

Third-country students’ refers to the group of students at Swedish higher education institutions who are citizens of a country outside the EU/EEA. The objective of the Riksdag is that third-country students should contribute to Swedish interests in several ways. The aim of their presence in universities is to enhance the quality of education and, after completing their studies, they should remain in Sweden and contribute to future research and the labour market. However, there have been indications that these objectives are not met and that the system is being abused by third-country nationals who wish to settle in Sweden to work rather than to study. The Swedish National Audit Office has therefore chosen to examine the efficiency of the admission and education system for third-country students.
The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit of the education system for third-country students shows that the students perform well and constitute an important recruitment pool for research and employment in Sweden. The Swedish National Audit Office does not find any evidence of widespread misuse of residence permits for studies.
Nevertheless, there are shortcomings in the system which prevent the objectives of internationalisation from being fully met. Swedish universities face challenges in terms of competing for qualified students and guaranteeing that students with sufficient academic skills are accepted. Likewise, the Government has not given priority following up on how third-country students contribute to the quality of education, but has focused on curbing potential misuse of residence permits for studies.
Therefore, the overall conclusion of the Swedish National Audit Office is that the system is not fully effective.
The admission process for third-country students coming to Sweden is very long and lacks transparency, which is an obstacle to recruiting students. Sweden is at risk of losing qualified students to other countries in which the processing of applicants is quicker. The Swedish National Audit Office has identified deficiencies that contribute to the protracted process. The Swedish Migration Agency’s long processing times for applications for residence permits for studies is a contributing factor. However, universities also bear some responsibility, because after they make their admission decision, they grant students unnecessarily long time to pay the tuition fee.
Follow-up on third-country students’ academic achievements is fundamental for assessing whether the objectives of the system have been achieved. However, systematic follow-up at national level is insufficient and universities also lack technical support for following up academic achievements based on students’ country of previous education. The results of such a follow-up could be used by universities to adjust entry requirements and improve recruitment strategies for third-country students to contribute to the quality of Swedish higher education. The Swedish National Audit Office considers that the conditions for following up academic achievements should be improved.
The Swedish National Audit Office considers that the subject composition and volume of international courses and programmes should be linked to higher education institutions’ goals for international student education. In deciding the volume of education, it is important to take into account the demand for the courses and programmes among qualified applicants with good potential to complete their studies.
Although third-country students perform well as a group, there are exceptions among some student groups and in some higher education institutions, where academic achievement is lower. Many international programmes accept all eligible applicants. This bears a risk that students with insufficient academic skills are admitted, even though they formally meet the entry requirements. When students’ prior knowledge is too low, challenges arise for higher education institutions to maintain a high level of quality of education.
The Swedish National Audit Office considers that higher education institutions should strive to increase competition and establish a merit-based selection, for example by offering fewer places overall. More competition for places also reduces the risk of admitting third-country nationals who do not intend to study.
The Swedish National Audit Office has not found evidence of widespread abuse of residence permits for studies. However, compared to Swedish students, a relatively large proportion of third-country students who join the labour market work in unskilled occupations. Even if they do not misuse their residence permits, the system is not intended to provide Sweden with labour in low-wage sectors.
The Swedish Migration Agency’s processing, which also has the purpose of investigating an intention to study, generally works well for students. However, there are deficiencies concerning the control of students’ accompanying family members and in the cooperation between the Swedish Migration Agency’s case officers and local staff at embassies abroad.
Third-country students normally pay tuition fees when the study at Swedish higher education institutions. The higher education institutions often use flat rates to calculate tuition fees and to report revenue and costs at departments. The accumulated surpluses and deficits that arise should therefore be seen as an approximation of the economic performance of the organisation over a longer period. The Swedish National Audit Office notes that higher education institutions have a responsibility to ensure accurate accounting.
Furthermore, the audit shows that higher education institutions have devoted resources to interpreting a common regulatory framework on reimbursement of the tuition fees and that they have arrived at different interpretations. It is the assessment of the Swedish National Audit Office that the principles for reimbursement should not differ significantly between the higher education institutions, as a clear and uniform regulatory framework is desirable. However, some flexibility may be needed to allow higher education institutions to take individual circumstances into account.
The Swedish National Audit Office makes the following recommendations.
For example, the Ladok Consortium could be involved in linking academic achievement to the country of previous education.