undergraduate school system in Scandinavian countries often contains two semesters, which are the fall and spring semesters. The fall semester usually starts from late August to December, while the spring semester often starts from January to the beginning of June. However, most of the programs in European countries usually start in the fall semester.
The interesting thing about the Scandinavian undergraduate school system is that students are not only centered on degrees, as seen in many countries. Students in Scandinavian countries are allowed to attend higher institutions to study courses that they think will help their careers. In fact, the undergraduate programs in these countries are relatively flexible when compared to other nationalities. However, if you want to study specialized courses, like medicine, engineering, etc in a Scandinavian university, a degree is the ultimate goal; hence, students are required to study specific subjects before they can qualify for the degree.
However, most undergraduate programs in Scandinavian universities are taught in local languages; nevertheless, international students at the undergraduate and master levels are taught in English.
Best Universities in Scandinavia that International Students can Study in
In the previous section of this article, we gave you a number of reasons why you should consider studying in Scandinavian countries as a foreign student. In addition to those reasons, you should also study in Scandinavian countries because they have quality universities that are ranked highly globally. Some of the Scandinavian universities are ranked above 100 globally, which is a clear indication that Nordic countries are citadels of education. Some of the highly ranked universities in Scandinavian countries are listed below:
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
- Lund University, Sweden
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Copenhagen (KU), Denmark
- Uppsala University, Sweden
- University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
- Aalto University, Finland
- University of Helsinki, Finland
- University of Oslo, Norway
- Stockholm University, Sweden
- Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
- Aarhus University, Denmark
- University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
- University of Bergen, Norway
- Linköping University, Sweden
- Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark
- University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
- University of Oulu, Finland
- University of Turku, Finland
- Umeå University, Sweden
If you want to advance your study as a foreign student in Scandinavian countries, you can enroll for your studies in any of these internationally recognized universities, and you will be happy that you did.
How to Apply to Study in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark
Now that you know the Scandinavian school system and their universities, let’s look at their application process and the best time to apply to start your studies. As we stated when we discussed the Scandinavian school system, we noted that they have fall and spring semesters. The application process for each semester varies because they often have different openings.
For the fall semester, which often starts from late August to December, the application deadline for international students is usually in January each year for all the international students seeking admission in Nordic universities. Meanwhile for the spring semester, which starts from January to June, the application deadline is usually in August. However, some Scandinavian universities often offer supplementary application opportunities for international students who applied late.
Meanwhile, international students in Nordic universities are taught in English; hence, foreign students who are not European citizens are required to get an English proficiency certificate with good grades. The English proficiency certificates that Scandinavian universities accept are IELTS or TOEFL. International students with IELTS are required to have a minimum score of 6.5 (with no section below 5.5) for TOEFL; foreign students are required to have a minimum of IBT 90. If your English proficiency score is below these scores, you may not be able to study in any Scandinavian universities
However, if you want to enroll for undergraduate study in Scandinavian universities as an international student, you are required to have completed twelve years of studies in school. Although the undergraduate program in Scandinavian universities is often flexible, if you want to study specialized courses like medicine, engineering, or natural science, you need to be rooted in science subjects like mathematics, physics, Chemistry and biology to enable you to do well academically. For American students who want to enroll in undergraduate programs in Scandinavian universities, they are required to take Advanced Placement (AP) tests and pass with good grades before they can be admitted.
Tuition Fees for International Students in Scandinavian Countries
Different Scandinavian countries have various fees for international students who want to study in their country. However, it is pertinent to note that Nordic universities are absolutely free for citizens from EU/EEA countries.
The school fees for international students in Denmark are between €8,000 and €18,000 per year.
The school fees for international students in Norway is between 80,000 and NOK 150,000
The school fees for international students in Sweden range from €8,000 to €18,000 per year.
Conclusion
The educational system in Scandinavian countries is all-encompassing and it is suitable for international students who want to advance their studies with hands-on experience since Scandinavian countries have many standard universities that are recognized globally. So, if you are an international student who wants to study abroad, you can consider Scandinavian countries.
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