International exchange enriches our study environment and educational programmes

Recently, Swedish media has discussed how West Swedish higher education institutions work with internationalisation and foreign agents. As previously communicated, the University of Borås does not use agents in Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Nepal.  

From the university's perspective, the primary purpose of internationalisation is to create a multicultural study environment to bring in other knowledge and perspectives. The education and research that the university conducts in, for example, the textile area and Resource Recovery have a strong international reputation and students come from all over the world to study in Borås. 

“Internationalisation is an established goal for the University of Borås and it is intended to strengthen both education and research. The most important thing is how much internationalisation efforts enriches our study environment and our programmes, and by extension, the world at large. Consider, for example, all the students we educate in the textile value chain and how they then drive sustainable development in the textile industry both in Sweden and abroad,” said Jenny Balkow.

Majority of foreign students do well in their studies

The majority of international students come here intending to study. The Swedish National Audit Office's report on third-country students in higher education from 2025 finds no evidence of widespread abuse of residence permits for studies and it also states that most foreign students manage their studies well.  

“The fact that a few people may exploit loopholes in the law must not affect how we at the university and society view international students and their intentions and willingness to study,” said Jenny Balkow.

The agencies with which the University of Borås collaborates have worked with Swedish higher education institutions for a long time. These collaborations are monitored on an ongoing basis, including through regular contact and visits. The university also regularly monitors academic performance and terminates contracts if a trend is observed whereby students recruited by agents do not complete their programmes.  

“Recruiting international students requires a high level of responsibility, transparency, and accurate information. We take this responsibility very seriously. We also welcome the Government of Sweden's and the Swedish Parliament's bill to make it more difficult to come to Sweden for the wrong reasons,” continued Jenny Balkow.

Separate financial reporting regarding international students

Students from outside Europe must pay for their education, but education also costs money, and the fees collected from students do not cover all the costs. Financial reporting for international students is separate, and universities are not allowed to make a profit.

“Our work on internationalisation does not have a financial benefit for us as a university. For us, quality is most important, and our goal is to find the right students for our programmes: students who are passionate about sustainability, students who choose our programmes for their unique profiles, students who contribute to the study environment and complete their studies,” concluded Jenny Balkow.

Read more

SVT's review "Studentparadiset" (2026-01-25, in Swedish only)

News article: The University of Borås does not use student agencies in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal (2026-01-26, in Swedish only)

Anna-Karin Wyndham's editorial/guest column in Göteborgs-Posten (2026-02-11)

Naomi Abramowicz’s editorial in Göteborgs-Posten (2026-02-13)