About municipal adult education at the basic and upper secondary level

Engelska (ENG)

Municipal adult education (Komvux) for individuals who need to study courses and subjects at the basic or upper secondary level. You can study individual courses, different levels of a subject or a complete vocational programme and then, for example, continue your studies at a university college or a higher vocational education programme or start working.

What you can do at Komvux:

• take basic-level courses that correspond to compulsory school education
• take different subject levels from upper secondary school
• earn an upper secondary diploma (vocational diploma or higher education preparatory diploma)
• take courses to supplement or increase your qualifications for further studies
• take an upper secondary vocational programme
• retrain (train for a different profession)
• take an examination in a course for which you want a grade
• have your knowledge assessed and documented in writing through what is known as validation.

Komvux also offers Swedish for immigrants (SFI) and education for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Municipal adult education in Swedish for immigrants (SFI)

Municipal adult education for adults with intellectual disabilities

Would you like to know more or start studying at Komvux?

Visit your municipality's website or contact a study and vocational guidance counsellor in your municipality to find out what opportunities are available where you live.

Contact a study and vocational guidance counsellor (in Swedish)

Who is eligible to study at Komvux?

You can start studying at Komvux from 1 July of the year you turn 20. To be eligible, you must also

• be a resident of Sweden
• lack the knowledge that the education will provide
• be capable of completing the education.

In some cases, you may be allowed to start even if you are younger than the age of 20. These qualification requirements apply to municipal adult education at both the basic and the upper secondary level.

Basic level education

If you meet the qualification requirements and lack the knowledge normally acquired in compulsory school, you have the right to study at Komvux at the basic level.

At the basic level, you can study the courses you need in your home municipality or in another municipality where the courses are available.

Upper secondary level education

To study at Komvux at the upper secondary level, you must meet the qualification requirements.

If more qualified applicants apply for an upper secondary programme than the municipality has places for, the municipality will select which applicants will be admitted. When making its selection, the municipality will prioritise applicants who are most in need of education because they

• want to complete a programme that they started as part of their individual study plan
• have not met the requirements for an upper secondary diploma or have not completed any programme equivalent to upper secondary school education
• are or are at risk of becoming unemployed
• need the education for a job they already have
• need the education for a planned career choice.

If you are qualified for Komvux, you have the right to study what you need through Komvux at the upper secondary level to become qualified for studies at a higher vocational education programme or a university college. If you qualified for adult education, there is no selection process. You are guaranteed a place at Komvux.

If your home municipality does not offer the subject levels you need to study to qualify for a university college or higher vocational education programme, you have the right to study them in another municipality that offers them.

About studying at Komvux

Komvux strives to adapt its education programmes to your needs and circumstances. You have valuable knowledge and experience, and it is important that these are put to good use in your studies.

You may be able to study full-time, part-time or remotely. You can also combine different types of study. For example, you can combine adult education in Swedish for immigrants (SFI) with adult education at the upper secondary level.

If you are studying at Komvux at the basic level and do not have sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language, you may be able to take certain courses in your mother tongue or in another language you know. You will then be taught or trained in Swedish at the same time. Contact your municipality for more information.

Individual study plan

As a pupil, you are required to have an individual study plan when you begin your studies. Your home municipality is responsible for this plan. You have a say and provide input when the individual study plan is drawn up, and you will be offered study and vocational guidance in connection with this. The study plan will include:

• your educational goals (for example, if your goal is to earn an upper secondary diploma, the plan shall state which field of study the programme is intended for or which upper secondary programme that education mainly corresponds to)
• the scope of your studies.

The individual study plan can be changed if you want to take more courses or subject levels or if you want to change your educational goal while you are studying. In such case, the headteacher of the school is responsible for updating your study plan with the changes.

Grades

Komvux at the basic level uses a grading scale of Pass or Fail.

Komvux at the upper secondary level uses the grading scale A–F, the same as at compulsory and upper secondary schools. A is the highest grade, and F is a failing grade.

Grades are given for each completed course or level of a subject. You can also have your knowledge level documented in a certificate.

Examinations in municipal adult education

If you want to improve your grade in a course or subject that you already have a grade in, you can take an examination. You can also take an examination in a completely new course or subject that you do not have a grade in.

If you are a resident of Sweden, you have the right to take an examination in all courses and subjects that are graded and to have your Komvux diploma project assessed. This is the case even if you have already received a grade for the course, subject or Komvux diploma project in question. The examination may only be taken at a municipality that provides the course or subject in question.

In an examination, you test your knowledge of the entire course based on the grading criteria in the subject syllabus or course syllabus.

The examination may include information meetings, written and oral tests, assignments, laboratory work, practical presentations or group assignments that you perform together with others who are taking the examination or with other pupils studying the course or subject in question.

It is the municipality that decides how and when an examination is to be conducted. You cannot demand to undergo an examination at a specific time.

Examinations in municipal adult education

Assessment of what you already know

Before you begin your studies or undergo an examination in Komvux, you can have your knowledge level assessed. This is called an initial assessment. This assessment increases the chances of identifying your prior knowledge and finding the right programme for you.

If you would like to undergo an initial assessment, please contact your home municipality.

Validation

Validation is the process of identifying and assessing your knowledge and skills in a structured way. Validation may lead to you taking an examination. After that, you can receive a grade or a certificate confirming your skills.

Validation can give individuals with experience in a particular educational field the opportunity to shorten the duration of their programme by not making them study what they already know. If you do not have the necessary grades or certificates, validation is also a way to become qualified for a course or programme. Even if you have certain formal grades and certificates but lack others, you can still undergo validation.

Validation – have your knowledge level assessed

Change careers or become qualified for studies

A new degree

You may be able to obtain a new degree in the form of a vocational diploma if the new degree has different content than your old one. This also applies to individuals who already have a higher education preparatory diploma and want to obtain a vocational degree. However, you cannot obtain a higher education preparatory diploma if you already have an upper secondary diploma.

Supplement your qualifications

You can study at Komvux to become qualified for admission to studies at a higher vocational education programme or a university college. You can study to meet the following general entry requirements:

• general entry requirements for higher education at the Bachelor's (first cycle) level
• one or more specific entry requirements for higher education at the Bachelor's (first cycle) level
• general entry requirements for a higher vocational education programme
• one or more specific entry requirements for a higher vocational education programme

You can study to meet only one category of general entry requirements at a time. You must meet the general entry requirements before you can study to meet the specific entry requirements.

Take a vocational programme

At Komvux, you can take what is known as a vocational package, which is a cohesive vocational programme that is equivalent to an upper secondary vocational programme. A vocational package consists of levels of subjects at the upper secondary level that are relevant to a particular vocational field. You can also take individual levels in vocational subjects.

When you study a vocational package, you get to study certain levels in subjects, or parts of subjects, at a workplace. This is called workplace-based learning (APL). If you are not studying a vocational package but still want to do APL, it may be possible to do this. Ask your school what options are available.