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By Olami, AbroadPilot · Reviewed September 2026
Quick summary: The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) sets the 2026 “maintenance requirement” at SEK 10,656 per month — up from SEK 10,584/month in 2025. Confirmed directly against Migrationsverket’s own residence permit page for higher education.
The published figure
| Application year | Monthly requirement |
|---|---|
| 2025 | SEK 10,584 |
| 2026 | SEK 10,656 |
Multiply the monthly figure by the number of months you’ll study in Sweden. If your programme runs longer than a year, you must document funds for a full 12 months — a maximum of SEK 127,872 at the 2026 rate.
Reductions and additions that change the number
- Free food from your institution: reduces the monthly figure by SEK 2,960 (2026).
- Free housing from your institution: reduces the monthly figure by SEK 4,736 (2026).
- A spouse or cohabiting partner joining you: adds SEK 4,440 per month to the family total.
- Each accompanying child: adds SEK 2,664 per month.
Migrationsverket assesses your family’s overall ability to support itself financially as a combined figure, not separate individual thresholds.
What actually counts as proof
- Personal bank assets: money in your own account (and your accompanying partner’s, if applicable) that only you can withdraw. Credit, funds, shares, and microfinance-bank holdings are not accepted. Locked deposits that will still be frozen during your permit period don’t count either.
- Scholarships: from national authorities, higher education institutions, organisations, foundations, or companies.
- A sponsor: but only an institution, company, or organisation can act as a sponsor — private individuals, including relatives, cannot. Money from a relative must instead be transferred into an account in your own name and shown as your personal bank assets.
- Income from employment: requires an employment certificate and payslips — a job offer alone isn’t sufficient. If you’re studying at bachelor’s or master’s level, work is capped at 15 hours per week for permits granted on or after 11 June 2026.
What this means practically
- You can combine different forms of financial maintenance — for example, part scholarship and part personal savings — as long as the combined total clears the monthly figure.
- Because private individuals can’t sponsor you directly, a parent funding your studies needs to move the money into an account that’s genuinely yours, not just promise support or provide their own bank statement.
- 2026 also brought new rules limiting work alongside study and changing family-member immigration conditions — if you’re applying for 2026 or later, confirm the current rules directly rather than relying on guidance written for an earlier intake.
Frequently asked questions
Can my parents show their own bank statement as proof of funds?
No. Migrationsverket doesn’t accept private individuals as sponsors, and a bank statement isn’t accepted unless the account is in your own name. If a parent is funding you, the money needs to be transferred into your own account first.
Does the SEK 10,656 figure include tuition?
No, it’s a living-cost figure only — the “maintenance requirement” covers your ability to support yourself, separate from any tuition fee you owe your institution.
Can I reduce the amount I need to show?
Yes, if your institution or an international exchange organisation provides free food or housing — SEK 2,960/month and SEK 4,736/month respectively can be deducted from the base requirement at the 2026 rate.
How current is this figure?
The maintenance requirement is published for each application year — SEK 10,584/month for 2025 applications, SEK 10,656/month for 2026 applications. Confirm the live figure on Migrationsverket’s own page before budgeting for a later intake year.
Free tools for this
- Budget Breakdown by Destination — keep locked figures separate from your own estimates
- Proof of Funds Calculator — the UK, Canada, US, Australia, and Germany figures in one place
Official sources
Checked directly against the official source as of September 2026:
Proof-of-funds figures can change without much notice, and Migrationsverket has been actively updating student visa rules through 2026. Re-check the live page above before finalizing any budget or application based on this article.
Explore more on our Proof of Funds Requirements by Country hub.
