Sweden guide · Money
How much it costs to study in Sweden from Nepal
Studying in Sweden from Nepal costs about Rs 30 lakh to Rs 45 lakh for the first year, all in. Most master's we see charge SEK 100,000 to 160,000 a year. For the residence permit you must show SEK 10,656 for each month of study, and pay the first tuition instalment. Since 11 June 2026, new students can work only 15 hours a week in term, so plan to pay for the year from home.
Written byAnita Bista, Senior counsellorHandles Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and Cyprus files.
Checked byRabindra Joshi, Head of complianceChecks every money and visa page against the official source.
Published · 4 min read
The Sweden cost at a glance
- Tuition
- SEK 100,000 to 160,000 for most master's
- Funds for the permit
- SEK 10,656 for each month of study
- Permit fee
- SEK 1,500 (about Rs 23,000)
- Work in term
- 15 hours a week on new permits
- First year
- About Rs 30 to 45 lakh
At Rs 15.39 per SEK (Nepal Rastra Bank sell rate, 18 October 2026).
First-year cost in two Swedish cities
| Item | Umeå or Linköping | Stockholm |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | SEK 100,000 | SEK 150,000 |
| Living costs, 12 months | About SEK 99,000 | About SEK 129,000 |
| Application and permit fees | SEK 2,400 | SEK 2,400 |
| Flight, one way | Rs 1 to 1.5 lakh | Rs 1 to 1.5 lakh |
| First-year total | About Rs 32 lakh | About Rs 44.5 lakh |
Year 2 costs a little less: no application or permit fee, no flight, and by then most students have some part-time work.
Tuition fees in Sweden for Nepali students
Swedish universities charge non-EU students tuition for every programme. Fees run from about SEK 80,000 to 295,000 a year, but most master's our students choose cost SEK 100,000 to 160,000, about Rs 15.4 lakh to Rs 24.6 lakh.
You pay the first instalment, usually one semester of SEK 40,000 to 80,000, before you apply for the residence permit. It's sent from Nepal after your NOC. The Swedish Institute and many universities offer scholarships, but they're competitive; plan a budget that works without one.
The money you must show for the permit
Migrationsverket asks you to show SEK 10,656 for each month you'll study (the figure for applications in 2026), in an account in your own name, on top of the tuition you've paid.
- The money must be yours to use: in your own account, or a scholarship that covers living costs
- Tuition already paid is shown with the university's receipt
- The permit fee is SEK 1,500, paid online
Check the current figure on Migrationsverket's page before you transfer, because it's reviewed each year.
Cost of living in Sweden by city
| City | Rent (student room) | Total a month | In rupees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | SEK 5,000 to 7,000 | SEK 9,500 to 12,000 | Rs 1.46 to 1.85 lakh |
| Uppsala and Gothenburg | SEK 4,300 to 5,800 | SEK 8,500 to 10,500 | Rs 1.31 to 1.62 lakh |
| Lund and Malmö | SEK 4,000 to 5,500 | SEK 8,000 to 10,000 | Rs 1.23 to 1.54 lakh |
| Umeå and Linköping | SEK 3,600 to 4,800 | SEK 7,500 to 9,000 | Rs 1.15 to 1.39 lakh |
Rooms in Stockholm are hard to find. Apply for student housing the day you're admitted. In the smaller university cities, the SEK 10,656 a month you show for the permit covers a student's life comfortably.
The 15-hour rule and what it means for your budget
Since 11 June 2026, bachelor's and master's students on new permits can work only 15 hours a week in term, and full-time in June, July and August. Anyone still telling you Swedish students can work unlimited hours is out of date.
Sweden has no national minimum wage. The jobs students do usually pay SEK 130 to 150 an hour, so 15 hours a week brings in about SEK 8,500 to 9,500 a month before tax. That helps with rent and food. It doesn't pay tuition.
Kiran, one of our students in Gothenburg, rebuilt his budget around the 15-hour rule before he applied, so the new limit didn't catch him out.
Sweden against other countries
Sweden's first year, Rs 30 lakh to Rs 45 lakh, sits in the middle of the 10 countries we cover: dearer than Germany or Finland, cheaper than the Netherlands, Norway, the UK or Australia. The tighter work limit matters more now than the tuition difference.
Our cheapest countries guide compares all 10, and the Sweden page has the full process, from the 15 January application to the permit.
