Uppsala Student Union comments on the budget proposal

Last week, the Government and the Sweden Democrats published their joint budget proposal for the coming year. The budget bill includes all government investments, appropriations and expenditure. The budget therefore determines, for example, how much resources authorities such as Uppsala University have to work with and whether these funds are earmarked for specific purposes. 

A large part of the student unions' budget comes from government grants - which means that Uppsala Student Union's work is largely dependent on the government's financial priorities. The money that universities and colleges receive per student for education is also determined by the state budget. In addition, the state budget plays a major role in many of the political issues Uppsala Student Union pushes; such as investments in building more student housing, money to the Region to develop public transport, as well as subsidizing dental care for students.

Unfortunately, there is little positive news for the student movement, Uppsala University and students in general in the budget bill. The Covid support that has allowed the student unions to develop their activities in recent years will not become a permanent investment in student influence. Instead, the support will be phased out at the end of 2025, pushing the student unions back to the strained financial situation we were in before the pandemic - with rising expenses and a recession to contend with as aggravating factors.

The government is providing new resources for engineering education, but at the same time is allowing the allocation to universities and colleges to lag behind rising costs. The idea of economic management of public activities is still alive in the budget bill, which is reflected in the fact that universities - like all government agencies - are expected to streamline their operations as a result of having fewer resources to work with. How fewer resources for teachers will make our education more efficient is not explained.

Nor does the budget include any initiatives to build more student housing. Instead, the government seems to want to solve the housing crisis in Sweden's student cities by once again shrinking our apartments, as well as lowering accessibility and standards - something that is made clear in the assignment the government assigned to the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning in the spring of 2023. 

Uppsala Student Union also comments on the budget proposal in video form. In these videos, we share our thoughts and opinions on three key themes of our work: student empowerment, education and student housing. You can find these videos here:

Do you want to read more about the budget bill from a student perspective? If so, read the United Swedish Students' Union's commentary: The budget bill for 2024 from a student perspective

Do you have questions about our student policy work? If so, please contact us at: polsek@uskar.se