CSN is the authority that pays money to you while you study. The money is called studiemedel (student finance).
This page explains how it works in broad terms. Exact amounts and rules are with CSN — the links are at the bottom.
We keep the Swedish names as they are. Those are the words you will meet on websites and in adverts, and the words you need to be able to say to your caseworker.
CSN has its own pages in English. They are more detailed than this page and always current: CSN in other languages.
Studiemedel is two things in the same payment:
You choose yourself. You can take only the grant, or both grant and loan.
The money comes roughly every four weeks, not on the 25th like a salary.
If you study full time and take both grant and loan it comes to around SEK 14,000 a month.
If you take only the grant it is far less — around SEK 4,000 a month. But if you study at komvux or folkhögskola you may get the higher grant, and then the grant is around SEK 9,000 a month.
If you study half time you get roughly half.
The amounts change every year on 1 January. The figures here are rounded so that you understand the order of magnitude — the exact sum you work out with CSN.
If you study at komvux or folkhögskola at compulsory or upper secondary level you may get the higher grant.
You get the same amount of money in total. The difference is that more of it is grant and less is loan — that is, less debt afterwards.
It applies to you if you are 25 or older and lack a three-year upper secondary education, and to you if you are 20–24, are registered with Arbetsförmedlingen and lack an upper secondary diploma.
You do not need to apply separately. You apply for ordinary studiemedel, and CSN themselves assess whether you are entitled to the higher grant.
But it is not guaranteed. There is a limited amount of money each year, and once it runs out new applications can be refused — even if you meet the conditions. So apply in good time.
If you have costs connected to your studies you can borrow more. It is called merkostnadslån (additional costs loan) and it is a loan, not a grant.
You can, for example, borrow extra for:
You apply for it in the same application as the studiemedel.
Yes. And the limit is higher than most people think. It is called fribelopp (income limit).
If you study full time for a whole semester — 20 weeks — you can earn SEK 114,676 during that half-year before the studiemedel starts to shrink (2026). That is almost SEK 19,000 a month alongside your studies.
If you study fewer weeks or part time the limit is higher still:
| Study pace | 10 weeks | 20 weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Full time (100 %) | SEK 172,041 | SEK 114,676 |
| Half time (50 %) | SEK 200,670 | SEK 172,017 |
Three things are important to know:
The fribelopp applies per half-year, not per year. January–June is one half-year, July–December another. So you have two income limits during one year.
It is gross pay that counts — pay before tax. Unemployment benefit and parental benefit also count. Housing allowance and child allowance do not.
Both the grant and the loan shrink if you earn too much. Not just the loan. And it is only what you earn above the limit that reduces it — not everything.
You cannot receive studiemedel indefinitely. You have a number of weeks, and they run out.
Roughly like this at full time:
If you study half time you use up fewer weeks. Twenty weeks at half time counts as ten.
That is why it is sometimes wise to study less than full time — you save weeks for later.
You can receive the grant up to and including the year you turn 60. The loan decreases from age 51 and disappears entirely at 61.
You start repaying at the earliest six months after you stop studying, and always at the turn of a year. You pay every month, for up to 25 years.
Cannot pay? Get in touch with CSN. You can apply to pay less for a period — the amount is then a share of your income. Do it in time, rather than letting the bills pile up.
No. And this is important to understand before you apply.
It is the programme that decides, not the school. Each individual programme has to be approved for student finance. Two programmes at the same school can therefore differ — one gives CSN, the other does not.
Usually gives CSN: komvux, yrkeshögskola, university, and most courses at folkhögskola.
Usually does not give CSN:
How to check: it is almost always stated on the programme's own page whether it entitles you to studiemedel. If you cannot find it — ask the school straight out, or contact CSN. Do it before you accept a place.
If you are choosing between an arbetsmarknadsutbildning and a komvux programme, those are two completely different kinds of money. Talk to your caseworker before you decide.
Olle is 34, lives at his mother's and is going to train as an assistant nurse at komvux. He does not want any debt.
Olle takes only the grant. Since he studies at komvux and lacks a three-year upper secondary education he may get the higher grant — around SEK 9,000 a month, which he does not have to repay. CSN assesses it automatically, but the money is limited, so he applies early.
Had he taken the same programme at yrkeshögskola the grant would only have been around SEK 4,000. That is a big difference, and it is worth knowing before you choose.
Berit is 47 and works weekends in a shop. She wants to train as a building services technician but needs to keep the job.
She applies for half time for the spring semester. That gives roughly half as much money, but three things work out better for her: she can keep the extra job, she gets a higher income limit so her pay does not reduce the studiemedel, and she uses up only half the number of weeks.
The programme takes longer. But Berit has weeks left if she wants to study further afterwards.
Amir lives in Sjöbo and the programme is in Malmö. The train pass costs a lot every month.
Amir applies for a merkostnadslån for daily travel in the same application as the studiemedel. It is a loan, so it increases his debt — but it means he can actually take the programme.
Sara is registered with Arbetsförmedlingen and is starting a labour market programme to become a lorry driver.
She does not get CSN. She gets aktivitetsstöd from Försäkringskassan, paid because she takes part in Arbetsförmedlingen's programme. She does not need to apply to CSN at all.
Sara also saves her CSN weeks, since she is not using any.
Always do the sums for your own situation before you apply. CSN has a calculator on their website that gives you the amount for you specifically.
And talk to your caseworker. It is easier to choose right from the start than to change later.