Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola (SVF)
College Line

Program Information

The international college program at Södra Vätterbygdens Folhögskola (SVF), including a student exchange with North Park University, started in 1976. Now celebrating more than three decades of continuous exchange, SVF College Line is most likely the oldest program of its kind between Sweden and the United States.

College Line is a one-year program in which your fall semester takes place at SVF in Jönköping, Sweden, and your spring semester at North Park University in Chicago. During the fall semester, a group of approximately 15 North Park students study at SVF together with a cohort of about 15 SVF students. For the spring semester, everyone moves to Chicago to continue with the second semester of the program.

The fall semester centers on language studies — Swedish for the North Park students and English for the SVF students. Both groups study international relations, the Mediterranean world, and religion. A course for SVF students is taught by a North Park guest professor in residence in their field of expertise (such as American history or humanities). All students also take a course in politics, government, and history.

Required Documents

Documents that SVF College Line students must submit to North Park:

1. Pages 3, 4, and 7 (including signature) of the North Park University undergraduate admission application form
2. A copy of the photo page of the student’s passport

Academic Courses at North Park

The courses taken at SVF can be transferred to credits (poäng) at North Park University. SVF students register for spring classes at North Park during the fall semester, and a list of available courses (most of which are four credits) will be presented by the North Park professor at SVF in October. Refer to North Park's academic catalog online for more information. Not all courses are available to SVF College Line students.

To maintain F-1 visa status, students must register for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 17 hours (three to four courses each semester).

Students may change courses up until the start of classes, provided the course is available to SVF students and there is available space.

English Testing and Proficiency

During North Park's International Student Orientation, which takes place a few days before the start of the spring semester, SVF students will take an English-proficiency test evaluating their ability to speak, write, and read English. (Students may also have the opportunity to take the test at SVF before coming to North Park.) If the test reveals you need improvement, you will be required to register for an appropriate English as a Second Language (ESL) or writing course. Two courses in the ESL program fulfill North Park's foreign language requirement for graduation.

Earn a Degree at North Park

Some SVF students decide to continue their studies in Chicago to earn a bachelor's degree from North Park. Students who use the College Line semester at North Park wisely may find they can continue studies at North Park and earn a degree in as little as two additional years. (Swedish students who come to North Park directly from high school normally require three years.) The SVF College Line provides perhaps the most economical way for Swedish students to obtain a bachelor's degree in the United States.

To continue your studies at North Park University:

1. Apply for full admission to North Park University as a degree-seeking student during the spring semester of College Line. Visit the Admission Office in Old Main to get all the information you need and to meet the International Admission Counselor.
2. Submit your high-school (gymnas) academic transcripts to North Park. They will be evaluated and may be eligible for up to one year of North Park college credit.
3. Submit two recommendation forms—one academic and one personal—as part of the application for admission.

Most Swedish Students who study at North Park use the loans and grants that are available through CSN. North Park University's Scandinavian Grant reduces the cost to Scandinavian students to a total that is within the funds available through CSN.

Undergraduate degrees from North Park are recognized by Swedish and European universities for graduate studies, and North Park students have been admitted to graduate programs at the following schools:

• University of Uppsala
• London School of Economics
• Leeds University
• Oxford University