Internationalization and Mobility

The academy's function in the knowledge society means that it takes part in a globalized world to a very high degree. Students as well as research and teaching staff must be given the opportunity and encouraged to exchange and international cooperation. It is therefore important that national regulations are adapted to promote mobility for students, scientists and other staff. It is also important that students as well as research and teaching staff are given the opportunity to develop their intercultural competence. 

Conditions must also be created for international students at all levels of education within the academy to remain in the country after completing their studies, as this is absolutely necessary for society's development and supply of skills. Processes for residence permits both before and after studies must function seamlessly and a legally secure residence permit must not be the limiting factor for being able to study at a Swedish university.

There must be opportunities for students as well as research and teaching staff who do not know Swedish to learn the language effectively. Higher education institutions must be organizationally inclusive even for non-Swedish speakers, regardless of any requirements for official language, this includes that all students must be able to be student representatives at all levels. All students who study at a Swedish university must be considered students at the university they study and have the same rights and obligations. SFS believes that the education should be free of charge for everyone. However, in cases where a fee is charged from the student, these fees may never cover more than the costs that are directly linked to the education that the student completes. The higher education institutions should also clearly state how these costs are calculated. SFS also communicated its view on internationalization in the consultation response to A strategic agenda for internationalization (SPU 2018: 3) as well as in a number of blog posts that can be read here