Swedish gymnasiebetyg and the IB (International Baccalaureate) certificate are accepted at most universities. Naturally all the entry requirements for UK institutions are stated with reference to British qualifications. Details of entry requirements and contact details for UK institutions can be found on the UCAS website when you click into the course details, or in institutional prospectuses.

If you have qualifications from a country other than Sweden, we advise you to get in touch with the institutions directly.

DO I HAVE THE RELEVANT GRADES AND QUALIFICATIONS TO APPLY?

There are entry requirements for each course. Entry requirements are there to help universities and colleges choose students who will be successful. You can find them in each university and college prospectus, and also in the course search and Entry Profiles on the UCAS site for some institutions.

The entry requirements that you need for the course will almost certainly be described in terms of UK exams either as grades, or increasingly as a Tariff point score. Please note that there is no official list of how UK grades or tariff points compare with Swedish qualifications. Each university or college will decide whether or not your qualifications meet the entrance requirements for its courses. You should check your qualifications with the universities and colleges you want to apply to.

Further advice and information about qualifications for entry to UK higher education institutions can be obtained from UCAS. Telephone the qualifications hotline on +44 (0)870 1122211 or email:  enquiries@ucas.com. Alternatively contact the National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) via www.naric.org.uk.

The admissions tutor for each course will look at your UCAS application form to make sure that you can meet the entry requirements by the time you start your course. The requirements may include academic and professional qualifications, such as exam passes in stated subjects and particular grades (e.g. MVG, VG etc). They may also include specified work experience. Some universities and colleges may add other requirements, for example, financial or medical conditions, which you have to meet before you can start the course.

You may already be qualified by the time you fill in your application form or you may be in the process of gaining the qualifications and experience you need. Universities and colleges may give you a conditional offer if you have not already qualified when you apply. You will then need to meet the entry requirements by the end of August for the courses which start in September or October of the same year.

IF I ALREADY HAVE SOME POINTS FROM A SWEDISH UNIVERSITY, CAN I SKIP THE START OF THE COURSE?

You can apply for entry with credit (e.g. meaning that you want to start a course at year two, three or four). You should get the college or university's agreement that it will consider you for this before you fill in a UCAS application form.

HOW DO SWEDISH GRADES COMPARE TO UK GRADES?

Results from Gymnasium (slutbetyg från gymnasiet) are roughly equivalent to the British General Certificate of Education at Advanced Level (GCE A-levels). A-level grades run from A to E, A being the highest and E the lowest. Universities and colleges of higher education also sometimes display their entry requirements in terms of UCAS tariff points. However, although the level of education is comparable between British A Level colleges and schools and Swedish gymnasier, there is no official way of translating or comparing the subsequent grades. The simple reason being that the two systems are so completely different. In the end institutions decide themselves what is the equivalency of the Swedish grades compared to the British grades.

When looking at the entry requirements, you may see a requirement for two or three A-level grades. This is because students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland normally take only three A-level examinations. British universities will generally be looking for high grades (MVG, VG) in subjects relevant to the ones you are planning to study.

You may also come across the term GCSE when looking at entry requirements. This is short for General Certificate of Secondary Education and is a qualification taken at 16 years of age in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. These qualifications are equivalent to the Swedish grundskola betyg. In Scotland, students take the Scottish Certificate of Education Standard Grade at 15-16 years of age.

CAN I STILL APPLY IF I HAVEN'T FINISHED MY CURRENT COURSE OF STUDY?

Yes. Most British students apply while they are still at school, and the same rule applies for EU students. On the application form, you have to give details of your education so far, so if you haven't finished yet, this means you give details of your compulsory schools results (grundskola), and your known grades at upper secondary school (gymnasium). On the UCAS form, for those subjects that you are still studying simply put in the future date when you expect to know the actual result and leave the result box blank.

WILL I HAVE TO TAKE AN ENTRANCE EXAM OR GO FOR AN INTERVIEW?

Universities and colleges of higher education in the UK do not normally have entrance exams, except for Oxford and Cambridge. In some cases you might get asked to do a special assignment, e.g., write an essay. If you are applying for an art and design course, you will normally be expected to produce a portfolio of your work.

As a rule, universities and colleges of higher education in the UK do not normally ask future students, especially students from abroad, for an interview. Again, Oxford and Cambridge are the exceptions. For music and drama courses you might have to go for an audition. Check these things out before you apply, so if you have to make a trip to the UK, it will not come as a shock.

BMAT test –The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is a subject-specific admissions test taken by applicants to certain medicine, veterinary medicine and related courses at the institutions listed at  http://www.bmat.org.uk/index.html. If you want to sit this exam in Sweden please visit http://www.bmat.org.uk/assessment_centres?selected_country=Sweden

ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR ART AND DESIGN COURSES?

Yes, usually. A course called a foundation course is often an entry requirement for degrees in art and design. The course, which lasts a year, aims to prepare students in as many aspects of art and design as possible. Foundation courses can also be the first year of a degree course, making it four years instead of three. Try to find out beforehand whether you need a foundation course or not. For details please see our pages on Art and Design.