Sweden is climbing the ladder of top study abroad destinations and has made its marks on the 9th position in the U.S. News rankings of various education systems. If you are a student planning to apply for admission to universities in Sweden, it is important for you to know the IELTS score for Sweden as without this your university application will be incomplete.
Students from India with a degree in Engineering, Technology, Computer Science and Applications, Medicine, Pharmacy, Natural Sciences taught in English automatically fulfill the Sweden IELTS requirement without submitting any test scores. Alternatively, you can demonstrate English language proficiency through an internationally recognised test such as IELTS. Read through this blog to learn about Sweden student visa IELTS requirements, Sweden IELTS requirement for admission to top universities and equivalent scores on other acceptable tests!
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Why is the IELTS Score Important for Admission and Student Visa?
Here’s why the IELTS score for Sweden is important for admission and student visa:
- One of the major reasons that Sweden is able to hold the reputation of being a popular study abroad destination is that it offers English-taught programs.
- This means students seeking admission to Swedish universities only need to meet the IELTS band required for Sweden and have nothing to do with the Swedish language.
- Similarly, Sweden student visa IELTS requirements need to be met for visa approval because English is the medium of instruction at all institutions in Sweden and you will also find Swedish people more comfortable in speaking English.
Suggested: How does education system in Sweden works?
Sweden Student Visa IELTS Requirements
International students applying for universities in Sweden need to apply for a residence permit through the Swedish Migration Agency website to live and study in Sweden for longer than 3 months. One of the common requirements to be fulfilled while applying for a student visa is the language requirements. Now since programs in Sweden are taught in English, you need to provide proof of English language proficiency.
- The Sweden student visa IELTS requirements is overall 6.0, no band less than 5.5, TOEFL score of 72 or equivalent scores.
- Ideally, when you fulfill the entry requirements for admission to a Swedish university and get an offer letter, submitting your scores to meet the Sweden student visa IELTS requirements is more of a formality.
- The visa officials are more concerned about you being accepted to a university because it already means you fulfill the language requirements and meet the other criteria for visa approval including sufficient funds and health insurance.
Suggested: What are the requirements for Sweden student visa?
IELTS Requirement for Sweden Universities
The general English proficiency requirement in Sweden is divided into levels. Universities ask for scores equivalent to level 5, 6 or 7 depending on the program you wish to enroll in. Some departments within the university that offer competitive programs may have slightly higher requirements. Therefore, it's best to check the requirements for the program you wish to apply to. Discussed below are the basic English language requirements for various program levels:
- If you are seeking admission to undergraduate level programs such as a bachelor’s degree, you will need an IELTS score equivalent to English 5 or English 6. IELTS score of 5.5 with no band less than 5.0 corresponds to English 5 whereas IELTS score of 6.5 with no band less than 5.5 corresponds to English 6.
- For students seeking admission to master’s level programs, generally equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6 is required. Some universities may ask for an IELTS score equivalent to English 7. To meet this requirement, you need a minimum IELTS score of 7.0 with no band less than 6.0.
Take a look at the table below to know about the IELTS requirement for Sweden universities:
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Name of University |
IELTS Requirement |
TOEFL Requirement |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 5 or IELTS 5.5, with no band less than 5.0; English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 72 with at least 17 in written test; Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 6 or IELTS 6.5, with no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 90 with 20 in written test |
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English 7 or IELTS 7.0, with no band less than 6.0 |
Overall 100 with 20 in written test |
English Language Test Scores Equivalent to IELTS
Now that we know about the IELTS band required for Sweden, let us take a look at the equivalent requirements for Sweden IELTS score. Universities in Sweden accept a variety of English language proficiency scores such as TOEFL, Cambridge Michigan Language Assessment, PTE, Cambridge ESOL, etc.
Here is a table showing equivalent of IELTS band required for Sweden universities at English 5, English 6 and English 7:
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Test |
English 5 |
English 6 |
English 7 |
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IELTS |
Overall 5.5, no band less than 5.0 |
Overall 6.5, no band less than 5.5 |
Overall 7.0, no band less than 6.0 |
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TOEFL-iBT |
Total 72 with at least 17 in written test |
Total 90 with at least 20 in written test |
Total 100 with at least 20 in written test |
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Pearson PTE Academic |
Overall score of 47 |
Overall 62 with 61 in writing |
Overall 68 with 61 in writing |
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Cambridge ESOL |
First Certificate in English (“FCE”) with grade A, B or C |
C1 Advanced (CAE), overall score of 180/ Cambridge English certificate level C1, minimum score 180/ Cambridge English: Advanced |
C2 Proficiency (CPE), overall score 200/ Cambridge English: Proficiency |
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Cambridge Michigan Language Assessments |
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Cleared University of Michigan, Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE) |
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The number of aspirants seeking admission to universities in Sweden is gradually increasing year by year. With this, the level of competition and the admission standards of top public universities in Sweden are also bound to increase. Among the academic factors that affect your application, English language proficiency plays an important role. It is one of the points that can give you a competitive advantage and make you stand out from the others. So focus on your English language tests and aim to score as high as possible.
