Education Document Translation for Sweden

What the UHR assessment tells you, and what it does not

The assessment of foreign higher education degrees in Sweden is carried out by UHR. The statement the body issues sets out what your degree corresponds to in the Swedish system; it is not, however, a decision to admit you, and it confers no authority to work in a regulated profession. In fields such as healthcare and teaching, that authority is obtained from the professional authority for the field. A university application, on the other hand, proceeds through the central application system, and it is there that the documents are assessed. The same diploma, in short, is read at different doors according to its purpose.

Another feature of the Swedish system is that applications are tied to a central timetable. If documents are not uploaded to the system by a given date the application is not taken up for assessment, and completing it later is not always possible. That makes it necessary to plan the preparation of documents backwards from the calendar.

Why each document is asked for

The diploma shows the degree; the academic transcript is the basis on which credits and individual courses are compared. Because the Swedish system works on credit load, the total credit figure on the transcript is decisive. For bachelor’s applications the upper secondary diploma and the documents showing entitlement to enter university are required. A language proficiency certificate is a separate threshold on programmes taught in Swedish; on programmes conducted in English, an English-language certificate is looked for.

Purpose	Body concerned
What the degree corresponds to	UHR
Admission to a programme	The central application system and the university
Professional authorisation	The competent authority for the field
Residence procedure	Migrationsverket

The mistake made most often

The most widespread problem in Sweden is a translation that has not been made by an authorised translator. The authorisation is granted by an official body and the list of authorised translators is public; a translation from outside that list may not be accepted. The second frequent problem is documents not being ready in time for the central application calendar – the translation runs late, and the application is left incomplete. The third is sending only the diploma on bachelor’s applications and leaving out the entrance examination result.

When translation enters the picture

Because of the pressure of the calendar, the translation plan is built backwards from the date of application. The order runs: the original documents are gathered, the certification step is completed, and then the whole text, the certification endorsement included, is translated and uploaded to the system. The authorised translator’s details must be visible on the translation. You will find certification levels document by document on our documents page, and the differences between countries in our country guide.

Rules for uploading to the central system

That applications in Sweden run through a central system standardises the management of documents, but it reduces flexibility. Documents must be uploaded to the system by a given closing date; papers that arrive after that date are in most cases not taken up for assessment. On upload, each document is expected to be submitted separately and legibly, with the source document and the translation visible together. Uploading the translation alone counts as incomplete; the system wants to see the original document as well.

A further detail is that the same file can be used when applying to more than one programme. Thanks to the central structure the documents are uploaded once and hold good for all your choices, which brings the cost of translation down to a single set. Some programmes may nonetheless ask for additional documents of their own, and these are prepared separately. Drawing up your list of choices at the outset also shows which additional documents will be needed.

• Write the closing date for uploads at the top of your calendar.
• Upload the source document and the translation together.
• Draw up your list of choices and work out what additional documents you need.
• Check that the authorised translator’s details appear on the translation.

Another thing to watch in Sweden is that documents remain open to verification after they have been uploaded. Assessors may approach the issuing institution where necessary, so it helps if the numbers and dates on the documents are legible and the university’s contact details are current. A seal that has come out faint, or a diploma number that cannot be read, draws verification out needlessly.

On the equivalence of marks, since the Swedish system works on credit load, the total credits on the transcript and the credits per course are decisive. Where the explanation of how credits are calculated is on a separate sheet, that sheet too has to be included in the translation. The absence of this single page is one of the commonest reasons for a file being left waiting on further documents.

Those thinking of working in professional fields need to know from the start that the statement of level is not enough and that a separate application to the authority concerned is required.

Another practical matter in Sweden is that the application system applies its own rules on how documents are to be uploaded. The file formats accepted, the size limits and the rules on merging pages are announced in advance and are expected to be observed. Keeping the scan from being needlessly large while leaving the seals readable is a balance that has to be struck. Since the originals may be asked for at the enrolment stage, it is useful to have the documents with you. For candidates close to graduating, a provisional certificate of graduation is in most cases accepted and allows the application to be opened; when the diploma is printed the file is completed, and the central timetable has been kept to.

The central timetable is not flexible; early preparation changes the outcome directly here. You can look at our pricing page and request a quotation by uploading your documents.

The account below summarises typical practice; each consulate applies its own current guidance. For definitive information, rely on the current announcement of the institution concerned.