“The decreasing number of non-European students gives the wrong picture of Sweden as an international player”

In an op-ed for Dagens Nyheter newspaper, the heads of Gothenburg University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology and representatives from companies including AB Volvo and Ericsson write that “the decreasing number of non-European students gives the wrong picture of Sweden as an international player”.

Non-EU student figures have yet to recover since plummeting by around 80% immediately after the introduction of tuition fees in 2011 from 8,000 to 1,400. Numbers now stand at around 1,600, and account for less than 2% of the total number of students in Sweden.

The article’s authors have proposed a decentralised funding system that they say would be “socio-economically justified and cost-neutral for the state”.

The grants would be funded by income tax revenue from non-EU students who stay and work in Sweden after graduation. Funds would be allocated to higher education institutions, who would then distribute scholarships to students, according to the number of fee-paying students enrolled and the number that secure specialised work permits after their exams.

Cost neutrality is based on the estimate that 20% of the 1,500 students will stay in the country to work for five years or more.

The estimate is ambitious, based on current statistics. Just 17% of non-EU students remain in Sweden after completing their studies, despite 85% saying that they would stay if they had the option in a recent poll. Citing these figures, the article’s writers have called for Sweden’s stringent visa regulations, which require international graduates to leave the country just 10 days after their course ends, to be relaxed.

“To attract [students] and to keep them here, there needs to be reformed visa laws and a clear objective from both a university and industry level,” they contend.

They also cite a recent report published by Boston Consulting Group which shows that of students offered a place in Sweden, the provision of a scholarship meant that 70% of students accepted, compared to only 20% where there was no scholarship.

“Swedish companies are largely international and need to attract new talent”

The op-ed argues that “Swedish companies are largely international and need to attract new talent”. It underlines the value of international students as ambassadors for the country, in providing trade contacts and in aiding Sweden to contribute to development in emerging regions.

It concludes: “To attract students from around the world it must be clear that Sweden is an attractive country in which to be educated.  That requires industry, academia, and the government to take a joint responsibility.

“We are ready. Is the government?”