u/Tummy_Journey

I’m considering pursuing a PhD (non EU/EEA citizen) in Sweden in the very near future, and I’d love to hear some honest experiences and advice from people who are currently doing one or have already completed theirs.

I’m particularly interested in hearing about the things you wish you had known before starting your PhD, especially things that aren’t necessarily mentioned in university websites or job advertisements.

A few questions I have:

Work-life balance: What is the workload actually like? Is working evenings or weekends common, or does it depend on your supervisor and research group?

Supervision: What are some green and red flags to look out for when choosing a supervisor or research group?

Salary and finances: Is a PhD salary generally enough to live comfortably in Sweden? How does salary progression work? What about taxes how much do they take from us ? (My PhD will be in Uppsala University)

Employment conditions: What should I know about contracts, probationary periods, vacation days, sick leave and other employment benefits? Also what if one day I just decide I can’t do it and wanna go to industry (heard from some PhD students that it’s depressing..but ik it’s diff from uni to another and supervisor to another?

Research expectations: How much independence is expected from a PhD student? What happens if experiments fail or research doesn’t go according to plan?

International students: Are there any challenges regarding residence permits, employment rights, learning Swedish or staying in Sweden after completing a PhD?
Do you have time to go to SFI class ? Cuz I didn’t during my masters in Sweden.

Your personal experience: If you could go back in time, would you still choose to pursue a PhD in Sweden? What would you do differently?

For context, I recently completed my MSc in chemistry at Uppsala University and have research experience, but I know that being a PhD student is a completely different commitment.

I’m not necessarily looking for reasons to pursue or avoid a PhD. I just want to understand what I’m potentially getting myself into before making such a big decision.

Any advice, personal experiences, warnings, or things you wish someone had told you would be greatly appreciated!

Hi! I’m a bit confused about how the 12 months for the residence permit to look for work after studies are counted.

My original student residence permit application was submitted on 5 April 2024, approved on 19 April 2024, and that permit expired on 20 June 2026.

I applied for an extension on 10 April 2026 before it expired. I never received a decision on that extension. I had told Migrationsverket that I still had a final exam at the end of August and would get the result in September.

Luckily, I passed and have now completed my Master’s degree.

I contacted Migrationsverket and asked them to change my pending student extension application to a residence permit to look for work after completing my studies. They changed the application type on the website, but it is still under the same case number.

My question is: when does the 12-month period start?

Is it counted from:

-when I applied for the extension in April,
-when my original permit expired on 20 June,
-when I asked them to change the application to the job-seeking permit,
-or from the date they eventually approve the job-seeking permit?

I’m mainly trying to understand how much time I will actually have to look for a job, because I’m worried that some of the 12 months may already have been used up.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thank you in advance for your help guys ❤️❤️

Hi everyone, I’m a non-EU international student studying a STEM master’s programme at a Swedish university. I’ve completed 115 out of 120 credits, including my thesis, and the only thing left is one 5-credit course/exam.

My original student permit expired in June 2026, but I applied for an extension before it expired, in April, because I still needed to complete this exam. I haven’t received a decision from Migrationsverket yet.
I’m taking a re-exam at the end of August. If I fail, the next re-exam would be in October 2026, and after that possibly February 2027.

Has anyone been in a similar situation where you had almost completed your degree but still needed a permit extension for one remaining exam? I’d especially like to hear whether Migrationsverket extended your permit while waiting for the next exam, whether you needed to register for another course/semester, or whether you ended up using another residence permit route.

My ideal scenario is obviously:
Pass the exam → receive my master’s degree → apply for the residence permit to look for work after completing studies.

My partner is Swedish and we’ve been together for 7 years, but he’s currently a student too, so the partner/sambo route may be difficult for us right now.

I know nobody here can give me an official immigration decision and every case is different. I’m mainly hoping to hear from people who have actually been in a similar situation, or any thoughts or experiences someone can share that might be helpful.

Thank you ❤️ Please be kind, I’m already very stressed about this and just looking for advice and personal experiences.