SWEDEN: Non-EU students to be charged fees

The government is to introduce fees for all non-EU students in Sweden, according to Liberal Minister of Education Lars Leijonborg, reports Radio Sweden. Sweden is one of the few countries in the world that does not charge fees to foreign students. But now all non-EU students will pay fees by 2010. Costs for one term could be between $5,000 and $13,000.

Speaking to Svenska Dagbladet newspaper, Leijonborg argued for the motion, saying that there was no viable reason why foreign students who are prepared to pay American or British universities should not have to pay for a Swedish education.

According to a study by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education, the number of foreign students in Sweden has risen dramatically in the last decade. Around 13,000 foreign students now study at Swedish universities or colleges, of which around 8,000 people are from non-EU countries. In the study, 37% said they would not choose a Swedish education if they had to pay fees.
Full report on the Radio Sweden site