Andrei Neculau

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2007-2008 is my last bachelor academic year. I will get my degree this summer.

In January 2008, I have started a page on my former blog, concerning the process of applying to Masters at Swedish Universities. Quite unexpectedly there has been a lot of interest, and comments have been flowing from people wanting to study in Sweden as you see by looking at the PDF archives of the stream: part 1, part 2, part 3.

Today, I’m taking a step forward by moving the topic on my “new online home” and by slowly taking the discussions to a nice framework - a Facebook page.

Please read carefully the lines bellow, as it may become useful for you as a prospective student to Swedish Academics, especially if you do that through studera.nu (the National Admissions Office).

Introduction

I’m going to focus on the application process to Masters since this is my factual experience, but the process for getting into undergraduate studies or apply for individual courses can be very similar.

Starting 2007, Sweden has a centralized system that works with most of the universities. You register online, you choose your desired courses/programmes and then you send your documents only to the National Admissions Office. This system has been in place for Swedes for some years now, but 2007 was the first for international students. Read more about this here.

So you have a central office called the National Admissions Office. This office will take care of both your online application and your paper documents that are required by the programmes.

The office is reachable online at http://studera.nu , hence the title of this page.

Preparation

First you should decide what you want to do, look at what programmes are available, under which departments, and with what specializations. And you can only do that by finding out which are the biggest universities or which cities are academic focused. You can do that here.

There’s another easy way. Sydsvenska Industri- och Handels Kammaren (The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden) has a ranking list of Swedish universities. It is not an entirely academic focused ranking, but it offers a good start in my honest opinion. 2007 ranking list is available as PDF here.

Concerning Engineering the most important centers are to be found at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (The Royal Institute of Technology) in Stockholm and Chalmers Tekniska Högskola (Chalmers Institute of Technology) in Göteborg (Gothenburg). Then you have the universities in Uppsala, Linköping, Göteborg, Jönköping and others.

You could also take a look at the European universities’ ranking list for Sweden.

Another useful list that you need to look at is concerning the available Swedish Institute scholarships. You can do so here.

If you don’t fit into any of the region-specific or bilateral scholarships, then the only one that you might be able to apply for is the Guest Scholarship (description). Not all masters programmes are eligible for one, so make sure you check it out. The list is updated annually, and can provide you with some sort of hierarchy when you will have to choose which programmes to apply for. All SI Scholarships are around 8000 SEK.

Studera.nu provides a search engine for masters programmes, though I found it to be inefficient. You may want to try the one here, though I would say the best way is to just Google for the universities’ websites that you know of and look into their available masters programmes. Take notes for each of them that sound interesting! Remember to always check the requirements concerning ECTS credits. For some programmes you may not have enough ECTS credits in the required domain, or even worse you are required to have graduated specific courses!

At the moment when this articles was written, there were no fees implemented for any type of Higher Education in Sweden, although there seems to be an ongoing push into that direction.

Summarize your goals

After you have this preliminary list, I would recommend building an Excel list. Just put in every university you’ve found to have a programme in your area of interest, and the title of each programme.

You can/should then build a table with

1. each university’s ranking from the Chambers of Commerce (scale 0-150)
2. each university’s ranking from your personal perspective (scale 0-10)¹
3. each programme’s ranking from your personal perspective (scale 0-10)²
4. each programme’s eligibility for a scholarship (0 or 1)
5. each university’s extra points (0, 0.25 or 0.5)³

You then set a weight formula for each of them, and you end up with a score and a personalized ranking. This should give you a very good start to what you apply for.

You can always check out the statistics information that include number of available places, filled in places and the dynamics of the selection rounds. All that is available on the VHS Statistik page. Of course, it’s all in Swedish, but you can easily find your way around.
VT refers to Spring term, while HT refers to Fall term.
programutbildningar refers to programmes, while kurser refers to courses.
urval refers to selection round.

I have taken the time to translate a bit the statistics for HT2007 (Fall term 2007) and VT2008 (Spring term 2008). You have good chances of finding some of the programme alternatives you have chosen.
You can download it in English by clicking on VHS Statistics ⁴.

Step-by-step

A. Direction

1. figure out what field you would like to go into.⁵
2. figure out what academic centres are the most interesting⁶
   • browse studyinsweden.se here
   • find the ranking list from the Chamber of Commerce here
   • find out which is the application period

B. In Depth

1. search for masters programmes⁷
   • Google each institution that you found and look into its available programmes
   • browse studyinsweden.se here
   • browse studera.nu here (not recommended)
2. find out about the scholarships⁸
   • browse Swedish Institute’s scholarships here⁹
   • browse the bilateral scholarships here
   • browse other scholarships here
3. squeeze the list¹⁰

C. Get a Clear Perspective

1. build an Excel list
   1. University Name
   2. University Ranking - Chamber of Commerce (scale 0-150)
   3. University Ranking - Personal (scale 0-10)
   4. University Extra (scale 0, 0.25 or 0.5)
   5. Programme Code
   6. Programme Title
   7. Programme Ranking - Personal (scale 0-10)
   8. Scholarship Eligibility (scale 0 or 1)
   9. Any other criteria
2. build a weight formula¹¹
3. calculate the score for each programme
4. sort them out according to the score

D. Decide

1. take out some of them like the programmes that you would find less interesting, or those not eligible for a scholarship
2. sort the rest according to your own preference and be aware that the priority will deeply influence the score/ranking that you will get for that programme¹²
3. analyze your order with the previous sorting and make a decision
4. squeeze the list to the maximum allowed¹³
5. make a final choice regarding the order¹⁴
6. log in, add the programmes to your cart and submit your application at studera.nu¹⁵
7. delete/change it afterwards¹⁶

Paper Documents

The following are the documents needed for Masters applications, but they are the same for Bachelor applications unless stated otherwise.

1. Cover Sheet
   • produced by studera.nu
2. Bachelor Diploma/Certificate
   • This should be in its original language, and translated to English, Swedish, French or German. Both certified by a notarius publicus.
     In case you are allowed to apply for a masters while you are in your final year of your bachelor studies ¹⁷, you should provide a summary of your degree project, if you have one. Write this in English, Swedish, French or German.
   • Also, if indeed you can apply during your final bachelor studies, you need a letter from the dean of your department assuring that under normal circumstances, you will finish your bachelor degree at a specific date, allowing you to continue with your masters. If you have this one in another language, you must translate it into English, Swedish, French or German, and provide both of the versions certified by a notarius publicus.
   • For Bachelor applications: School Certificate
     This should be in its original language, and translated to English, Swedish, French or German. Both certified by a notarius publicus.
3. Transcript of Records¹⁸
   • This should be in its original language, and translated to English, Swedish, French or German. Both certified by a notarius publicus.
   • If you were an Erasmus student, it might not hurt to have them as well. Usually those are provided in English, so you only need to get a signed&stamped copy or one certified by a notarius publicus.
   • For Bachelor applications
     Of course, you need your pre-university Transcript of Records, but if you are already enrolled for bachelor studies, you can attach a partial Transcript of Records for your bachelor also. It may help with ranking you on a better position.
     This should be in its original language, and translated to English, Swedish, French or German. Both certified by a notarius publicus.
4. Copy of your Passport/European Union ID
   • This should be certified by a notarius publicus
   • Applicants that are not born in EU/EEA countries, but have EU/EEA citizenship or a Swedish residence permit, can apply during the second stage (with the first notification in July), but they need to send a copy of their passport or an identification card that proves the citizenship or a copy of the residence permit.
   • If you are not an EU/EEA citizen, the you must apply during December-January (first stage). Applications during the second stage will be ignored.
5. Other paper-based requirements
   These documents are programme/university specific. Look for them on the university websites! Even so, these are often:
   1. Summary of Degree Project
      • In both cases, if you have your Bachelor degree, or you are in your final year, programmes may require this summary. The later is most often the case to provide a summary, even if you are not asked to.
   2. Letter of Motivation (also called Letter of Intent or Personal Statement)
      • In my opinion this should be a general Letter of Motivation, and not specific to each university/programme. This should be easy to do because generally you apply to programmes inside a certain domain, and not to a specific university/programme. In case you apply to quite different programmes, I would feel it’s appropriate to put one letter of motivation for each domain, but that’s a very narrow case I guess. Otherwise, just put “To: Swedish Universities - Masters Programme” as header. This is what I did. Have one very good general Letter of Motivation, than spending time on figuring out how to butter up the reviewers for each and every programme.
      • Chalmers, though, formulates this requirement by stating that this is “A letter explaining your interest in the programme(s) you are applying for and what you expect from your studies at Chalmers. You may add more than one letter, each directed to a specific programme.”
        

        Siniša Bratulić from Croatia (2008 prospective student)

        If you are applying for a bachelor programme, I agree that the letter should be general.
        But when applying for graduate studies you’re supposed to demonstrate some kind of ‘academic’ maturity. Saying that you’re interested in a certain domain is not enough, you’re demonstrating your general interest already by applying to a programme.

        Nowdays it’s easy to apply to a programme, you just tick a few boxes in a form. That also means that a lot of other people will be applying. To secure a position you need to somehow ’stick out’ in a positive way. The easiest way of doing that is through a letter of motivation.

        It’s probably a good idea to do some research about the programme plan, to state your weaknesses and strenghts and say how they relate to the programme. Saying from which courses you will benefit the most is a good way of showing that you’ve done your homework. Also, showing that you have specific goals in life says a lot about you and your motivation.

        The above statements are all correct, but what I would like to be clear in your mind as a prospective student is that the Letter of Motivation will not “secure” (like Siniša says) your position. Not when the system makes it so easy to apply to so many programmes and thus when the number of applicants got so high.This letter doesn’t give you a seat, but can shed some light over your future potential, will and realism. Therefore it can make a difference, no matter if it’s small or big, but it cannot do miracles.

   3. Two (2) Letters of Reference/Recommendation
      • In my opinion these should not be directed to a specific university/programme. I strongly believe that the argument that you have letters from people who are better known to a certain university is not a real argument per say. Applications to different jobs, programmes, etc. is also a time to prioritize and to make decisions. Your CV will show the broad possibilities of your skills, even if you do not put 10 Letters of Reference from all “the Nobel Prize Laureates” who can recommend you. One Nobel Prize Laureate is enough!
      • The exception for having more than 2 Letters of Reference would be implied from the previous bullet point stating the domain of your masters programmes. If you are apply to more than one domain, say Journalism and Management, you might have a third, fourth, etc. person that can give you specific references for one of the two, so you might end up having 2 Letters of References for your Management focused programmes, from two people that can bring your Management skills forward, and another 2 Letters for you Journalism focused programmes, from two other people that can highlight your Journalism skills.
   4. Curicullum Vitae/Resumè
   5. Relevant work experience
6. Proof of English Skills
   • Certified by a notarius publicus.
   • Please note that for TOEFL (and IELTS) you are required to send your scores directly through the TOEFL Test Center, and you are not required to attach a certified copy to your application. You go online and make a request for that, or you can put the National Admissions Office among the 4 institutions that should get your TOEFL score, right after you take the exam. Either way, it doesn’t hurt if you put a certified copy by a notarius publicus of the paper certificate, though it would be regarded as a not-required document. If not, have a printed paper stating your score, examination date, institution code to which you sent it (it should be 9520), your TOEFL ID along with your signature.
7. Swedish Institute scholarship
   • Fill in the form that you will find here (Guest Scholarship), print and sign it. Questions are to be answered within a limit of 300 characters, if not specified otherwise.This is only required when you are applying to a Swedish Institute scholarship.

Just to highlight once again.. except for papers in your own national language, you should have all of the above in English, Swedish, French or German.

Send your Application

All of the documents above will be scanned at the National Admissions Office and uploaded to a database, which will be available to each university’s admissions office to deliberate.

All of them should then be mailed using a recommended letter to

University Studies in Sweden
FE 1
SE-833 83, Strömsund
SWEDEN

• FE 1 is a P.O. BOX
• SE-833 83 is the correct Zip Code. Swedes only are required to send them to SE-833 82!

In case you are sending your papers through DHL/FedEx or any other express/air courier, I received an official notice saying that you should use the following address. I confirm that my documents have been delivered at the right place (dated 20080121) and that the delivery has been confirmed by the Office as well (dated 20080129).

University Studies in Sweden
Ulriksfors 420
SE-833 93 Strömsund
SWEDEN

• You do not need a contact person and a phone number. But if in need you could try Henrik Sjobert - +46 67816053.
• Due to the remote location of Strömsund, mail deliveries will usually be carried out to Stockholm, and then the Swedish Post Office will deliver it to Strömsund. Therefore, for instance with DHL, you will see on your tracking page that your last message saying that delivery has been set up, and you should expect no further details from this point. It means that they cannot track down what the Swedish Post Office is doing. But if you sign up for delivery confirmation by phone, you will receive an SMS, as soon as the Swedish Post Office has made the final leg of the delivery (Stockholm - Strömsund).
• SE-833 93 is the correct Zip Code. Although it is not the same as the zip code used in previous address (833 83)
• This address has been provided through an official response to my questions. If you Google it, you will find it as being used in 2007 by Chalmers specifically for international prospective students who need to use DHL/FedEx or similar. It is also to be found at Umeå University’s website at http://www.umu.se/studentcentrum/iao/faq.html or at http://www.umu.se/studentcentrum/iao/Required%20documents.htm - slightly different, but pointing at the same place (Antagningen = Dept. of Applications; lacks the street number for Ulriksfors; gives a contact person in the name of Ingela Forsén)

The National Admissions Office (or VHS - Verket för högskoleservice in Swedish) can be reached through the information available here: http://vhs.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=1002 (Applications related only).¹⁹

You should NOT mail anything to the universities, unless specifically requested to do so!

And you only need one and only one package to be sent! The cover sheet that you print from studera.nu will link to all the chosen programmes/universities!

Please do not leave the mailing down to the last minute. Allow the delivery two weeks to be on the safe side, since Strömsund is a remote area and it takes around 3 days to get the the documents from Stockholm or another mailing backbone node to Strömsund.

Important Dates

Important dates during the application procedure for fall 2008 programmes.

They might still be valid for the coming years, but you need to check.

-

Accommodation

You might be wondering “What?? I must read about accommodation?! And I barely read about my application procedure?”

Well, yes actually. You should prepare yourself, since getting a place to live in is not an easy thing in Sweden. Not as easy as you might assume anyway.

Please read about this here.

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