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Youth Committee, Muslim Shia Ithna-Asheri Association of Stockholm, Sweden, December 2004

1. Introduction

Contrary to what many think, Sweden is a big country. In fact the area of Sweden is larger than California, and nearly as large as France or Spain.

For many around the world Sweden is known as a country of peace. Since 1814, Sweden has not been actively involved in any wars, which has been the most important prerequisite for the build-up of the modern Swedish welfare state.

The country is often described in terms of contrasts; innovative modernity and historical tradition, high technology and magnificent natural settings, rationality and beauty, land and water. Sweden is also known by its multinational brands, such as IKEA, Ericsson, Volvo and H&M. During the 20th century, Sweden evolved quickly from a poor agrarian country to one of the world’s strongest industrial nations. The point of departure for this “Swedish industrial miracle” was the country’s natural wealth of forests and ore, as well as a long series of ingenious inventions and an entrepreneurial tradition.

In Sweden the fruits of this economic success have been distributed more evenly among the population than in perhaps any other country. Sweden has become known world-wide for its high general standard of living, with publicly financed systems of economic security for all people in all phases of life.

Fact and Figures on Sweden

• 9 million inhabitants
• 450 000 square metres
• Member of the EU since 1995
• Currency: 1 Swedish krona = 100 ¨ore
• Constitution: Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
• Parliament: The Riksdag, with 349 members in one chamber
• Head of state: King Carl XVI Gustav
• Head of government: Prime minister G¨oran Persson, social democrat

1.1. Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden with some 1.8 million inhabitants. It is located between the lake Malaren and the Baltic Sea in the middle of the country.

2. Why Sweden?

Clearly for the reader the big question should be why Sweden? We will here try to highlight the best reasons to chose Sweden as the place to study.

2.1. The Quality
Consistently receiving top marks in OECD¹ statistics, Swedish education is regarded as among the finest in the world. Its excellent reputation has made Sweden a popular destination for students from all over the world. They come to Scandinavia to study in an internationally oriented environment that promotes both intellectual and social development. Inquisitive research and independent thinking are encouraged. Close co-operation between industry and academia contributes to entrepreneurship and innovation.

Swedish higher education is kept to the highest standards by a rigorous system of quality control. Degrees are nationally certified. The quality of the education provided is monitored and regularly evaluated by the National Agency for Higher Education. The institutions themselves, however, decide on the content and focus of their education and research programmes. Degree certificates are always accompanied by an English-Language Diploma Supplement which describes the degree, level and specialisation.

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¹The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Website: www.oecd.org

2.2. No Tuition Fees
There are no tuition fees for students. Higher education is subsidised by the state. Sweden‘s public spending on education is the OECD‘s highest, at 4.9% of GDP. What is especially important to note is that this applies to Swedish as well as foreign students. To cover the living expenses, students may work while studying.

2.3. The Language
Almost all Swedes speak fluent English. Many Swedish companies use English as their official working language. Foreign students find that this prevalence of English makes adapting to their new surroundings much easier.

2.4. Foreign Students are Welcome
Currently, some 26,000 foreign students study in Sweden. According to the OECD is 7.5% of the students are from foreign students. This makes Sweden one of the world‘s most inclusive countries for education. But there is room for more : The number grew by 64% over the last 3-year period. There are now PhD candidates from some 80 countries working towards their degrees in Sweden. Sweden‘s educational policy is based on the recognition that a multicultural student body is a resource. Competition for places is keen, but students of all nationalities may apply, given the right credentials; and degree equivalency for past studies is granted on a flexible basis.

3. The Swedish Secondary School

The Swedish educational system is not a system for the privileged classes of society. With few exceptions, tuition fees for students are fully subsidised by the state, regardless of their nationality. The duration of secondary school is three years. The secondary school is made up of 16 national programmes. Two of these are completely theoretic: natural science and social science. These programmes prepare students for studies on a higher academic level. The remaining 14 programmes are a combination of theoretical and practical studies and facilitate for students to start work after graduation. Every school year students read around 5-10 different courses depending on their length. Some of the courses are common for all programmes and the rest are specific for the programme. In this way all programmes are generally instructive. Grades are based on tests, assignments and oral achievement. Except for in a few courses, there are no final exams. There are possibilities for exchange students to read one or several years in secondary school in Sweden, although this is more common on a higher level of studies.

Students in secondary school are financed with 950 SEK per month by the government. In addition to this, many youths work during their spare time. The three years in secondary school are for many youths exciting, informative and decisive. After graduation student

4. Exchange and Master Programmes

Most foreign students come to Sweden as exchange students; their home university has an exchange agreement with a Swedish institution either as part of an EU exchange programme or a bilateral scheme. If such an agreement exists information is available from the home university, where the student already is enrolled. Freemovers (i.e. persons applying on an individual basis) are admitted primarily to some 200 Master’s Programmes that are taught in English. Most of these programmes are in business studies and technology but other fields are covered as well. Applicants must have very good skills in English and a first degree (Bachelor or eq).

5. Undergraduate Programmes

Studying a complete undergraduate programme (leading to a first degree) is not an option for most foreign students since this requires fluent (written and oral) knowledge of Swedish, a recognised upper secondary diploma and skills in English, documented by an internationally approved test. There are a few exceptions, however. Currently there are five undergraduate
programmes taught in English.

6. Doctoral studies

Most international PhD students come to Sweden to perform research in medicine and in the natural and applied sciences. Admission to postgraduate studies is also restricted; applicants must expect fierce competition for these places. A first degree incl. a degree thesis in the major is a minimum requirement. On top of that specific eligibility requirements are settled for each subject by the faculty. Assessment is also made of the applicant’s suitability and capacity to complete doctoral studies. Many departments have no formal admission requirements for doctoral studies with regard to Swedish language skills, but a very good command of English is an absolute necessity.

7. The Jamaat

Who would ever have dreamt or thought that right at the North Pole, Muslims and in particular, Shia brethren would be found !

But surely Allah Subhanahu Wa ta’ala has a purpose for placing his people up here. The history of this community does not differ very much from that of other Muslim communities in the western world.

There are currently approximately 80 voting Members of the Jamaat, which when including family members translates to approximately 140 individuals. The Jamaat was formed in 1978, and thus we celebrated our 25 year jubilee in 2003. Alhamdulillah we always try to develop and improve the scope of our activities and Lillah services from the South to the North of Sweden covering some 1800 kms.

Marsta, within the greater Stockholm boundary, serves as a focal point for the local community. Being blessed with this geographical abode, Alhamdulillah our youth have the opportunity to study at two great places of academia, i.e. the city of Stockholm and the city of Uppsala.

The Jamaat’s spiritual and social needs are Alhamdulillah catered for at the Zainabiya Islamic Centre, which was officially opened by Marhum Al-Hajj Mulla Asgharali MM Jaffer in 1993.

Our sincere hope is that brothers and sisters from around the world feel welcome to join us as either temporary members while studying here, or even as permanent ones.

8. Practice of Religion

It is not because Sweden is more dangerous than other European and Western countries in regards to diverting our youth from religion, but we surely believe that it is important to protect our faith and Iman at all times, and therefore, we indeed recommend that students and our community members stay close to the Jamaat.

Sweden has been transformed in a very short period from a relatively homogeneous country into a multiethnic and multicultural society. Compared to many Western countries, Sweden has been very generous in its immigration policy and this has successively led to that the population enjoys freedom of religion both in theory and in practice. Therefore, Alhamdulillah, e.g. Hijab can freely be practised without confrontation.

Although fast food restaurants serving halal meat are quite sparse (compared to e.g. the UK), the availability of getting halal groceries is not a problem. InshaAllah upon arrival,we feel it our responsibility to guide and help our brothers and sisters so that they feel most comfortable InshaAllah!

9. Cost and Finances

When compared to the rest of Europe, it is no longer very expensive to live in Sweden, but it still costs money to live and study here. As already mentioned, in almost all cases, tuition is free, there are still some costs associated with your education that students will be expected to carry. You will also need funds for day-to-day living expenses.

Students are required to pay a small membership fee to the local student union. Fees range from SEK 150-400 per semester depending on the union.

Table 1: This table is a break-down of the monthly costs:

Approx. Exchange Rate (Dec 2004): 1 USD - 6,70 SEK

10. Residence Permit and Visa

Foreign students (from countries outside EU/EES) that have been admitted to a university or university college must apply for a residence permit before travelling to Sweden (the permit must be entered in your passport before your arrival in Sweden). Only students that can prove that they have funds to cover the living expenses (SEK 6,300/month - approx. Euro 700/USD 830) can have a residence permit.²

As a student, you are granted a residence permit for the duration of your studies. If the course is longer than a year, you will be granted a residence permit for one year at a time. The permit certificate will be mailed to your address in Sweden.

Please visit the Swedish Migration Board for more information regarding visa, residence permit and application forms: http://www.migrationsverket.se/³

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²If you can show that you will be receiving free board and lodging (i.e. if you may have relatives or friends) this sum could be reduced.
³You may also access online electronic applications via this website

11. Universities in the Vicinity of Stockholm Jamaat

11.1. Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet is one of Europe’s largest medical universities. It is also Sweden’s largest centre for medical training and research, accounting for 30 per cent of the medical training and 40 per cent of the medical academic research that is conducted nation-wide. Karolinska Institutet´s mission is to improve the health of mankind through research, education and information.

Academic Programs
Karolinska Institutet offers nineteen training programs and numerous further education and independent courses in the field of medicine.

Research Training
By placing the emphasis on research, Karolinska Institutet makes sure that it attracts a new generation of researchers. The research training offers students and postgraduate students opportunities to take part in advanced research under the supervision of established researchers.

Research
Karolinska Institutet accounts for 40 percent of all medical research at universities throughout Sweden. The research we do spans a wide range of subjects, from basic science, research in molecular biology to public health science and care research.

Co-operation
Karolinska Institutet collaborates internationally and nationally with healthcare and medical institutes, industry and other universities.

To study a Complete Undergraduate Programme
Please note that most courses in the undergraduate programmes are offered only in Swedish. Students seeking admission must therefore provide evidence of their proficiency in the Swedish language. For information about how to apply to a study programme at KI, see the catalogue Karolinska Institutets Program 2004/2005 or http://info.ki.se/education/

Organised Exchange Programmes
Foreign students seeking admission through organised student exchange programmes can find specific information about how to apply presented at each study programme.

For more information: http://www.ki.se/

11.2. The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Studies at KTH are organised in study programmes. The Master of Science (MSc) programmes in Engineering and the Master of Architecture all encompass 4.5 years of studies. KTH also offers Bachelor of Science (BSc) programmes in Applied Engineering, which encompass three years of studies. When applying to KTH, the student must choose either the shorter Bachelor or the longer Master programme. The programmes lead to one of the following professional degrees:

• Master of Science in Engineering (”Civilingenj¨or”)
• Master of Architecture (”Arkitekt”)
• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (”H¨ogskoleingenj¨or”)

For the above, Swedish is the main language of instruction and knowledge in the Swedish language is required in order to be admitted.

Master’s programmes given in English
In addition, KTH offers MSc programmes entirely taught in English (Teknologie magister). The duration of these programmes is 1.5 years and the programmes either are in-depth programmes with a major subject or broad programmes not connected to a major subject. A bachelor’s degree and good knowledge of English is required.

Exchange students
Exchange students may combine courses quite freely within the subject area of the exchange agreement, provided that he/she meets the prerequisites for each course. In order to be defined as an exchange student, the student should come within an exchange agreement between KTH and the home university.

For more information: http://www.kth.se/

11.3. Stockholm School of Economics
SSE is a private university with very little dependence on government support (about 10 percent of total revenue per annum) that trains young and mid-career women and men for leading positions in both the private and public sectors. About 1,900 students are registered in programs at various levels (the Executive Education Programs excluded). SSE research programs rank among the best in the world in areas such as Health Economics, Finance, Business Law and Economics, to name but a few.

SSE was founded in 1909 on the initiative of Swedish business leaders, and the School has maintained close ties with the business community ever since. Many firms are eagerly waiting for the opportunity to participate in SSE’s partnership programs, and SSE has no difficulty in recruiting business leaders for its Board of Directors.

SSE has earned a reputation for excellence, both here in Sweden and around the world. The School collaborates with several leading institutions of higher education around the world. In 1999, SSE became the first Swedish university to be fully accredited by EQUIS (The European Quality Improvement System). This means that our teaching and research in all fields have been found to meet the most rigorous international criteria.

SSE Executive Education AB is a subsidiary of SSE that offers open enrolment and customised programs for key personnel in private enterprise and public administration. The idea is to offer development programs of the highest quality and thereby to enhance the competitive strength of firms, organisations and individuals. SSE Executive Education is ranked on Financial Times’ list of the world’s leading business schools.

For more information: http://www.hhs.se/

11.4. Stockholm University
Stockholm University, situated in the capital of Sweden, is a city University enjoying many links with today’s society - both from a local and an international perspective. The University is one of the largest in Sweden with about 35,000 students and more than 2,150 graduate students.

Undergraduate education is pursued alongside postgraduate studies and research at the four faculties: Law, Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences. With about 80 departments offering approximately 1050 courses and 45 study programmes each year, the university is able to provide a wide variety of choices to meet the needs of its students. Stockholm College began in 1878 with a series of public lectures on the natural sciences. In 1904, the college became an official degree granting institution and in the following two decades both the Faculties of Law and Humanities were established. In 1960 Stockholm College became a state University and four years later the Faculty of Social Sciences was added.

The 1960’s brought a steep increase in the student population, resulting in over-crowding in the then city centre premises. The result was the formation in 1970 of a University campus at Frescati - an area just north of the city centre. Today, the main University campus stretches across a naturally and culturally inspiring landscape - in and around the world’s first National City Park. A wide variety of building styles, blending both traditional and modern, has helped to make the campus a place of architectural interest.

Stockholm University has one of the top Nordic business schools, educating the business leaders and specialists of the future. It is constantly striving to develop the learning process, with an emphasis on creative thinking and critical reasoning. The School has been awarded the highly acclaimed EQUIS http://www.efmd.org/ accreditation for educational quality, internationalisation and co-operation with the business community. The courses are based on the latest research findings. Our vision is to promote learning across boundaries and borders, through close collaboration with the research and the business communities, both in Sweden and abroad. There are more than 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 200 faculty members and doctoral candidates. In recent years the business school has had more than 130 students from China conducting courses in France, Russia and Poland for further 100 students. The School is housed in newly restored premises dating back to 1912 in Kr¨aftriket (The Crayfish Kingdom). Please visit http://www.fek.su.se for more information on the Stockholm School of Business.

For more information: http://www.su.se/

11.5. Sodertorn University College
A new academic alternative just south of Stockholm. Its profile is multidisciplinary and multicultural. Sodertorns Hogskola is one of the most recently founded university colleges in Sweden. It was inaugurated in 1996 with some 1 000 students. In December 2003, Sodertorns Hogskola had 10,000 registered students. One of its major tasks is to increase recruitment to higher education while at the same time maintaining the highest academic standards in research and education.

Sodertorns Hogskola is located in a growing metropolitan area, where people from many different cultures live. Many of our courses and educational programmes also deal with issues of ethnicity, migration and nationalism in modern Europe.

For more information: http://www.sh.se/

11.6. Uppsala University
The city of Uppsala is Sweden’s fourth largest municipality, perhaps best known for its 15th century university. The city also offers visitors beautiful surroundings, a lively cultural scene and a rapidly expanding business sector. Uppsala is located 70 kilometres north of Stockholm in the province of Uppland. The city’s resident population is 180.000. Uppsala University was founded in 1477 and is one of the oldest universities in Scandinavia. The university has around 37,000 pupils and eight faculties, 45 educational programmes and in excess of 1,200 courses.

It has thirteen Student Nations which are clubs dating back to the 17th century. Each Nation is connected to and bears the name of a certain region in Sweden, and is primarily a club for students from that region. It is compulsory to be a member of a nation and pay a fee of about SEK 150-200. As a foreign student you are free to choose which nation you want to join. Please note that the receipt you receive when you pay your combined Student Union and Nation fee at the bank must be kept, since it is a part of your student ID (k°arleg). At every nation there is an international secretary who will help you with any problem that might occur and who provides you with information about activities at the nation. All international secretaries work within the International Committee (Internationella Konventet). The committee organises a welcoming party at the beginning of each term, excursions, where you have the opportunity to meet other international students as well as Swedes. On arrival you will get more information on the nations to help you make up your mind which one to join. Please note that there are also a few formal dinners and banquets at the nations, so bringing a suit or a nice dress may be a good idea. Student nations sometimes offer temporary part-time work for exchange students.

Only persons belonging to one of the five following categories are eligible to study at Uppsala University: Swedish students, Nordic students, Exchange students, International students with a sufficient knowledge of Swedish and English, and in some case Scholarship / Grant holders. All students with sufficient academic background and sufficient knowledge of English can also apply to Master’s Programmes taught in English, and to Single Subject Courses taught in English.

You must finance your own living and other expenses while studying in Sweden. sala University is responsible for finding a student room for exchange students under formal exchange agreements (including ERASMUS/SOCRATES, NORDPLUS, TEMPUS, ALFA, and Linneaus Palme students), but not for other foreign students.

Research at Uppsala is of high international class. One sign of this is the fact that eight Nobel laureates have been connected with the University. Most of these prizes have gone to scientists in the fields of physics and chemistry.

With its nine faculties of Theology, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Arts, Language, Social Sciences, Science and Technology, and Educational Sciences, Uppsala University offers a broad spectrum of educational and research opportunities.

For more information: http://www.uu.se/

11.7. Universities near Trollhattan Jamaat
There are numerous good universities near our sister Jamaat in Trollhattan. For more information regarding these, we recommend you to contact our Trollhattan Liasons Br. Kumail Pirmohamed kumail@kth.se or Br. Sameer Panjwani sameer.p@telia.com

12. Important Links

All about studying in Sweden: http://www.studyinsweden.se
The National Agency for Higher Education: http://www.hsv.se
The Zainabiya Islamic Centre (Jamaat Website): http://www.zainabiya.net

13. Contact Information

We the Youth Committee of Stockholm Jamaat hope that this concise summery will InshaAllah raise the interest of our fellow Khoja brothers and sisters around the world to apply for Higher Education in Sweden.

If you require help with applying or any other information regarding studying in Sweden, do not hesitate to contact us at the Youth Body of Stockholm Jamaat (e-mail & telephone number below). We look forward to assist you in anyway possible.

On behalf of the Youth Body of Stockholm Jamaat,
Salaam and Du’a

Arifali Hirji
Youth Chairman
MSIA of Stockholm
E-mail: arifali@kth.se
Telephone:             +46 8 591 219 40