Scholarships and grants for undergraduate and graduate students
Scholarships for students are a common form of funding for studies both in Sweden and in international exchanges. Scholarships as a form of funding for undergraduate or second-cycle studies cannot be awarded to students who are eligible for student financial aid under the student financial aid legislation. Scholarships for "good study activities" awarded by, for example, KTH affiliated foundations are not covered by this restriction. However, scholarships can be awarded to the student with study grants at e.g. foreign education to cover extraordinary living expenses.
Grants or Scholarships
A grant is something that is given to an individual or to an activity to fill (part of) a need. A contribution can never be greater than the actual costs.
A scholarship is a type of grant that can be given to individuals to pay for future special expenses (time-limited). For students, scholarships can also be awarded for good academic results.
Scholarships, established at KTH schools, to students who do not have the possibility of study grants under the student financial aid legislation
Scholarships may be awarded for training.
- External contributors must have given written consent to the use of the grant for scholarships.
- Decisions on the establishment of a scholarship shall include:
1. Mandatory information to be provided in decisions pursuant to Section 21 of the Public Administration Regulation:
- Date of decision
- Content of the decision
- Who made the decision
- Who has been rapporteur
- Who has been involved in the final proceedings without taking part in the decision.
2. Defined purpose, scholarship amount, time period and any other conditions for the scholarship.
3. An indication of the funds by which the scholarship is financed.
- A decision on the establishment of a scholarship shall be registered,
- Scholarships shall be declared vacant. The application period should be three weeks from the date on which the grant is posted.
- Decisions on the award of scholarships are made on a special form, "Decisions in scholarship matters". The form can be found in the form archive on KTH's website. The award decision shall have the same registration number as the decision establishing a scholarship. The written consent of external contributors shall be attached.
- Training grants can be paid periodically, in advance, without becoming taxable. Decisions on training grants shall be reviewed after one year. The scholarship may also be reconsidered at another time if the scholarship is prevented from using for its intended purpose.
- Payment of a scholarship shall be made in advance via the salary system. The request for payment is made by sending a copy of the scholarship decision, as above, to the payroll unit. Payment cannot be made if the scholarship decision does not meet the data content requirements.
- The amount of the grant shall be determined taking into account the degree of activity planned. However, compensation in addition to grants may be paid to cover costs directly related to the implementation of the programme, such as study trips (in accordance with paragraph 2).
Grants to students in connection with study trips and study placements
Information about KTH's policy for internationalization and exchange studies can be found under Education and research in the Regulations.
Compulsory study trips and internships
KTH's schools have the right to decide for themselves on grants to students to cover the costs associated with study trips and study placements within and outside the country if the trip or practice constitutes a compulsory part of the student's education. A decision on whether the part is compulsory must be presented in the syllabus.
Compensation to students for costs associated with study trips, study placements are always to be regarded as grants, which means that the compensation can never be greater than the actual additional costs that the student has for the trip itself and subsistence. Compensation for double residence, storage of household goods, etc. is therefore not normally paid. Moreover, the compensation may never exceed the tax-free allowances or travel expenses applicable to officials in the course of the proceedings. If the current allowance amount is used to calculate the amount of the grant, the corresponding meal allowance shall always be deducted.
Travel expenses are paid at the highest cost of public transport in 2nd grade/tourist class or when travelling by car, the tax-free amount. In the case of car hire, contributions of the actual amount are paid.
The department/equivalent should ensure that personal supplementary travel insurance is taken out for students who do not have adequate insurance cover. If the amount of the grant has been calculated including this cost and paid by the Department, the amount of the grant shall be reduced by the corresponding amount.
Grants to students should always be calculated gross, so no deduction for input VAT should be made on the amount of the grant.
Student grants may not be based on the costs of educing teaching
It is for the Dean of School/equivalent (or the person who has been delegated responsibility) to establish a itinerary and budget for the trips for which grants are paid The costs deviate significantly from the budgeted amount, special accounting shall be made ex post.
The amount of the grant is determined by the school/equivalent concerned and account should then be taken of other possible contributions that the students may have received from other internal or external contributors.
Non-compulsory study trips (exchange studies)
KTH's schools have the right to decide for themselves on grants to students to cover costs associated with exchange studies.
Compensation to students for costs incurred in exchange studies is always to be regarded as a grant, which means that the compensation can never be greater than the actual additional costs incurred by the student for the trip and subsistence.
In order for a grant to be awarded, the undergraduate/equivalent must have given advance notice or taken a decision on credit.
The amount of the grant is determined by the school/equivalent concerned and account should then be taken of other possible contributions that the students may have received from other internal or external contributors.
Grants for degree projects
Travel allowances for travel outside your home town can be granted for degree projects. Alternatively, such travel costs may be expensed directly by the relevant department/equivalent.
Scholarships established and awarded by a charitable foundation whose administration is handled by KTH's scholarship council for affiliated foundations.
The KTH-affiliated foundations are administered by KTH's scholarship function.
KTH is the trustee of more than 100 private law foundations in accordance with the Regulations of the Foundation Act. The foundations' basic capital is originally donations to KTH with the intention that the return will be used for scholarships to students at KTH for good academic results, educational scholarships to students at KTH or research grants and travel grants to people working at KTH.
A foundation may be exempt from paying income tax under certain conditions, e.g. in the interest of a pension. if its main purpose is to provide grants for teaching or education or to promote scientific research (Income Tax Act Chapter 7 (1999:1229)). It also means that the scholarships awarded by such foundations are not taxable to the recipient.
Contact: stipendier@kth.se
General conditions
A prerequisite for obtaining a financial contribution in accordance with paragraphs 1-4 above is that the grantee is admitted to education at KTH.
In order to avoid confusion of concepts, kth's term grants to undergraduate and second-cycle students shall only mean financial support that is paid to individuals to pay for future special expenses and is tax-free, as well as scholarships awarded for good study results achieved.
Overarching rules:
Scholarships can be awarded for a variety of purposes. Decisions on the establishment of scholarships at first and second cycle level shall be limited at KTH to scholarships intended for the recipient's education and for other purposes such as travel in connection with the education.
The same rules apply to Swedish as to foreign scholarship recipients and to education in Sweden or abroad.
All scholarships shall be awarded or otherwise published publicly. This avoids the scholarship being taxable to both the publisher and the recipient because it is addressed only to a single recipient. The call/equivalent can either be made on the department's, school or KTH's official bulletin board or on KTH's web page and should be posted for at least three weeks.
Scholarships may not constitute compensation for work carried out, performed or to be carried out on behalf of the donor.
For the financing of scholarships, and issued by KTH, to students at first and second cycle level, government grants, grants, gifts and donations may be used. Contract funds may not be used to finance scholarships.
The Head of School decides on the establishment, announcement and award (award) of the scholarship. The Head of School may delegate the decision-making power to the Head of Department or equivalent. The Head of Department may not delegate this right.
Scholarships must always be paid in advance to the grantee.