Examenspoäng

Examenspoäng are the credits used in Swedish education to measure the workload and progress of courses and examinations. They indicate what a student has completed and form the basis for degree requirements. In Swedish higher education the standard unit is högskolepoäng, which corresponds to the European ECTS system: 1 högskolepoäng equals 1 ECTS credit, and a typical academic year accounts for about 60 högskolepoäng.

A bachelor’s degree typically requires about 180 högskolepoäng, while a master’s degree usually requires an additional 120 högskolepoäng beyond the bachelor’s, bringing the total to 300 högskolepoäng for the combined degree. Each course, module, or examination has a defined number of examenpoäng that a student earns after successful completion and passing a grade. These points are shown on the transcript and are used to verify that degree requirements are met; they also enable credit transfers between institutions and programs.

Institutions may have program-specific requirements, but the credit system is designed to standardize workload measurement and progress. When applying to programs, the accumulated högskolepoäng and the content of completed courses can influence eligibility and admission conditions. The term examenpoäng is often used interchangeably with högskolepoäng in everyday language, though official documentation specifies the exact credit value of each course.

In practice, students build their degree by accumulating examenpoäng through courses and exams, with the points counted toward the degree rather than focusing on raw exam scores alone.