Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the largest city in the Scandinavia region of Europe. The city is home to over 1.5 million residents, and functions as an important financial and cultural hub for all of Europe. Stockholm is also a centre for multiple industries including media, financial technologies, retail and manufacturing. Most of the world’s leading firms and businesses run major operations in Stockholm and employ hundreds of thousands of the city’s residents.
The city features regularly near the top of most rankings for living standards and urban infrastructure, and is well-known for its high levels of safety. With 27% of Stockholm’s residents being foreign-born, it is an immigrant-friendly city with a welcoming local community.
KTH Royal Institute of Technology was founded in 1827 and has since become a world-leading university with strengths in technical sciences and engineering degree programmes. KTH is home to 13,500 enrolled students of which nearly 20% or 2,700 are international students.
The university primarily operates on four campuses spread across Stockholm, in addition to multiple research facilities all over the city. KTH also maintains strong technical partnerships with multiple top-ranked universities worldwide, as well as with Sweden’s largest businesses and employers. The university’s well-connected alumni network and industry partnerships make it simpler for you to secure top-quality jobs after graduation.
At its heart, KTH is a research and innovation-driven university operating world-class research facilities such as the CAS Centre for Autonomous Systems, the Centre for Cyber Defence and Information Security and the PDC Centre for High Performance Computing.
Established in 1878, Stockholm University is one of the largest universities in Sweden with over 70,000 enrolled students of which about 7,000 are international. The university operates on seven campuses in and around Stockholm, including the newly-opened Albano campus and the Frescati campus which is the university’s primary base.
The university offers over 80 degree programmes taught in English to international students. Stockholm University has a centuries-old reputation for its excellence in research alongside academics, and has been home to 4 Nobel Prize winners. It also operates a vast student exchange programme, through which international students can experience new countries while studying in top-ranked research universities such as the University of Illinois in the United States.
Founded in 1810 as a Surgeons’ training institute, Karolinska Institute is well-regarded as one of the world’s leading institutes for healthcare and medical degree programmes. Karolinska is primarily situated on two campuses – the KI Campus Solna in the northwest, and the KI Campus Huddinge south of Stockholm.
The university offers international students the latest in cutting-edge medical technology for advanced research and vocational training, alongside award-winning faculty with real-world experience in the world’s best hospitals and medical centres. Although the QS World Rankings do not feature Karolinska Institute because it is not a multi-faculty university, the QS Medicine Rankings place Karolinska Institute 5th worldwide and 1st in the world for its Department of Dental Medicine.
The institute operates the Karolinska University Hospital, one of Europe’s best hospitals, where international students can gain valuable practical experience in their chosen medical fields. KI has a total enrolment of about 7,600 students, with nearly a fourth of them being international medical students.
Below are the top-ranked Stockholm universities for international students, with their ranks in two of the world’s most well-respected international university rankings, the QS 2025 University World rankings and the Times Higher Education 2025 Rankings.
For more information about rankings systems and methodologies see our University rankings explained guide.
| University | QS World Ranking 2025 | Times Higher Education Ranking 2025 |
| KTH Royal Institute of Technology | 74 | =95 |
| Stockholm University | 128 | =191 |
| Karolinska Institute | – | 49 |
Alongside the three top-ranked Stockholm universities mentioned above, international students can also enrol at one of many world-leading institutes specialising in a wide range of subjects including economics, engineering and the fine arts in Stockholm. Below are a few of these top-ranked institutes in Stockholm:
Typical tuition costs for international students at top-ranked Stockholm universities range between 8,000-25,000 US Dollars per annum, and depend on the specific degree programme, number of courses and the university selected. Certain degree programmes such as Business Management and Architecture courses tend to be on the more expensive end of this range.
As for living costs, Stockholm University estimates that international students should budget around 850-950 US Dollars monthly. This figure includes 450-600 US Dollars for shared accommodation, 200 US Dollars for food expenses, 50-60 US Dollars for public transport, and another 180-200 US Dollars for utilities and miscellaneous expenses.
Stockholm is well-connected to both mainland Europe and the rest of the world, and international students can comfortably travel from their home countries to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport.
The excellent public transport infrastructure in Sweden also means that international students can make frequent weekend trips to explore Sweden as well as its neighbouring countries, including Norway and Denmark, by road.
As for Stockholm itself, the city is filled with centuries-old buildings, cultural centres, entertainment venues and outdoor areas for international students to enjoy during their academic breaks. Below are a few of Stockholm’s can’t-miss destinations for international students:
Stockholm offers world-leading levels of public safety, urban facilities and public transport for international students, meaning you can fully engage with your top-ranked university degree while living a stress-free life in the city. If you want to live and work in a city where you can focus completely on your academics and research, Stockholm may be just the place for you.
See all universities in Sweden.
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