FAQ

Who can take a Swedish course at KTH?

All international students doing a part of their education at KTH are welcome to take Swedish courses. We do not accept external students. Doctoral students and KTH employees are referred to our Swedish courses for employees .

Are the Swedish courses credit-bearing?

We offer both credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing courses for students. All Swedish courses for KTH staff are non-credit-bearing.

Should I choose a credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing course?

We recommend all students who can to choose a credit-bearing course in Swedish . For students that don't have the possibility to take credit-bearing language courses, we offer the credit-free course Introduction to Swedish language and culture , a course built on lectures and self-study materials, aiming to give the students an introduction to the Swedish language and society. The course is primarly intented for fee-paying intetnational master’s students, but other categories of students are also accepted. The two following courses Swedish for advanced beginners  and Professional Swedish  are only open to fee-paying master’s students.

Which level should I choose?

The levels of the courses are defined according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): A1, A2, B1, etc.

If you have no previous knowledge of Swedish, you should choose Swedish A1 (LS1502 or LS140N), or sign up for the course Introduction to Swedish Language and Culture. You must pass each course level before you can continue with the next, progressing in the following order: A1, A2, B1, B1/B2. You can not take two courses at the same time.

If you have previous knowledge of Swedish when you begin your studies at KTH, you should take our placement test  to determine your level before you apply for a course. When you have taken the test, please contact us at language-communication@kth.se , and we'll help you to find the right course.

The test is only intended for students who have not studied Swedish with us earlier, and it cannot be used to “skip” a level once you have started with our language program.

Classes and attendance

During the semesters, classes take place once a week at KTH campus and attendance is mandatory on all our credit-bearing courses. If you take a course with more than one group, you can occasionally attend the the class on another day if you have schedule clashes. It is also possible to switch day permanently if your schedule changes from one period to another, given that there are free spots.

I cannot attend a course on KTH campus

For students who cannot attend a campus course, we offer Swedish A1 as an online course ( Swedish A1 for engineers, LS140N ).

Withdrawing from a course

If you have not yet registered for the course, it is possible to cancel your participation through Ladok for students or with help from your KTH coordinator. If you would like to drop a Swedish course after you are registered, please report your withdrawal through Ladok for students within three weeks after the course start and by simultaneously sending a message to language-communication@kth.se . Contact us at the same adress if you need to drop the course at a later stage.