Written by Joshua
19 Feb 2025
Didn’t get the chance to apply in this application round? Yeah, I was there once 😭. I have a little secret to tell you though, there’s a loophole 😉.
I first applied to Sweden in 2023 to Lund University. Long story short, I was waitlisted for one of their global scholarships, and I couldn’t start studying abroad just yet. Fast forward to the next application season, I took some more time to look at all the options I had, which led me to looking into joint programs, courses that I had never really considered before. Joint programs allow you to study at more than one university, with different people, to receive a double degree. Here’s the kicker though, joint program applications aren’t always aligned with general university admissions. A number of them have application rounds going throughout the year, which means if you really want to study in Sweden, and weren’t able to meet the January 15th deadline, there’s still time to apply 😄! Sounds great, right? 🥰 I’m currently enrolled in a joint program and this is what they’re all about.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
EIT is an offshoot of the European Union, aimed at fostering research and innovation. They oversee different educational organizations that teach students about issues critical to the development of the EU and the world at large. To do this, these organisations offer dual degree master’s programs through universities across Europe. This means that you have the opportunity to study in multiple European countries including Sweden, Spain, Italy, Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium and many more. Let me introduce you to them 😚.
EIT InnoEnergy
This is my program 🥹. EIT InnoEnergy is focused on developing energy professionals who will help to spearhead the global energy transition. They offer programs in Renewable Energy, Sustainable Energy Systems, Smart Electrical Networks, Nuclear Energy and Energy for Smart Cities. As a student in the program, I can tell you that becoming part of the CommUnity is amazing, both personally and professionally. There are so many opportunities for travel, jobs, theses, company visits and so much more.
EIT Digital
EIT Digital is another subgroup of EIT. They aim to develop professionals who are ready to create go-to-market tech innovations. EIT Digital offers programs in Autonomous Systems and Intelligent Robots, Cloud and Networking Infrastructure and HPC, Cybersecurity, Data Science, Embedded Systems Design, Emotion Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, Fintech for Business, and Human Computer Interaction and Design. So, if you’re interested in tech, this is definitely the place to be!
EIT Urban Mobility
This subgroup of EIT is focused on developing professionals who are committed to decarbonizing the mobility sector and accelerating the transition to sustainable urban mobility. They have programs in Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions, Smart Mobility Data Science and Analytics, and Business Engineering in Urban Mobility.
Nordic 5 Tech
Nordic 5 Tech is a little different from EIT. This alliance only comprises of universities in Nordic countries including Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. They offer programs through Chalmers University and KTH in Sweden. Their programs include cold climate, environmental, innovative sustainable energy, maritime and polymer engineering.
Even though all the programs aren’t still accepting applications, several of them are. For instance, EIT Digital’s next application deadline is on the 14 of April. Even some of the Nordic 5 tech programs are still accepting applications.
I’m going to let you on to another secret for reading this far, and don’t tell the others 😤🤐😅. Joint programs also tend to offer a wide variety of scholarships. As much as most universities in Sweden have Global Scholarships on offer, these scholarships are incredibly competitive. You often have hundreds – even thousands – of people vying for sometimes less than five grants. What makes applying for scholarships in Sweden even more difficult is the fact that you often can only apply to a global scholarship at your first-choice university. That essentially means that you only have one opportunity to get a scholarship, that is until now 😉. EIT InnoEnergy, for example, offers scholarships for excellence, diversity, equity and inclusion, or entrepreneurship, and so do other joint programs, and guess what? You can apply to as many of them as you want!
Thank you for reading this article! I definitely hope it helped someone! Feel free to reach out in the comments if you have any questions. Until next time! 🤗
