Sätergläntan Institute of Crafts is pleased to welcome students from abroad!
Here you will find some basic information about the curriculum, the workshops, the boarding house, exams and certificates and more.
We welcome students from all over the world. The teaching language is Swedish but it usually works well if you know English. We encourage all foreign students to take the opportunity to try to learn as much Swedish as possible while studying at Sätergläntan.
Residence permits and Visas
As an EU/EEA citizen you have the right to work, study or live in Sweden without a residence permit. As a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA you need a student visa/residence permit to be able to study in Sweden. Please read more and apply for the permit at the Swedish Migration Agency.
About the curriculum
Slöjd and Crafts – Form and Culture
The “Slöjd and Crafts – Form and Culture” programme has four different specializations: blacksmithing, sewing, woodworking and weaving. The programme provides you with in-depth knowledge and skills in craft techniques, as well as design and cultural history.
You can study one or more years at Sätergläntan in preparation for further studies, or start your career as a craftsperson directly after graduation. Former students work in such fields as fashion, film and theater, museums, education, regional handicraft consultants or are self-employed.
Click on the links below to read more about each specialization (in Swedish).
Blacksmithing Woodworking Sewing Weaving
More information on application and admission can be found here.
Intangible cultural heritage and tacit knowledge
Practice is the starting point for the acquisition of craft skills. The teaching method at Sätergläntan emphasizes reflection and understanding of the whole process from raw material to finished object.
The training is based on folk arts and crafts and the intangible cultural heritage associated with crafts – sometimes described as tacit knowledge. It provides insight into cultural heritage and craft traditions in a national and international perspective and places them in a wider context.
By studying and reconstructing objects from the past, you will develop your craft skills and your ability to interpret the context of a handcrafted object. You’ll also work with design and sketch techniques, developing your own style. The programme also provides insights into social, economic and ecological sustainability.
Journeyman exam
During the third year of the programme, you can apply to take a journeyman’s exam in one of the following areas: Handloom weaving, Woodworking, Forging or Folk costume sewing. If you pass the test, you will receive a journeyman’s certificate, which is an international certificate of your professional competence.
Arts and culture courses
Sätergläntan’s courses are Arts and Culture courses and are supervised by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education. Read more about Arts and Culture courses here:
What does it cost?
To study at Sätergläntan you pay a tuition fee of SEK 15 000 per academic year. The fee is invoiced at the beginning of the autumn term.
You also pay for all the materials you use during each course. The cost of materials is invoiced after each completed course, i.e. four times a year. The cost of materials varies according to the specialization you are taking and the projects you choose to do.
The course is eligible for student loans from CSN (The Swedish Board of Student Finance), category B1, and additional loans can be applied for to cover the tuition fee. Read more about student loans here:
Please note: as a rule you need a permanent residence permit to be eligible for student grants and loans in Sweden. You can read more about Swedish student loans for foreign students HERE (in English).
Syllabus
The Slöjd and Crafts – Form and Culture programme is one programme with four specializations. The syllabus therefore covers all specializations.
You can download all the current syllabi (in Swedish only) from this page.
Studying at Sätergläntan
Study full time for up to three years
Slöjd and Crafts- Form and Culture is a three-year programme, but you can choose whether you want to do one, two or all three years of the programme. You can do all years in the same specialization, or do one or more years in different specializations.
At the end of each year, you will receive a certificate. Provided you pass all the courses in the curriculum, you are guaranteed a place in the following year.
Each academic year is 40 weeks long and the training is full-time, 40 hours per week. In total, the curriculum covers 120 weeks of full-time study.
Usually lessons are scheduled Monday to Friday from 8.40am to 4.20pm. The working day includes lessons by your head teachers or guest teachers, and self-study time. Often Fridays are reserved for joint activities, such as lectures, croquis drawing etc. where the different specializations participate together.
The course requires a high level of attendance and good ability to work independently.
The workshops
In the workshops, you have your own workplace (forge and anvil, workbench, table with sewing machine or loom) but you also share the room with your classmates. All three year groups work in the same workshop and the teachers divide their time between the students. Each specialization also has its own theory room where briefings and lectures take place. As a student, you usually have access to the workshops from 7am to 10pm.
The emphasis of the curriculum is on practical work and you will complete a number of assignments throughout the year with the aim of practicing your technical skills and your design skills. You will also study the cultural history of crafts, which includes lectures and short written assignments. As a foreign student, you are allowed to hand in your written assignments in Norwegian, Danish or English if you are not fluent in Swedish.
Each academic year ends with an independent project in which you explore a technique in depth. The project work is presented in a written report. In years 2 and 3, the project work is presented to an independent examiner, teachers, classmates and other interested parties.
Grades and certificates
The programme focuses on the goals stated in the syllabus, which means that you must have achieved all the objectives of the programme to pass, i.e. you must complete all assignments with sufficiently good results. Each course is graded G (Pass) or IG (Fail). A grade of VG (Pass with Distinction) can also be awarded for the project work.
Special teaching support
If you need support during classes, for example because of a disability, Sätergläntan can apply for extra resources for special educational support. This means that you can receive, for example, extra tutoring, help in planning your studies or a mentor. To be eligible for this support, you must have a certificate from a doctor, psychologist or equivalent person. However, Sätergläntan cannot provide support or assistance outside school hours.
Living at Sätergläntan
Sätergläntan has a boarding house where you can stay in single or double rooms. Once you have been notified of admission to the programme, you will receive a form where you can fill in your request for a room at the boarding house. If you don’t want to stay at the boarding school, you can usually find accommodation nearby.
Conditions and payment
You pay a monthly fee which includes accommodation and meals. The monthly cost varies according to the size and standard of the room and ranges from about 4 500 – 6 000 SEK. You will be invoiced for the monthly cost in advance in the middle of each month and the invoice must be paid before the last day of the month.
If you accept accommodation at Sätergläntan, it is binding. If you wish to move out of the boarding house, one month’s notice applies.
You can read more about our rooms here (in Swedish).
The monthly fee includes:
Rent of a single room or share in a double room
Breakfast and lunch on all school days
Access to wireless Internet
Access to the students’ common rooms with fireplace, TV and DVD
Access to kitchen, laundry room and sauna
Meals
Breakfast and lunch are served in Sätergläntan’s restaurant Elsa & Wilma on all scheduled school days. Lunch is served as a buffet with various hot dishes and salads. In the evenings and at weekends you can prepare your own meals in one of our student kitchens.
If you are not staying at the Sätergläntans boarding school, you can buy individual lunches whenever you wish, or book a meal package for the whole school year which includes lunch on all school days.