It is your right under the Higher Education Act, as a student, to exert influence over your education. Student influence exists, among other things, to ensure that courses and programmes attain high standards. Quality assurance procedures are the joint concern of staff and students at higher education institutions.

The Higher Education Act also stipulates that higher education institutions should encourage students to take an active part in the process of developing courses and programmes. This means that students' experiences and knowledge should be considered. This applies to individual students as well as students who are active members of the student unions.

Students have the right to representation through the student union in all decision making and preparatory bodies within the university which affect the situation of students and their education. Examples of decision-making bodies are the central board, the faculty board and other work groups which make decisions on matters of education and research. The university and the student union should sign an agreement specifying the decision-making bodies for which the students should have the right to be represented.

In order to exert influence, students have the right to participate in the process leading up to a decision. This means that students should receive information and be represented in preparatory bodies, i.e. in groups and at meetings that take place before a decision is made, and not only during the actual decision-making meetings. If a decision is to be made by a single person, such as the vice chancellor or the head of a department, he or she must inform and consult with a student representative in good time before the decision is made or the preparatory work is completed.

As a student, you can also influence your education through the course evaluations that higher education institutions must offer after each completed course.

It is important to keep in mind that the laws and regulations on student influence only apply to higher education institutions run by the government. This means that different rules apply to non-governmental higher education institutions, referred to as independent higher education providers.

A student union is a student association which has been granted student union status. It is an organisation for students, represented by students. The representation is focussed on the students’ relations with the higher education institution.

A student union has limited geographical or organisational coverage. Several different student unions can be active within the same higher educational institution.

If a student association would like to obtain student union status it must apply to the higher education institution. The main purposes of the union must be to monitor and participate in the development of education as well as monitoring the study environment at the higher education institution. The student union must have a defined area of activity, i.e. a specific higher education institution, faculty or campus. There are also other requirements that must be met for a student association to be granted student union status.

These requirements are:

• The area of activity of a student union must not be larger than a higher education institution and must coincide with at least one geographically or organisationally limited part of it.
• A student union must be democratically structured and able to represent students within its area of activity. Even students who are not members of a student union are represented by student representatives from the union.
• All students within the area of activity must have the right to be members of the union.
• A member must have the right to vote when the student union's highest decision-making body is elected.
• The student union must have statutes adopted by its members and a board of directors.
• The student union must keep a register of its members.
• The student union must report its activities and number of members to the higher education institution each year and provide the higher education institution with its membership register upon request.

Students who participate in or have completed a course must be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the course through a course evaluation. Higher education institutions are obliged to carry out and compile course evaluations and inform students of the results as well as any changes that will be made based on the results. The results must be made available to the students.

Some issues can be resolved by liaising with the higher education institution. Contact the teacher responsible for the course or programme, or the director of studies, head of department, or vice chancellor. If you are a student, you can also contact the student union for help or advice regarding how to proceed. At some higher education institutions, there is also a student ombudsman whom students can contact for support or assistance. If the issue remains unresolved, you are welcome to submit a complaint to us at UKÄ (the Swedish Higher Education Authority).

How to submit a complaint against a higher education institution

Two main areas of our activities are particularly relevant for student influence: quality assurance of higher education and legal supervision. UKÄ has also received special assignments from the government related to student influence.

UKÄ’s contribution to the quality of higher education consist of carrying out different types of reviews. Regardless of the type of review, the perspectives of students and doctoral students must always be considered. Some of the matters addressed through these reviews include how student influence works in practice, and whether students and doctoral students have opportunities to participate in the institution’s quality assurance processes and the development of their courses and programmes. Student representatives must be included in UKÄ's work groups for quality assurance evaluations.

UKÄ carries out legal supervision over public higher education institutions, with a focus on legal certainty for students. This includes reviewing whether institutions comply with existing legislation, rules and regulations regarding student influence. UKÄ also reviews whether institutions adhere to their own rules regarding student representation.

Not all higher education institutions in Sweden are run by the government. The non-governmental higher education institutions are referred to as “independent higher education providers.”

Most independent providers offer programmes in only one or a few subject areas, such as healthcare, psychotherapy, or theology.

It is your right under the Higher Education Act, as a student, to exert influence over your education. One of the goals with student representation is to ensure high quality in higher education. Quality assurance procedures are the joint concern of staff and students at higher education institutions. This is established in Chapter 1 of the Swedish Higher Education Act and applies to both public institutions and independent education providers. The Higher Education Act also states that institutions should encourage students to take an active part in the process of developing courses and programmes.

The organisation of student influence at higher education institutions run by the government is regulated by law. Independent education providers have greater freedom to choose how to organise student representation. For example, it is possible for independent higher education institutions to make student union membership mandatory.

Chalmers University of Technology, Beckmans College of Design, Marie Cederschiöld University College, Jönköping University College and the Newman Institute are some examples of independent higher education institutions in Sweden.

The provisions regulating student influence at public higher education institutions are to be found in the following laws and ordinances:

The Higher Education Act (Högskolelagen, HL)

The Higher Education Ordinance (Högskoleförordningen, HF)

The Student Union Ordinance (Studentkårsförordningen, SF)

When the ordinances refer to “students,” this includes both undergraduate and graduate level students, as well as doctoral candidates at the third cycle level.

You can find English translations of these laws and ordinances here:

The Higher Education Act on uhr.se

The Higher Education Ordinance on uhr.se

The Student Union Ordinance on uhr.se

For institutions that are not public (independent higher education providers), student influence is not as extensively regulated. You can find more information about what applies to these institutions here:

Information about independent higher education providers

Act concerning authority to award certain qualifications (1993:792) on uhr.se