Tuition fee-paying students

The tuition fee condition is applied to each application according to the course or programme’s start date. It is shown as ‘SV-villkor’ in NyA. The student’s fee status at selection is determined according to the citizenship or migration status that the student is expected to have when the programme or course starts. 

More information about the rules that apply to students who change their fee status after admission is complete can be found under the heading “Changed fee status” 

The tuition fee is stated in the admission letter. A tuition fee-paying student is only fully admitted once the tuition fee is paid.

If a student has been subject to a tuition fee condition but considers that they fulfil the criteria for a tuition fee exemption, they can apply for a reassessment of their tuition fee status. The student is then to email the Admissions Office at antagning [at] stu [dot] lu [dot] se. 

For a newly admitted student, an application for reassessment of tuition fee status must be submitted before the deadline for payment. If no payment or application has been received by the deadline for payment, the applicant loses their place.

If a continuing student (applies to students from semester 2 onwards) with tuition fee conditions considers themselves to have changed status, they may apply to have their tuition fee status assessed at any time.

General rule

Those not obliged to pay registration and tuition fees according to the Ordinance on application fees and tuition fees at higher education institutions are those who

• are EU/EES/Swiss citizens
• at the start of a course, hold a residence permit for Sweden that was approved on grounds other than studies
• have an ongoing application for a residence permit for Sweden on grounds other than studies.
• have right of residency in Sweden.

Applicants must meet the tuition fee requirement either by paying or showing their fee exemption in order to take up their study place. If this requirement is not met within the window for payment, the study place will be lost. 

You can find out more under “Student wishing to be exempted from fees” 

Citizenship or residence permit

Students who are EU/EES/Swiss citizens or have a residence permit for Sweden approved on grounds other than studies are exempt from fees. If their fee status changes after selection, or during their studies, they are to contact the Admissions Office in order to have their fee status reassessed .

Students admitted without tuition fee conditions because of their citizenship generally retain their fee status throughout their time studying and the courses they are admitted to are automatically marked as paid for in Ladok. 

At the start of the programme, students who hold a residence permit for Sweden that was approved on grounds other than studies will have their courses marked as exempt from fees for as long as their residence permit is valid. After that, their courses will be marked in Ladok as fee payable and they must contact the Admissions Office if they are to have their fee status reassessed.

Application to extend residence permit

If a student’s residence permit awarded on grounds other than studies has expired and the student is awaiting a new decision from the Swedish Migration Agency, they may continue to be exempted from fees during the processing time, provided that:

1. The application to extend the residence permit was made on the same grounds as before.
2. The application was submitted before the old residence permit expired.

If a student’s residence permit awarded on grounds other than studies expires, the student automatically becomes marked as liable for payment of fees in Ladok. This applies until the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision about a new residence permit. Applicants are to upload their application to extend their residence permit to their University Admissions profile and must then contact antagning [at] stu [dot] lu [dot] se in order to have their fee status reassessed. When the student has been assessed as exempt from fees due to an open (pending) application for extension of their residence permit on grounds other than studies, the student is exempted from payment for the current semester's courses.

The student is to contact the Admissions Office once the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision about a residence permit on grounds other than studies. The Admissions department then carries out a new assessment and can update the student’s fee status in Ladok, which then applies nationally.

Right of residency

Students who can show that they have right of residency in Sweden will receive a deferral on payment until they are able to show their resident’s card or residence permit from the Swedish Migration Agency. They are then to contact the Admissions Office antagning [at] stu [dot] lu [dot] se for more information about how they can show their right of residency and have their fee status assessed.

Admitted as exempt from fees

Students can also be exempted from fees through an exception that applies locally to Lund University. As a result of Vice-Chancellor decision STYR 2022/2513 all students who are admitted as exempt from fees for a course or programme at Lund University that starts after 31 July 2011 may complete their course or programme without having to pay fees. The fee exemption continues to apply even if they change fee status and lose their exemption before their studies are complete. The same exemption from payment also applies to those students who, from the autumn semester 2022 onwards, have been able to show that they are exempt from fees at the start of the course or programme, i.e. when they start their first semester. 

Please note that the exemption through the Vice-Chancellor’s decision only applies to those students who are admitted as exempt from fees in NyA, or were assessed as being exempt from fees when starting their studies from autumn 2022 onwards. In addition, the exemption from payment applies only for the course or programme and the scope of credits to which the admission relates. We always recommend that students apply to extend their residence permit on grounds other than studies, and that they inform us when they have received a residence permit on grounds other than studies since this provides a general exemption from tuition fees.

Other grounds

There may be a small number of other cases in which a student can be deemed exempt from fees for a course despite a liability to pay fees in Ladok. Contact the Admissions Office via instlant [at] stu [dot] lu [dot] se if you have any questions about a student’s fee status. Students are to contact us via antagning [at] stu [dot] lu [dot] se

Students without a valid residence permit issued on grounds other than studies in Sweden are automatically marked as liable for payment of fees in Ladok. This applies until the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision about a new residence permit. 

Students who have an ongoing application for a residence permit for Sweden on grounds other than studies must be granted an exemption from payment in Ladok. The department or student is to contact the Admissions Office via antagning [at] stu [dot] lu [dot] se for assessment and further processing. 

More information is available in the paragraph “Application to extend residence permit” under the heading “When is a student exempt from fees?”

You will find current fee status in Ladok under Student information – Tuition Fee liability – Tuition fee liability for higher education at first and second cycle. 

Current payment status for courses is under Student information – Tuition fee payment and application fee. Please be aware of the difference between tuition fee payment and registration fee.

Students who have changed their fee status in Ladok from liable for payment of fees to exempt from fees during the programme or course are exempt from fees as long as the basis of their exemption applies, such as citizenship or residence permit on grounds other than studies. The fee status the student has when they begin the course applies for the whole course.

Students who have changed their fee status in Ladok from exempt from fees to liable for payment of fees are liable for payment of fees unless a different assessment has been made for the student in question. The fee obligation applies from the start of any course that begins after the grounds for fee exemption (residence permit) has expired. An exception to this rule applies to students who have been accepted as exempt from tuition fees. 

More information under When is a student exempt from fees? (Admitted as exempt from fees)

Fee-paying students who wish to study in Sweden apply for residence permits for studies. The Swedish Migration Agency does not begin to process an application for a residence permit for studies until the student has been admitted. Students who have shown that they are to complete their Bachelor’s degree after being admitted but before starting their education at the university are exempt from this rule.

A tuition fee-paying student is admitted with a tuition fee condition. Only when payment requirements are met, i.e. the invoice has been paid, does the Swedish Migration Agency process the application for a residence permit.

We recommend that newly admitted students pay their invoice as soon as possible after admission, so that the process of applying for a residence permit gets underway as soon as possible.

We recommend that you do not register a student who is not present in Sweden and who has not received a residence permit.

In order to have a request for a deferment of studies approved, students are required to pay their invoices for the first semester of studies. This is because the University is only ably to approve deferment for students admitted without tuition fee conditions. 

Students who have been granted a deferment of studies are to apply for a refund and then submit a new payment when they have applied and been admitted once again. Make an official note in NyA when the student has received an approved deferment decision, with a reference number. This is so that we can monitor the decision when the student applies for a refund and when the student is to be exempted from registration fees when they reapply with their deferment of studies.

Students who apply to Lund University with an deferment decision do not have to pay another registration fee. They are to contact the Admissions Office via antagning [at] stu [dot] lu [dot] se once they have uploaded their deferment decision to their application. 

Application form for deferment of studies

Students will find their invoice in their account in the Student Portal. Students should contact the Division of Finances with any questions relating to invoices: tuitionfees [at] eken [dot] lu [dot] se (tuitionfees[at]eken[dot]lu[dot]se)

For newly admitted fee-paying students on a programme or freestanding course in the international admission rounds, the Division of Finances issues invoices automatically after selection and for approximately one month after that. Fee-paying students admitted in the Swedish admission rounds (with admission in July and December) are not invoiced automatically but are to contact the Division of Finances.

Continuing students (semester two onwards) will receive their invoices in May and October. 

More information regarding payment under the heading “Payment of tuition fees”

Students on a waiting list must contact the Division of Finances to obtain an invoice if they are admitted after the period in which invoices are generated automatically. Please bear in mind, however, that newly admitted tuition fee-paying students have difficulty in receiving their residence permit in time to start their studies if they are admitted in May/November or later. A student who is admitted to a waiting list for a higher application option and has already paid must contact the Division of Finances to have their invoice transferred to the new admission.

Applicants or students who are liable for payment of tuition fees are to pay at the times set out in the payment information. Tuition fees are paid per semester for full-time studies. Tuition fees are not reduced in cases where a programme student studies fewer than 30 credits in a particular semester. The student's payment is instead credited to the following semester's courses.

When a received payment has been processed, the Division of Finances sends a confirmation of payment. When payment is made, this is registered in Ladok, which can take two to four working days. 

The deadline for payment of tuition fees for newly admitted tuition fee-paying students is 20 May for studies commencing in the autumn and 30 November for studies that start in the spring. Newly admitted students who have not shown a fee exemption or paid by the deadline will be removed from their admission This removal takes place within one or two weeks after  the payment deadline.

For continuing students (semester two onwards), the payment deadline is 1 August ahead of the autumn semester and 15 December in advance of the spring semester. Students with ongoing studies who have not paid tuition fees for the semester in question cannot be registered on their programme or course. These students may not take part in teaching and risk being suspended from their programme if payment is not made. See below under the heading “Suspension due to unpaid tuition fees” to find out the important steps that those administering the programme must take in order to avoid a student receiving a warning about suspension.

When a student has registered for a course, the tuition fee for that course is considered to have been used. The tuition fee for the course cannot then be used for other education or be reimbursed.

The exception would be if the student reports an early interruption of studies – the student is then able to use the payment for another course with the same number of credits within the programme.

We recommend that you do not register a student who is not present in Sweden and who has not received a residence permit.
 

Students who are re-registered on a course already paid for are automatically marked as paid once the change of course instance has been implemented in Ladok. This is not instant, however, and may take up to 15 minutes before Ladok is updated.

Tuition fees are paid per semester for full-time studies. A student who has paid their semester invoice can be registered for 30 credits per semester. If a student is registered for more than 30 credits per semester, they are to pay for the courses that exceed the credits included in the programme. A student is not to take more credits than they have been admitted to. Since fee-paying students have to pay for excess credits, we recommend that you monitor to make sure that students are not registered for more than 30 credits per semester. Also check that they have enough credits to take all compulsory courses for the degree, and do not, for example, take too many elective courses. 

Tuition fees are not reduced in cases where a programme student studies fewer than 30 credits in a particular semester. The student's payment is then credited to the following semester's courses.
 

If the student wishes to take a course/programme that is outside the programme syllabus or programme they are admitted to, they may apply for and pay for this in the normal way.

Only after a credit transfer is approved and registered in Ladok for the programme in question, is the equivalent number of credits is deducted in SEK from the following invoice. If the student has paid all semester invoices, they can apply for a refund.

A fee-paying student who demonstrates special grounds may have deferred payment approved. It is the presiding committee of the University Admissions Board that makes decisions about deferred payment. 

Newly admitted student

To apply for a deferment of payment, a newly admitted student is to contact the Division of Financess via tuitionfees [at] eken [dot] lu [dot] se in good time before the payment deadline. If the student meets the requirements for deferment for newly admitted students, they can have their payment deferred until after the payment deadline A fee-paying newly admitted student cannot however begin their studies without having made payment. The Swedish Migration Agency will not start processing any residence permit application for studies unless payment has been made to the higher education institution.

Continuing student

Students who are currently studying at Lund University can also apply for a deferment of payment in special cases, if the student provides a reason for not being able to pay. The application is to be supported by documentation. The application for deferral is to be submitted in good time before the start of the semester so that there is time to process it before studies begin.

Applications for deferral of payment that are submitted after the start of semester will not be approved. The student must then pay the whole semester invoice in order to be allowed to begin the semester.

Continuing students are to pay the fee for the rate of study they have been admitted to, i.e. a fee equivalent to 30 credits per semester. Students who are studying a programme are to pay for the whole semester in order to be allowed to begin the semester. 

As set out in the Ordinance on application fees and tuition fees at higher education institutions, the University must expel any student studying a course or programme without having paid the tuition fee until the fee is paid. An expulsion decision means that the student may not participate in classes, examinations or any other activity within the framework of the programme of study at the higher education institution for the part that has not been paid for.
Decisions about suspension are made by the chair of the Admissions Board after preparations by the Admissions Office.

The higher education institution may also decide in individual cases, in the event of an unpaid invoice, that degree and course certificates may not be issued until the fee has been paid. 

• Students may, however, have valid reasons for not paying a semester invoice. Such students are not to be issued warnings about suspension. Reasons might for example be if the student:
  has been exempted from fees
• has been approved for a leave of absence from studies
• that the student does not meet the entry requirements for courses within the programme and that the student may therefore not continue the programme in the following semester
• has interrupted their studies
• takes a one-year degree instead of a two-year degree.

That is why it is important to register in Ladok or NyA if the student has a valid reason for not paying their semester invoice.

When you have registered information in Ladok about a one-year instead of a two-year degree, approved leave from studies, a bar on, or interruption of, studies, you are to inform the Division of Finances via tuitionfees [at] eken [dot] lu [dot] se that the invoice for the current semester is to be credited, otherwise the student will be included on a list of students who have unpaid invoices and they risk receiving a warning about suspension.

Students who wish to apply for a refund are to email the Division of Finances via tuitionfees [at] eken [dot] lu [dot] se. They then receive a link to a form through which they can apply for a refund. Decisions about refunds are taken by the Admissions Board or the Admissions Office or the Division of Finances in accordance with delegation rules.

In STYR 2024/814, the Vice-Chancellor has decided on new guidelines for refunds at Lund University. Students may be refunded if they 

1. have been exempted from fees 
2. can demonstrate special grounds for why they are not able to take part in the course or programme. 

The University always makes an individual assessment of each application. You can refer students to the University’s information about refunds published in English.

New guidelines for refunds at Lund University (PDF, 211 kB, new tab, in Swedish)

Information about refunds on lunduniversity.lu.se 

In STYR 2023/2156, the Vice-Chancellor has decided that the University will deduct a charge of SEK 7,000 when a decision to refund is made. This does not apply to all refund decisions, it applies only to those students who are newly admitted but do not begin their studies at Lund University. For these students, a deduction of SEK 7,000 will be made from the sum to be refunded.