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Higher education institutions (HEIs)

Currently, there are fifty-two institutions offering higher education in various forms in Sweden. The majority of universities and university colleges are public authorities, subject to the same legislation and regulations as other public authorities in Sweden, as well as the particular statutes, ordinances and regulations relevant to the higher education sector.

A number of universities and university colleges are self-governing and independent. They operate on the basis of an agreement with the Government and are obliged to follow the statutes, ordinances and regulations relevant to the higher education sector. In addition, there are a small number of independent organisations with degree awarding powers in Psychotherapy.

History


Sweden's first university was founded in Uppsala in 1477, and as the interest in studying medicine and the natural sciences increased, a second university was founded in Lund in 1668. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the main task of universities was teaching. Stockholm University was founded in 1878 and the University of Gothenburg in 1891 and both focused on the teaching of natural sciences.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, specialised institutions were founded, for example, for teacher training, social work and journalism. Between 1940 and 1975 there was a focus on research, and new research organisations and research posts were established. In the latter part of the twentieth century, there was a major expansion of higher education and the student population grew enormously. Regional higher education institutions were founded throughout Sweden to enable access to higher education for everyone.

Last updated: 2010-07-12
Contact: Lennart Ståhle, Email: firstname.lastname@hsv.se
Swedish National Agency for Higher Education  Visting address: Luntmakargatan 13  Box 7851, 103 99 Stockholm
Phone: 08-563 085 00  Fax: 08-563 085 50  Email: hsv@hsv.se