At folk high school, there are three different types of courses that are open for everyone to apply: general courses, profile courses and short courses. General courses are for those who have not completed primary or secondary school. General courses can provide eligibility for post-secondary studies. A register study showed that the number of new entrants to general courses is around 6,000 to 7,000 students per year. Of these, about one-third was qualified for higher education or higher vocational education. However, not everyone who starts a general course aims to become eligible for higher studies.  

Higher education is most common

One year after receiving eligibility from folk high school's general course, higher education studies are the most common activity. Many also choose to continue studying in other forms of schooling. What is referred to as other studies are, for example, municipal adult education, folk high school's profile courses or higher vocational education.

After three years, the picture looks different – the proportion of people working has increased significantly, while participation in other studies has decreased. Higher education, on the other hand, remains at a relatively high level throughout the period.

– This is not surprising because a university education is often at least three years long, while education in other forms of study usually are shorter, says Marit Jorsäter, statistician at Statistics Sweden.