This list of

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

is based on the Higher Education Ordinance of 1993 (as amended until January 2006). With few exceptions, all higher education in Sweden is publicly funded. The Swedish higher education system differentiates between ''universitet'' and ''

högskola A university college (Swedish: ''högskola''; Norwegian: ''høyskole'', ''høgskole'' or ''høgskule''; Danish: ''professionshøjskole''; literally meaning "high school" and "professional high school") in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland is an in ...

'' (university and

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

respectively). The universities are research-oriented and may award Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctor's degrees in many academic fields, whereas the högskolor usually are more focused on applied sciences, and only have limited rights granting doctor's degrees. Note, however, that some universities still call themselves ''högskola'' in Swedish, mainly older specialised institutions in engineering and medicine (for instance

KTH Royal Institute of Technology The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technolog ...

is called "Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan" and

Chalmers University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology ( sv, Chalmers tekniska högskola, often shortened to Chalmers) is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international le ...

is called "Chalmers Tekniska Högskola"). Also, both proper universities and högskolor translate their official names to "university" in English, where in the latter case "university college" would be more correct.

Public universities

The order of precedence is based on their year of establishment as a university. Only

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

(est. 1477) and

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

from 1632 (now in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

) and the Royal Academy of Turku from 1640 (later established as

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the R ...

, now in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

), as well as the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; german: Universität Greifswald), formerly also known as “Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald“, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pom ...

from 1456 (now in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

but a

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...

held by

1631–1806, Swedish 1806–1815), are excluded from the list. Växjö University (1967-2009) was a university that has now merged with Kalmar University (1977-2009), becoming the Linnaeus University in 2010.

Public university colleges

Högskola A university college (Swedish: ''högskola''; Norwegian: ''høyskole'', ''høgskole'' or ''høgskule''; Danish: ''professionshøjskole''; literally meaning "high school" and "professional high school") in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland is an in ...

(= ''university college'' or ''college'' in English) is an institution of higher education, similar to a university but typically smaller. Unlike a full university, a högskola has limitations in awarding doctoral degrees (PhD). The Swedish government has granted the right to some högskola to award PhDs in some specific fields. Most of the 'högskola' have agreements with bigger universities to conduct joint doctoral programs. The public 'högskola' are: * Gotland University College (1998 - 2013) was a "högskola" that has now merged with

Uppsala university Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, becoming the Gotland campus of Uppsala university. * Kalmar University (1977-2009) was a "högskola" that has now merged with Växjö University (1967-2009), becoming the Linnaeus University in 2010.

Private universities and högskolor

There are seven private institutions of higher education with the right to give post graduate degrees, namely Johannelund School of Theology in Uppsala,

in Gothenburg,

Stockholm School of Economics The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; sv, Handelshögskolan i Stockholm, HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with ...

and

Jönköping University Foundation Jönköping (, ) is a city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat of Jönköping Munici ...

, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College,

Sophiahemmet University College Sophiahemmet University ( sv, Sophiahemmet Högskola) is a Swedish institution for higher education associated with Sophiahemmet Sophiahemmet is a private hospital at Norra Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It is associated with the Sophiahemm ...

and University College Stockholm (Enskilda Högskolan Stockholm).

Recognised higher education institutions

''ARWU''

Ranking list according to the ''

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

'': In relation to their population size,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(first) and Sweden (second) are the two countries with the highest number of universities among the 100 best of the

(2014-2015).Rankings: top of the class
''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'', 28 March 2015 (page visited on 7 April 2015).

''QS World''

Ranked Swedish universities on ''

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for th ...

'' (with the highest ranked for that year marked in blue):

''THE World''

Ranked Swedish institutes on ''

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarel ...

'' (with the highest ranked for that year marked in blue):

''THE-QS''

Ranking list according to the '' THE–QS World University Rankings'' (with the highest ranked for that year marked in blue):

Notes and references

External links

Swedish National Agency for Higher EducationStudy in SwedenProgramme and course portal for Swedish universities & colleges
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Universities In Sweden

Universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...