Who creates the Swedish citizenship test? The universities behind it

The Swedish citizenship test is being created by two Swedish universities on the government's mandate: Stockholm University is responsible for the language test, and Gothenburg University for the civics test. The mandate landed with them in May 2025, and the universities' rectors have themselves been critical of being given this particular task. This is the story of how a test that will determine access to Swedish citizenship became a conflict between government and academia — and what it means for you as a future test-taker.

The government's mandate

The decision on the citizenship test came from the government in cooperation with the Sweden Democrats, SVT Nyheter reports. The government wants applicants for Swedish citizenship to demonstrate knowledge of both the Swedish language and Swedish society.

In May last year the mandate landed with two universities:

• Stockholm University — develops the Swedish language test.
• Gothenburg University — develops the civics test.

According to SVT, the universities were given only about a year to produce the tests. That's part of why the universities' inquiry teams have raised the alarm about timeframes being too tight — more on that and on the later delay in our walkthrough of the citizenship test timeline.

Stockholm University: the language test

Stockholm University carries the responsibility for designing the language test. Its rector Hans Adolfsson has been the most vocal critic of the mandate. In an article in Dagens Nyheter, cited by SVT, he says:

"Developing this kind of test is not part of our core operations."

Adolfsson argues that it's wrong to assign this kind of task to an independent university. His point isn't that knowledge tests are wrong in themselves — it's that the task lies outside the universities' core mission of teaching and research.

It's worth noting: the criticism isn't about the test's content or its existence. It's about which actors should build a test that affects individuals' access to citizenship.

Gothenburg University: civics

Gothenburg University has the other half of the mandate — producing the civics test. Rector Malin Broberg has been more reserved in public statements and declined an interview with SVT.

But in written submissions the university has pointed to the same problem as Stockholm's: that one-year development cycles are too short for a high-stakes test. Adolfsson himself describes the position as aligned:

"Fundamentally, we're at the same level. We are both of the view that this assignment is one that shouldn't have landed on universities and university colleges in this way."

The difference between the rectors is therefore more in tone than in substance. Both universities consider the assignment problematic — Stockholm University is just more public about it.

The government's position

Migration Minister Johan Forssell (Moderate Party) has rejected the universities' criticism by pointing to their legal status:

"Our universities are state agencies under the government."

His point is that Swedish universities are not free-standing institutions in the same sense as private foundations — they are state agencies and can therefore be given mandates by the government. Higher Education Minister Lotta Edholm (Liberal Party) has also debated the issue directly with Adolfsson on SVT Morgonstudion.

The principled conflict remains: is a citizenship test a legitimate government commission to universities, or is it a task that belongs with another agency — for example Migrationsverket or the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR)?

What does this mean for you?

For someone preparing for the test, the universities' conflict is most relevant for two reasons:

1. The timing — Stockholm University's request for more time has contributed to the language test being delayed to autumn 2028. The full background is in our walkthrough of the timeline.
2. The quality — The universities themselves have raised the question of the test's scientific basis. That likely means the test will be built on established pedagogical research on language and civics, rather than on politically formulated questions.

In terms of content, the test covers the basic knowledge you need to live and participate in Swedish society. What it covers is no secret — see our walkthrough of the seven knowledge areas.

How to prepare

Regardless of who builds the test, the preparation is the same. The test is about knowledge, not about guessing right answers:

• Read up on how Sweden is governed and the four fundamental laws.
• Understand Swedish citizenship requirements 2026 in their entirety.
• Practise on medborgaretest.se to get used to the question format before the test is finalised.

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Source: svt.se. Adapted summary for readers preparing for the Swedish citizenship test.