Means to increase Swedish students’ interest in studying abroad, more resources to attract qualified foreign students and better possibilities for foreign academics to establish themselves in the Swedish labour market are some of the measures to be taken, according the new Swedish Government’s bill Knowledge without borders – higher education in the era of globalisation, to increase the degree of internationalisation of Swedish higher education. In addition, the document states that Swedish students will be encouraged to study in emerging economies through a new scholarship programme. Greater teacher mobility and the possibility for Swedish HE institutions to award joint degrees are two other proposed measures to increase internationalisation. The Swedish Institute (ACA member) will be given an enhanced mandate to promote Swedish higher education and research in other countries.

While stating that the internationalisation of Swedish higher education should benefit from the introduction of tuition fees, the proposal to set fees for students from non-EU countries, which had originally been planned for spring 2009, has been delayed and is expected to come in a bill this autumn. Practically speaking, this means that tuition fees will be introduced by 2011 at the earliest.

Swedish Government