How to Do a PhD in Sweden: Positions, Salary and Permits

In Sweden you do not pay for a doctorate. You are employed and you receive a monthly salary. You apply for an advertised position, in the same way as for a job. This guide explains the degree, the pay, the application steps and the residence permit.

What a Swedish doctorate is

A doctorate is third-cycle education. Uppsala University states the requirements for the degree: "Four years of full-time studies, 240 credits, including a doctoral dissertation of at least 120 credits that has been defended orally in a public defence."

There is also a shorter degree. The licentiate degree needs "Two years of full-time studies, 120 credits, including a licentiate thesis of at least 60 credits." Some positions start with a licentiate and continue to a doctorate.

Doctoral education costs nothing. The University of Gothenburg states: "Doctoral education in Sweden is free of charge for those who undertake it." This is true also for students from outside the EU.

A doctoral position is a job

Most doctoral students in Sweden have an employment contract. KTH writes about its doctoral students: "Most students are employed and receive a monthly salary."

The contract has rules. The University of Gothenburg states: "The initial period of a doctoral studentship may not exceed one year and may be renewed for no more than two years at a time." You keep employee rights, for example paid holiday of 28 to 35 days a year.

Your department can also give you other duties. At the University of Gothenburg these duties (teaching, research or administration) can be up to 20 percent of full-time work. The duties extend your study period by the same amount.

What it pays

Each university has a salary ladder for doctoral students. The university and the unions agree the steps. The steps follow your progress in the degree.

Stockholm University publishes its ladder. These amounts apply from 1 October 2026, before tax:

Each university has its own amounts, and the amounts change each year. Read the advert, then check the salary page of that university.

Tip: Compare the net salary, not the gross salary. Swedish income tax is deducted by the employer each month.

Who can apply

You need a completed master's degree or an equivalent qualification. Each advert states the exact entry requirements for that subject. The advert also names the research project, the supervisor and the contract length.

Swedish positions are open to all nationalities. Some projects have extra rules from the funder. The advert states them.

How to apply, step by step

1. Find an advertised position. Swedish universities publish every doctoral position on their own vacancy pages.
2. Read the whole advert. Note the deadline, the documents and the contact person.
3. Write a cover letter for that project. Name the project, the method and your own relevant work.
4. Collect the documents: CV, degree certificate, transcripts, a short description of your master's thesis, and references. Some adverts ask for a research plan.
5. Apply in the recruitment system of the university before the deadline. Email applications are usually not accepted.
6. Prepare for an interview. Most interviews are online, with the supervisor and one or two colleagues.
7. Sign the contract. Then apply for your residence permit.

If you want to contact a professor before you apply, keep the email short and specific. Our guide How to email a potential PhD supervisor shows a working structure.

Your residence permit

This section is for citizens from outside the EU and EEA. You need a residence permit for doctoral studies if your studies are longer than three months.

The Swedish Migration Agency asks for:

• final admission to full-time doctoral studies in Sweden;
• money for your living costs (the page shows SEK 10,584 per month; check the current amount);
• health insurance, if the studies are shorter than one year and you are not in the Swedish population register;
• a valid passport.

The permit is given for "a maximum of four years, but not for longer than your studies". It is never longer than your passport. The fee is SEK 1,500 for an adult and SEK 750 for a child under 18. For a complete application, the Migration Agency decides "within 30 days".

Your family can apply at the same time as you. This includes a spouse, a registered partner, a cohabiting partner and children under 18.

A doctoral permit can lead to permanent residence. The Migration Agency asks for a total of four years with a permit in the past seven years, or at least three consecutive years with a permit for doctoral studies, research or an EU Blue Card. You must also support yourself. For 2026 the agency uses SEK 6,243 per month for a single adult, after housing costs. New rules for researchers and doctoral students apply from 25 May 2026, so check the page before you apply.

Tip: Apply for the permit on the day you sign the contract. The decision time is added to your start date.

Deadlines and timeline

Sweden has no national application round for doctorates. Positions appear through the whole year. Most adverts stay open for two to four weeks.

Plan backwards from the start date in the advert. Add time for the interview, for the contract and for the permit decision.

Common mistakes

• You wait for an application "season". There is none; you must watch the vacancy pages.
• You send the same cover letter to every position. Supervisors see this at once.
• You forget a document, for example an official translation of the degree certificate.
• You start the permit application too late.
• You think there is a tuition fee and you ask for a scholarship. A Swedish doctoral position pays a salary.

Where to find open positions

PhD Atlas collects doctoral positions every day. See PhD positions in Sweden, all PhD positions and funded PhD positions.

Create a free account and PhD Atlas matches open positions to your CV and your nationality. You then receive an email when a position fits you.