Student finance for transition and retraining

For those wishing to future-proof their skills

Digitisation, automation and climate change require new skills, as some professions disappear and new ones emerge. Unionen has long fought for financial opportunities for people to upgrade their skills in the middle of working life. Now, this opportunity is finally here. With the transition study grant, you can study to increase your attractiveness on the labour market, either by developing your skills in your field or by switching professions.

Contact your transition organisation first

From April 1st 2024 you can apply for a transition study grant from CSN (Swedish Board of Student Finance) for programmes or courses starting in autumn 2024. Contact your transition organisation as soon as possible to increase your chances of getting your application approved. This also helps CSN to make a faster decision on your application.*

1. Contact your transition organisation. They can provide study and career guidance and help you find programmes that can strengthen your future position in the labour market. They also provide a recommendation (a formal opinion) to CSN on your application for a transition study grant.
2. Apply for a transition study grant from CSN. If your workplace is covered by a collective agreement, you also apply for a supplementary study grant from your transition organisation.
3. Apply for the course or programme you are interested in.
4. Initiate an early dialogue with your employer, highlighting that you will want to take study leave if you are accepted for the programme you have applied for. Read more about the terms and conditions for study leave.

*If you do not have a statement from your transition organisation when you apply for a transition study grant, CSN will ask the transition organisation for a statement afterwards, which will extend the processing time of the case.

Unionen has been a driving force behind making the transition study grant a reality, but does not process applications or provide study advice.

Please note that self-employed people can also apply for a transition study grant.

Study full time or part time

You can work part time while studying with a part-time transition study grant. Transition study grants are available at 20, 40, 50, 60, 75 and 100 percent of full time.

There is no limit to how much you can earn while receiving a transition study grant. However, you can only receive a grant for the time you are not working. If you increase your working hours while receiving a transition study grant, it is important that you notify CSN so that you do not have to repay the grant afterwards.

How much transition study grant can you get?

The transition study grant allows you to receive up to 80 percent of your income as a study grant, subject to a ceiling. You can receive a maximum of SEK 5 275 per week in grants from CSN in 2024. Your income is calculated based on your annually determined sickness benefit-qualifying income.

In addition to the grant, you can also receive a loan from CSN of up to SEK 3 426 per week. The sum of the loan and grants can never exceed your income.

Log in as a member and enter your monthly salary below to see how much money you can get to live on and which transition organisation you should contact. The calculation also includes the extra grant that applies if your workplace has a collective agreement.

Not yet a member? Apply for membership.

The main terms and conditions for receiving the grant

• You must have worked for at least eight years in the last 14 years*, starting from the age of 19 at the earliest.
• You must also have worked for at least 12 of the last 24 months.**
• For a month to count, you must have worked an average of at least 16 hours per week during that month.
• All programmes that qualify for student finance are accepted, provided that the programme is deemed to strengthen your future position in the labour market. Training purchased by a transition organisation may also qualify for a transition study grant.
• The grant is provided for up to 44 weeks full time. It corresponds to two terms full time, but can also be spread out over a longer period on a part-time basis.***
• Grants are available for programmes or courses that correspond to at least one week of full-time study. The minimum study rate is 20 percent, or one day a week. The grant is therefore easy to combine with part-time work. However, you can only receive a transition study grant for the percentage of time you are not working.
• If you receive social security benefits, different rules apply depending on the type of benefit – double check with CSN. You cannot receive a transition study grant if you are also receiving a regular study grant or a study start grant for your studies (at any level). You are also not eligible if you receive a salary for your studies.

* Periods of sickness benefit and parental benefit, for example, can also be recognised as time worked to some extent.

** Periods of sickness benefit and parental benefit, for example, are known as ‘skippable time’.

*** Up until the age of 39, the total duration of the programme may not exceed 80 weeks full time (approximately two years), or the equivalent number of weeks if the programme is part time. From the year you turn 40, there is no limit to the length of a programme.

You can read more about the terms and conditions and which programmes are approved on CSN’s website.

Three benefits of the transition study grant

1. You can study in the middle of your working life. Now adults with jobs, mortgages and children are also given the opportunity to study. The agreement creates a new type of study grant for those who are established in the labour market. You can study for up to one year (full time or longer part time) with a study grant on favourable terms, based on your salary.
2. You select the programme yourself. It is not your employer who decides what you should study. It is up to you, as long as the programme strengthens your position in the labour market. Maybe you want to upgrade your skills in your profession or choose a new career path.
3. You do not need to be in permanent employment. The agreement entitles those employed on a fixed-term basis to the same study grants, advice, study guidance, validation of qualifications and paid education or training as those employed on an indefinite basis. You can also get a grant when you are between jobs.