The tightened rules were introduced after the prestigious Stockholm School of Economics, with rector Lars Strannegård at the helm, reacted to reports of grade inflation – that some upper secondary schools are setting unjustifiably high grades.
If universities and colleges cannot rely on the fairness of the grading system, something must be done, reasoned the Stockholm School of Economics and tightened the eligibility requirements for its two bachelor's programs. This is to "ensure that students with sufficient actual knowledge are admitted".
Passed by every fifth
In addition to upper secondary school grades, a university entrance exam result of at least 1.25 points is now also required to be able to compete for a study place. This level is reached by about one-fifth of all test takers in the country. The Stockholm School of Economics is the only university with this eligibility requirement.
Now, an analysis that the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) has done shows perhaps some unexpected consequences. Although the interest in applying was still great, the proportion of applicants who met the eligibility requirements fell by as much as 44 percent compared to 2024. The loss of eligible applicants was greatest among women.
Of those who were finally admitted, 29 percent were women and 71 percent were men. This is also a major change compared to the preceding years, when the proportions were 39 and 61 percent, respectively.
Men more inclined to take the test
It is clear that men have benefited from the new requirement, summarizes UHR.
We know that in general, men perform better than women on the university entrance exam. One possible explanation is that it is the men who feel they have the prerequisites to perform well on the university entrance exam who apply, while women, who often have good grades, are not as inclined to take the test, says Anders Ljungberg, analysis manager at UHR.
TT has contacted the Stockholm School of Economics, which declines to comment on the outcome until its own analysis is complete.
Eligibility requirements for the two bachelor's programs Business and Economics and Bachelor of Science Program in Retail Management at the Stockholm School of Economics:
Basic and special eligibility in the form of upper secondary school grades.
A minimum of 1.25 points on the university entrance exam (HP).
(All higher education programs require eligibility in the form of prior knowledge at the upper secondary school level. Normally, HP results are used as a selection instrument. The test is voluntary, but increases the chances of being accepted into a popular program. At the Stockholm School of Economics, a strong HP result is required to be eligible.)
Outcome:
The number of eligible applicants decreased from 2,231 people in 2024 to 1,249 this year. The largest decrease was among women.
The proportion of admitted men increased from 61 percent (2022–2024) to 71 percent this year.
The proportion of admitted women decreased from 39 to 29 percent.
Admission points for the last admitted in the selection group upper secondary school grades (BI) 2025, selection 2: 22.0 (out of a maximum of 22.5). At least 75 percent are admitted based on their upper secondary school grades.
The above applies to the national round. Foreign individuals can also apply for the programs.
Sources: UHR and the Stockholm School of Economics
