Study in Sweden · Guide for Pakistani students
One missing semester transcript. One payment that lands a day late. That is all it takes for a brilliant file to die quietly at Lund. Here is every date, fee and document that decides your seat, before the portal decides it for you.
Updated 22 October 2026 · Autumn 2027 intake
- 16 Oct 2026Applications open
- 15 Jan 2027Choose and rank programmes
- 1 Feb 2027Documents and SEK 900 fee
- 1 Apr 2027Master’s results
- 20 May 2027First tuition instalment due
The five dates that decide your year for the autumn 2027 round. Confirm them on UniversityAdmissions.se before you plan.
The good news first: Lund is Sweden’s highest-ranked university in QS 2027, and its English-taught programmes are open to Pakistani students. The catch is that the road in is narrow and unforgiving: one national portal, one SEK 900 fee, a degree that must be long enough, documents attested in the right order, and dates that never move.
Where strong files die at Lund
Not on grades. On these three.
- 1The transcript gapOne unattested or missing semester transcript leaves the whole file incomplete.
- 2The late feeDocuments or the SEK 900 fee after the document deadline, and your application is not processed.
- 3The first instalmentAdmitted, invoiced, then late. The payment misses its deadline and the seat goes.
Where exactly is Lund?
Picture a thousand-year-old university town where students cycle past a Romanesque cathedral on the way to lectures, and a different country is a short train ride away. Lund sits in Skåne, the southern tip of Sweden, just minutes from Malmö. Cross the Öresund Bridge and you are in Copenhagen, with one of Europe’s busiest airports on the way.
- LundYour campus city
- MalmöAbout 15 min by train
- CopenhagenUnder an hour by train
Is Lund Worth the Effort?
Lund is a top name for anyone who decides to study in Sweden. QS ranked it 71st in the QS World University Rankings 2027, the highest of any Swedish university, and first in its sustainability category, up 24 places in four years. Over 130 master’s and 10 bachelor’s programmes are taught in English. Rankings change every year, so check the latest edition before you quote a number.
How Hard Is It to Get Into Lund?
Competitive, and it depends on the programme. Lund does not publish one acceptance rate, so ignore the figures on aggregator sites. What it does publish is demand: 31,947 applications to its international master’s programmes for autumn 2025, about 15% more than the year before, from 170 countries. Five of Sweden’s ten most popular master’s programmes were at Lund, all at the School of Economics and Management.
When a programme has more eligible applicants than places, applicants are ranked on that programme’s selection criteria, so meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee a seat. You can rank up to four programmes, so use all four and read each programme’s selection section.
Can You Apply? Four Checks First
Pakistani students apply as non-EU/EEA applicants and generally pay both an application fee and tuition.
- The right degree
- Four-year bachelor’s (124+ credits), or a bachelor’s plus a master’s totalling four years. A two-year BA or BSc alone is not enough.
- Prerequisites
- Each programme page lists the subjects or credits you need. Never rely on a general figure.
- English
- An accepted test result, arriving by the document deadline.
- Money
- Tuition on time, plus living funds for your residence permit.
The Lund Application Calendar, Date by Date
- Start attestation (a master’s needs HEC attestation of your degree and every transcript, a bachelor’s needs board verification and then IBCC) and book your English test.
- The round opens on UniversityAdmissions.se.
- Deadline to select and rank your programmes.
- Deadline for all documents, proof of English and the SEK 900 fee. Late means your application is not processed.
- The Lund University Global Scholarship opens. The last round closed on 16 February 2026.
- Master’s results (bachelor’s on 8 April). Tuition invoices appear in the Lund Student Portal from late March to April.
- Fee-paying students apply for housing through LU Accommodation to secure Lund’s housing guarantee.
- Final deadline for your first instalment. Miss it and you lose your place. Then apply for your residence permit.
- The autumn semester begins.
Your Documents: Degrees, the Verification Chain and HEC Rules
University Admissions in Sweden checks your degree and documents first, with separate instructions for Pakistan at master’s and bachelor’s level.
Is your degree long enough?
This is the old 14-year versus 16-year question in new clothes. For a master’s you need four years of university study in total.
| Your degree route | General master’s requirement |
|---|---|
| 4-year BS, BBA, BE or similar (124+ credits) | Met |
| 2-year BA/BSc followed by a 2-year MA/MSc | Met (four years in total) |
| 2-year BA/BSc only | Not met. Complete a master’s first. |
| Associate degree, bachelor’s and master’s | Can be considered |
| Bachelor’s issued before 1 January 2012 by an HEC category Z or Y university | Needs at least 5 years of study, or a bachelor’s plus a master’s |
This is only step one. Your programme page lists its own prerequisite subjects and credits.
The verification chain, in order
Choose your route and do not skip a link.
For a master’s, Sweden asks for HEC attestation of all university transcripts and diplomas, and does not ask for a separate board verification. Keep your matric and Intermediate originals ready anyway, because HEC’s own attestation form asks for your education from matric onward. IBCC attests documents only up to HSSC level, and HEC attests everything above it.
For a bachelor’s, every Intermediate or Higher Secondary certificate and statement of marks must be verified and attested by IBCC, and the same applies to your Secondary School Certificate. IBCC expects the issuing board to verify school certificates first, and a copy of your SSC with marks statement may be needed when you attest your HSSC. The process can take a long time, so do not let other stamps cover the IBCC digits.
HEC rules where Pakistani files fail
- Attest everything
- All university transcripts and diplomas, including transcripts of incomplete studies. Your qualifications are verified with HEC, so the stamp digits must be easy to read on your scans.
- Both parts of the DMC
- If your Detailed Marks Certificate has two parts, submit both, attested. A first-year total reported only on part 2 is not enough.
- Transferred credits
- Courses credited from earlier studies need their own official transcripts.
- College documents
- College-issued diplomas or provisional certificates not attested by HEC are not accepted.
Start attestation months before 1 February. A single missing semester transcript can leave the whole file incomplete.
Your name and date of birth must be identical on your ID, transcripts and degree, and the name must match your UniversityAdmissions.se account. Documents from Pakistan are normally in English, so translations are not usually needed. Check your programme page for extras: International Marketing and Brand Management asks for a CV and a statement of purpose, for example, while Wireless Communications asks for none.
English Requirements: Which Test and What Score
Most Lund programmes ask for English 6, also called English level 2, and some ask for more, so check yours.
| Test | Minimum for English 6 |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | Overall 6.5, no section below 5.5 (IELTS Online and IELTS UKVI Academic are also accepted) |
| TOEFL iBT | Total 90 with at least 20 in writing on the 0–120 scale. For scores reported on the newer 1–6 scale, a total of 4.5 with no section below 4. |
| PTE Academic | Overall 62, writing 61 |
IELTS General Training and IELTS Indicator are not accepted, and neither are TOEFL ITP, TOEFL MyBest, Institutional TOEFL or TOEFL Essentials. For PTE, assign your result to University Admissions in Sweden in your PTE account. Aim above the minimum, because one weak section can sink a good score. If IELTS 6.5 still feels out of reach, our own IELTS preparation academy in Lahore is a good place to start before you book the test.
How to Apply in Six Steps
- Choose your programmeRead its page for prerequisites, tuition, selection and extra documents.
- Prepare your documentsHEC-attested degree and transcripts (bachelor’s: IBCC-attested school documents), plus your ID. Book your English test early.
- Create your accountRegister on UniversityAdmissions.se and rank up to four programmes. Put Lund first if you want the scholarship.
- Pay SEK 900One fee however many programmes you choose. Finish your documents by the document deadline.
- Apply for the scholarshipSubmit the separate scholarship form with your motivation letter when it opens.
- Accept, pay, apply for a permitPay the first instalment by the invoice date, then start your residence permit and your Sweden study visa steps.
Fees and Tuition: What You Will Actually Pay
Tuition is set per programme. Each bar is the full tuition for the whole degree, with the first payment underneath.
One instalment is paid in advance of each semester. These six are examples, not the full list of 130-plus programmes, and fees are revised most years, so confirm the figure on your programme page.
Invoices appear in the Student Portal, and the first instalment has a firm deadline (see the calendar above). Pay early: if the payment does not arrive by the deadline you lose your place, though you can ask for an extension from tuitionfees@eken.lu.se well in advance. Once your payment is registered, Lund notifies the Swedish Migration Agency, and only then can you start your residence permit application. Any refund goes back to the account you paid from, so choose a payment method that would still work in reverse.
Lund University Global Scholarship
This is one of the scholarships in Sweden you can aim for. It is merit-based, open to fee-paying non-EU/EEA applicants, and deducted from your tuition invoice. It never covers living costs, so do not budget as if you will win.
- Which programmes
- Master’s programmes, and four bachelor’s: Development Studies, Mathematics, Physics and Physical Geography.
- How to apply
- Put the programme first on UniversityAdmissions.se, then send the separate scholarship form with a motivation letter of up to 600 words.
Residence Permit, Funds and Refunds
Once admitted and paid, you apply to the Swedish Migration Agency for a residence permit for studies and show you can support yourself: at least SEK 10,656 per month for applications made in 2026 (check migrationsverket.se for the current figure), with a bank statement issued no more than four months before your permit start date. Bachelor’s and master’s students whose permit is granted on or after 11 June 2026 may work a maximum of 15 hours per week during semesters, with exceptions for June to August and work that is part of your education, so never budget around part-time income.
If something goes wrong: the refund rules
Lund can consider a refund if the Migration Agency rejects your permit, the decision comes too late for you to arrive on time, Lund cancels your programme, or a deferment or leave of absence is approved. The Admissions Board decides every case.
- Deductions
- Bank and card charges, a non-refundable SEK 7,000 for your first semester (not if you are granted a deferment), and any courses already started. Paid in SEK, only to the account you paid from.
- How to ask
- Email tuitionfees@eken.lu.se as soon as the grounds apply. Before you start, a refund also counts as withdrawing from your admission. Denials cannot be appealed.
- Permit fee
- The Migration Agency’s SEK 1,500 fee is not refunded if your permit is rejected.
Lund University FAQs for Pakistani Students
Is it easy to get into Lund University?
No. It is competitive and varies by programme, and meeting the entry requirements does not guarantee a seat.
Is a 14-year BA or BSc enough for a Lund master’s?
Not on its own. It must be followed by a master’s so your study totals four years. A four-year bachelor’s of at least 124 credits meets the requirement directly.
Do I need HEC, board or IBCC verification?
For a master’s, HEC attests all university transcripts and diplomas. For a bachelor’s, IBCC verifies and attests your school certificates, after the issuing board has verified them.
How much does it cost to apply and study at Lund?
The application fee is SEK 900, paid once. Tuition runs from SEK 150,000 for a one-year master’s, to SEK 300,000 for the two-year MSc Economics, up to SEK 370,000 for a two-year master’s such as Wireless Communications, with BSc International Business at SEK 390,000 for three years.
Can I get a scholarship?
Yes. The Lund University Global Scholarship is merit-based, needs Lund as your first choice and a motivation letter of up to 600 words, and is deducted from tuition. It does not cover living costs.
Final Thoughts: Lund Rewards the Student Who Plans Early
Lund is competitive and runs on dates and documents. Check your degree is four years long, get every transcript attested in the right order, pay the SEK 900 fee on time, prove English 6 and pay your first instalment well before its deadline. Before you pay anything, let professional study abroad consultants review your file. A second pair of eyes is far cheaper than a lost seat.
Want us to check your Lund file first?
Our Lahore team helps students study in Sweden from Pakistan: programme shortlists, document checks and visa guidance. Send your degree, marks and budget, and we will tell you honestly if Lund fits.
Chat with us on WhatsAppUpdated 22 October 2026. Fees, dates and requirements change, so confirm them on UniversityAdmissions.se and your programme page before you pay.
