In short, the government wants students to be able to study and work at the same time, complete a long course of study, and take sick leave if necessary. The current rules impose certain limitations on this, and therefore an inquiry is being appointed.
Among other things, the government wants to review the rules for how much a student can work without it affecting the amount of study funding they can receive, the so-called free amount.
Summer job
Above all, the rules for how income from summer jobs affects the tax exemption should be reviewed.
Diligent students who work during the summer, and thereby gain important work experience, should not be disadvantaged, says Lotta Edholm (L), Minister for Upper Secondary Education, Higher Education and Research, at a press conference.
The starting point is that money earned during the summer months should not be counted, says Edholm.
But the investigator has great freedom to suggest what he thinks is reasonable and good, she says.
The upper limit for how long one can receive student funding should also be investigated. For example, six years of full-time study are needed to become a doctor, the same time as the upper limit in the student funding system.
Financial constraints
This means that the study funds are not sufficient if a student has studied something else before medical school.
It should not be financial constraints that determine whether Sweden, for example, should have more doctors, says Edholm.
Furthermore, the government believes that the rules for part-time sick leave are too rigid and only cover a very narrow circle of students. The investigator will review whether there is a need for adjustment in the possibility of part-time sick leave with student funding.
The investigator is to submit his proposals no later than autumn 2027.
