This academic year, Sweden started charging substantial tuition
fees to non-European students ranging from 100.000 kronor (€11.000)
and 230.000 kronor (€25.000) per annum. The consequences were
already felt when applications from this group of internationals decreased by 90%.
For the upcoming year demand slightly recovered. Nevertheless, Sweden might now face
another side effect of introducing tuition fees for foreigners. The
Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (SNAHE) reports a
recent rise in fake colleges all over the country.
It is like setting up a hot dog stand
"Anyone can start anything and call it a university. I usually
say that it is like setting up a hot dog stand," commented Lennart
Ståhle of SNAHE. "At the Swedish National Agency for Higher
Education we can't have an opinion when it comes to this and they
can establish themselves here as long as they follow Swedish tax
laws. It is like any sort of business venture."
The issue: In the past, Great-Britain was an attractive location
for dubious education institutes to set up their business. After
visa and exam fraud scandals like the one leading to the shut-down of the University of Wales however,
British regulators have become more alert.
The business concept is simple. Foreigners are offered
non-accredited degrees in a renowned country for discount fees.
That is also why "Sweden has become an interesting market. These
schools say they only charge half of what Swedish universities are
charging. They are using our good name, as Sweden is seen as a
trustworthy country to study in," stated Ståhle in an interview
with newspaper Sydsvenskan.
Non-existent libraries and car repair shops
Sydsvenskan investigated this issue revealing that some of these
colleges indeed offered an interesting environment for learning
experiences. While one of them claimed to provide class rooms and a
cafeteria, the college was in fact situated on top of a car repair
shop. Another boasted with its excellent library facilities while
the pictures turned out to be made inside of the Stockholm City
Library.
Despite these irregularities, Ståhle said that his agency could
not move against such institutes as long as they do not offer
accredited Swedish qualifications. "We can't make an official
judgment on any of these 'colleges'. We don't control them. They
are none of our business, so to speak."
That tuition fees for non-EU students create incentives for
dubious organizations might be of particular interest to another
European country. Germany is priding itself of catering to an
ever-increasing number of international students. To finance this,
Margret Wintermantel recently advocated charging overseas students for the
costs they create.