The number of students abroad is increasing after the epidemic

A total of 21,000 people with study funding studied abroad during the 2021/22 academic year, an increase of nearly 3,400 people over the previous academic year. However, the student population is not back to the level it was before the pandemic. Since the 2014/2015 academic year, when the number of international students was at its highest, there has been a decrease of about 8,700 people.

The number of exchange students in particular has been lower during the pandemic.
During the pandemic, we have clearly seen how the number of exchange students has decreased as schools have canceled their exchange. Now the number of exchange students started to increase again. However, we do not see the same effect among those who study as free-movers, that is, those who have combined their education themselves. CSN’s Jenny Nelson says the number of people on the move has basically not changed in recent years, even during the pandemic.

The Free Students represent the largest group of students abroad with 14,700 in 2021/22. The number of exchange students in the last academic year increased from 1,800 people to 5,000 people, while 1,400 people took language courses.

Great Britain and London remain at the top

Great Britain remains the most popular study country among all international students, although the number has decreased by 16 per cent over the past academic year. At the same time, the number of international students has increased in the United States, which now includes almost as much as the United Kingdom. In France, the number of foreign students has almost doubled, while in Australia the number has decreased again over the past academic year. In two years, the number of international students in Australia has fallen by two-thirds. Only international students with scholarships are included in the figures above.
At the post-secondary level, the three most popular study places have not changed compared to what they used to be: London is the most popular, followed by Copenhagen and Riga. Riga Stradins University has been the most popular post-secondary school during the last academic year. Many people are studying to become doctors there. In second place came Copenhagen Business School and third, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.

Latvia is the most popular for medical students

The number of medical students abroad with funds to study reached 2,200 during the 2021/22 academic year, just under 6 percent from the previous academic year. Latvia has now overtaken Poland as the most popular country for medical students.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a relatively small impact on the number of medical students abroad, compared, for example, to the number of exchange students. On the other hand, the number of medical students with funds to study abroad has fallen by just over a quarter since the 2011/12 academic year.

Publication of official statistics

Official statistics for the 2021/2021 school year have been published. You can find it in the CSN Statistics database. There you will find statistics for the academic year 2021/22, among others, study funds, start-up support and study assistance. There are statistics for both studies in Sweden and abroad.

Top Ten Popular Schools – Post-Secondary Studies (Number of Students) 2021/22. Placement in the academic year 2021/2021 in parentheses:

1 – Riga Stradins University, Latvia, 691 (1)
2. Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, 413 (2)
3 – Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania, 356 (4)
4. Medical University of Gdask, Poland 272 (3)
5. Santa Monica College, USA 264 (5)
6- Codd Institute, Ireland, 218 (6)
7. University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, 206 (9)
8. University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 148 (8)
9. University of Warmia and Masuria, Poland, 143 (7)
10. Academy of Culinary Arts Switzerland, Switzerland, 130 (new to the list)

Most Popular Ten Types of Schools – Post-Secondary Studies (Number of Students) 2021/22. The 2020/2021 academic year is placed in parentheses.

1- London, UK 1073 1 (1)
2 – Copenhagen, Denmark 787 (2)
3 – Riga, Latvia, 724 (3)
4- Paris, France 404 (8)
5- Amsterdam, Netherlands, 368 (7)
6- Lithuania Kaunas 360 (5)
7- Dublin, Ireland, 339 (new to the list)
8- Gdansk, Poland 297 (4)
9- Barcelona, ​​Spain, 285 (new to the list)
10- Oslo, Norway 282 (6).

Top Ten Most Popular Countries – All School Forms (Number of Students) 2021/22. Placement in the academic year 2020/2021 in parentheses:

1 – Great Britain 3 088 (1)
2- United States 3053 (2).
3- Spain 1,258 (5).
4- France 1205 (new to the list)
5- Poland 1 079 (3)
6- Netherlands: 077 1 (7).
7- Denmark 1059 (4)
8- Germany, 823 (8)
9- Italy, 803 (new to the list)
10- Latvia, 729 (10).

Media contact

Sophia Bayer-Ranquilla, ex. CSN Press Secretary, 070-229 45 11.