Move to
Gothenburg

Schools & family

A great
place to grow up

Free school, generous parental leave and small classes — Sweden takes its children seriously. Here's how the system works, and how to navigate it with international kids.

Preschool (förskola)

From age 1, almost free

All children in Gothenburg are entitled to a preschool place from the age of one. The municipal maxtaxa caps fees at around 1,700 SEK per month for the first child, less for siblings, and nothing if your household income is low. Hours typically 7:00–17:30.

Apply at least four months in advance at goteborg.se. You can list up to five preferences — proximity to home weighs heavily. Outdoor learning, cooked-from-scratch lunch and lots of forest time are standard, not premium.

In short
  • From age 1
  • ~1,700 SEK / month max
  • 4 months' notice
  • English is common
  • Outdoors in all weather

Compulsory school

Grundskola runs from age 6 (förskoleklass) through age 16 (year 9). It's free, books and lunches included, and the school day usually ends between 13:00 and 15:00 — most kids continue to fritids (after-school) until parents finish work.

Gothenburg uses free school choice: you list preferences, the municipality matches based on distance and siblings. Apply via goteborg.se every February for the autumn start.

Newly-arrived children typically spend their first 1–2 terms in a förberedelseklass (preparatory class) building Swedish before integrating fully.

Free & subsidised lunch

Age 6 to 16

Mother-tongue teaching

Small classes

International schools

ISGR — International School of the Gothenburg Region

isgr.se

PYP, MYP and IB Diploma. Municipally run, so heavily subsidised. Long waiting list — apply the moment you decide.

IES Gothenburg

English-medium Swedish curriculum. Years 4–9. Free, but admission via lottery / queue date.

British International School

Independent, EYFS through IGCSE and A-Levels. Fees apply. Smaller cohorts, more flexibility on start dates.

Lycée Français Saint Louis

French national curriculum, maternelle through lycée. Tight community, fees apply.

Higher education

Chalmers · GU

Two of Northern Europe's top universities sit inside the city.

Chalmers University of Technology

10,000 students. Strongholds in materials, AI, sustainable transport, architecture. Tuition is free for EU/EEA; ~145,000 SEK / year for others.

University of Gothenburg

Sweden's third-largest university with 50,000 students. Strong in business, medicine, fine arts (HDK-Valand) and economics (Handels).

Family in a Gothenburg park
"Our 4-year-old learned Swedish in three months on the förskola playground. We learned it from her — slowly, badly, but happily."

Priya & Daniel · Moved from Bangalore in 2024, live in Örgryte

Bringing children with you?

Combine this guide with the moving checklist and the housing pages to plan school catchment alongside your neighbourhood choice.

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