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Datum 2021-08-24
Artikeltyp News

Competition for study places at MDH increases

This article was written before our official name change on January 1, 2022 from Mälardalen University (MDH) to Mälardalen University (MDU).

Today the long-awaited admission decisions have been sent out. Out of 37,950 applicants 12,638 people have been admitted to MDH (Mälardalen University). The most popular courses and study programmes are those in caring sciences and healthcare.

When the closing date for applications on 15 April passed, it was observed that a record number of people had applied for a degree programme or a course at MDH. Now the first admissions round is complete and it is clear that competition for places at the University has intensified.

“Competition for study places has increased. In the first round of admissions, we have 22,232 students admitted to programmes and courses. At the same time, we have 20 093 applicants on waiting lists, which is more than ever before. If we look at how many individuals have been admitted, it is 12,638 students, where an individual can be admitted, or be an applicant on waiting list, for more than one programme or course," says Ammie Westbeck, Head of the Division of Admissions and Degrees at MDH.

The total number of admitted students is fewer than in 2020, when the number of admissions was 26,098. The number of applicants on waiting lists at that time was 12,763. This year, the number of eligible applicants on waiting lists has increased to 20,093.

“During the last year we made an excess admission. This was partly because we had the financial leeway and partly because of the uncertainty surrounding the impact of the pandemic on society and the students' ability to complete their studies. Currently we have a record number of students at MDH, and we have observed that more students than before are completing their studies during the pandemic, which is very positive. This means that we are back to admissions in line with the allocation of education funding that MDH receives from the state," says Ammie Westbeck.

The Social Work Programme is the most popular

The highest number of eligible applicants are for the Bachelor’s programmes in health and caring sciences, where the list is topped by the Social work programme followed by the Nursing programmes.

“Health and caring sciences are always popular, and they have even more eligible applicants this year. The pandemic has created more focus on society's need for knowledge and skills in healthcare and nursing, and we see this has influenced the interest in the programmes," says Ammie Westbeck.

Regarding programmes at Master’s level, the number of admissions is 906, compared with 823 that were admitted in 2020. Here, too, the number of applicants on waiting lists is increasing and the greatest interest is for the Special Educational Needs Programme, which has 465 applicants on waiting lists.

"There are a lot of applicants per place and the number of applicants on waiting lists has increased drastically. Among courses and study programmes at the Master’s level I am delighted to see the large interest in the new Master’s programme in Environmental Engineering for sustainable development. It is a programme that attracts students both from Sweden and from other parts of the world," says Ammie Westbeck.

More numbers can be found on the Swedish Council for Higher Education’s website https://statistik.uhr.se/ Link to another website.

The 10 most popular programmes at Mälardalen University*

  1. Social Work programme, Eskilstuna, 80 admissions, 1,482 applicants on waiting list
  2. Nursing programme, Västerås, 112 admissions, 1,464 applicants on waiting list
  3. Nursing programme, Eskilstuna, 95 admissions, 1,187 applicants on waiting list
  4. Behavioural Science programme, Västerås, 80 admissions, 1,168 applicants on waiting list
  5. Nursing programme, Nyköping, 60 admissions, 750 applicants on waiting list
  6. Physiotherapist programme, Västerås, 32 admissions, 717 applicants on waiting list
  7. Business Studies programme, Västerås, 100 admissions, 496 applicants on waiting list
  8. International Marketing programme, Västerås, 75 admissions, 465 applicants on waiting list
  9. Computer Science programme, Västerås, 100 admissions, 345 applicants on waiting list
  10. Preschool teacher programme, by distance, 85 admissions, 238 applicants on waiting list

*Based on the number of eligible applicants after admission round 1.

The 5 most popular courses at MDH*

  1. Developing organisations and leadership, 100 admissions, 2,121 applicants on waiting list
  2. Introduction to occupational psychology, 100 admissions, 744 applicants on waiting list
  3. Developmental psychology, 100 admissions, 657 applicants on waiting list
  4. Care and treatment for acute medical diseases and conditions, 55 admissions, 565 applicants on waiting list
  5. Marketing – an introduction, 100 admissions, 449 applicants on waiting list

*Based on the number of eligible applicants after admission round 1. All the courses on the top of the list are worth 7.5 higher education credits and are given remotely.