Ah, Sweden. It’s more than picture-perfect nature and cold winters. The Scandinavian country is home to some of the world’s top universities and research facilities. It’s also multicultural through and through: a fifth of the country’s population is foreign-born, and roughly a quarter of first-time students in 2025 came from abroad.
Besides, the Swedish way of teaching is nothing like what you might be used to. It encourages asking questions, working in groups, and learning from mistakes. Plus, you might take one course after another during a semester instead of attending multiple classes in parallel.
Founded in 1977, Dalarna University Sweden is one place where you can experience this new way of learning. Located in Borlänge and Falun, it’s home to 6,000+ full-time students.
Want to call this university your alma mater? Here’s everything you should know about its scholarships.
What Are Your Scholarship Options at Dalarna University?
If you come from a non-EU/EEA country, you’ll have to pay tuition fees to study in Sweden. Dalarna University (DU) offers two types of scholarships to help you fund your studies:
- Choose Dalarna First. If you pick a DU program as your first choice during the application process, the university will give you a discount on tuition for the first semester. This way, it can support students genuinely interested in studying at DU.
- Academic Excellence. This scholarship, in turn, is meant to reward good academic performance throughout your studies. It consists of a Semester Award and a Program Distinction.
Note: Only master’s students are eligible for these two scholarships. You can’t combine either of them with a scholarship from the Swedish Institute.
What You Get with a Dalarna University Scholarship
With the Choose Dalarna First Scholarship, the university reduces the tuition fee by 5,000 SEK. As you can guess, it’s essentially a discount that gets applied to the first invoice; no money will pass through your bank account.
As for the Academic Excellence Scholarship, the award depends on the program itself, and you can receive it during your studies. (Notably, online programs also qualify for this scholarship.)
The Semester Award, which you can get every semester, as its name suggests, varies between 5,000 SEK and 15,000 SEK. You can also get an extra award (Program Distinction) if you get the Semester Award every semester; it can amount to 10,000 SEK to 30,000 SEK.
Important: These two scholarships don’t cover living expenses.
2 Types of Dalarna University Scholarships
Now that we’ve covered what these two Dalarna University scholarships are, let’s take a closer look at what it takes to qualify for either of them.
Academic Excellence Scholarship
Let’s start with the Semester Award that you can get for good academic performance. Here are the boxes you have to tick to qualify for one:
- Complete 30 credits over the semester
- Earn top grades in at least half of them (may vary from program to program)
- Follow the university’s academic honesty policy
- Report your course results within six weeks after the end of the semester
Everyone who meets these criteria receives the Semester Award. Essentially, because the funding pool is not restricted, you will not be pitted against other students. Got good grades? The scholarship is pretty much guaranteed. Didn’t manage this semester? You can still apply for it after the next one.
As for the Program Distinction, you have one requirement to meet: get Semester Awards every single semester.
Choose Dalarna First Scholarship
If you’re planning on studying in Sweden, you don’t have to apply for every program via a separate portal. UniversityAdmissions.se is the official portal that all applications go through. You can rank your program choices there, too.
This Dalarna scholarship rewards the applicants who pick one of its programs as their first choice in that ranking. To get it:
- Apply for studies before the deadline
- Pick a DU program as your first choice
- Complete a separate scholarship application before the DU deadline
- Get admitted to a master’s program at DU (even if it’s different from the DU program you specified as your first choice)
Dalarna University Scholarship 2026 Requirements
Besides the scholarship-specific requirements, you have to meet some basic criteria:
- Be enrolled in a master’s program at DU
- Apply for the scholarship by the deadline
- Not benefit from a Swedish Institute scholarship
How to Apply for a Dalarna University Scholarship
How you apply really depends on the exact scholarship you want. If you're aiming for that first-semester tuition discount:
- Complete the application form on UniversityAdmissions.eu and pick DU as your first choice
- Submit the scholarship application to Dalarna University by the deadline (mid-February for autumn intake, mid-September for spring intake)
As for the Academic Excellence Scholarship, here’s how to get it:
- Wait until the application opens (February 1 for autumn semester results and July 1 for the spring ones)
- Fill out the application form and provide proof of your outstanding academic results
- Attach a motivational statement (<1,500 characters) that describes how your studies will help you attain future goals
- Submit your application before the deadline (mid-February or mid-July, respectively)
When to Apply: Dalarna University Scholarship Deadlines
The deadlines depend on the cycle and the kind of scholarship you’re applying for:
Note: The university may change the deadlines at any point, so always verify that these dates are still correct on its website.
If you need to apply for a DU program first, keep these admissions deadlines in mind:
- Autumn intake: January 15 (application), February 2 (application fee, supporting documents)
- Spring intake: August 17 (application), September 1 (application fee, supporting documents)
How DU Selects Scholarship Winners
First things first: neither of these two scholarships is need-based. So, your income or socioeconomic background won’t play a role. What matters is whether you’re a fee-paying student (i.e., a non-EU/EEA student). If so, you qualify for both scholarships.
The Choose Dalarna First Scholarship is awarded automatically, with no limit on the number of awards. You just have to meet the eligibility criteria.
As for the Academic Excellence Scholarship, however, you do have to demonstrate:
- Your academic achievements (their definition depends on the program)
- Your motivation to pursue studies
- How they will help you achieve future goals
How to Boost Your Chances of Getting the Scholarship
As far as scholarships go, Dalarna University’s awards are relatively easy to get. But that doesn’t mean you can use that as a reason to drag your feet, either. You still have to put in the effort to:
- Get top grades to maintain a strong GPA throughout the studies
- Get your documents ready and submit them right away
- Craft a compelling motivation statement for the application
When it comes to your motivation statement, make sure to:
- Explicitly specify how your learning journey aligns with future goals
- Highlight your achievements (e.g., leadership experience) during the semester
In Closing
The Dalarna University scholarship is one of those no-nonsense, straightforward funding opportunities that you should really do your best to seize. Since there’s no limit to the number of awards, you don’t have to worry about competing against your peers. Put in the effort to earn top grades and apply on time — and the scholarship will be well within your reach.