We’re tired of this Sh*t!

During the Christmas holidays, many students travel home to their loved ones. This year, the study break lasts two weeks, a much-needed period for recovery after an intense autumn semester. But what real opportunities for rest actually exist? The final study period of the autumn term runs from December 2 to January 18, meaning that many students have assignments to complete through week 2. The intended break quickly turns into a period of exam preparation. On Sunday, January 18, many students will crowd into exam halls, only to begin the spring term with an early lecture the very next morning. Instead of spending time with family and friends, students continue studying and the long-awaited break must wait.

Most students recognize themselves in this description. During the current term, many have repeatedly taken exams on weekends with no more than a single night of rest before the next course component. It is therefore no surprise that students continue to report worse mental health than working people of the same age.

Educational research shows that a good study environment and good health among students are prerequisites for learning. The current regulatory framework works against this. If Sweden is to remain strong as a knowledge-based nation and if students are not to enter the labor market burnt out, change is necessary. Recovery is a scarce resource for students who diligently work through course after course without any guarantee of weekends or daily rest. Winter studies continue through Christmas and New Year and into the new term. When a real study break finally arrives in June, it is unfunded, forcing most students to work as soon as the spring term ends. Does this really sound like a sustainable system?

Winter Break and Daily Rest — a Scarcity for Students

Under the Higher Education Ordinance, Swedish universities are responsible for providing a good study environment. Within this mandate, student recovery must be taken seriously and universities must be given greater opportunities to address today’s problems. Recovery is a given for many other, for school pupils during holidays and for employees during paid vacation, but students are given no opportunity for sustained rest. Recovery is even a human right according to Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Students must stop being treated as an exception to this principle. Consistent studies and reports from the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the Swedish Higher Education Authority, and the student unions themselves show that a large majority of young people periodically experience mental ill health, and students are far from an exception. Many are satisfied with the quality of their education but struggle with stress and anxiety. As a first step to improving students’ mental health and learning capacity, a real winter break should be introduced: a break of at least two weeks between the autumn and spring terms, along with a rule guaranteeing at least 36 hours of recovery time between an examination and the next course component.

Studies Must Not Become a Class Issue

It is not only studies that affect students’ daily lives. Many students today have jobs, families, and other commitments alongside their studies. Students are an economically vulnerable group, where lack of both money and housing leads to poorer health. When the long summer study break is entirely unfunded, students are forced to work to support themselves and to save money to cover costs during the coming terms, especially in large cities where affordable housing is in shortest supply.

Studies should not be a class issue that wears down students’ well-being. The problems with the current student finance system are many, but in order to make real recovery in the form of sustained rest possible, student leave must be paid. We therefore propose that student financial aid be expanded to include four weeks of leave with full CSN support per academic year, without repayment requirements. This would allow students to truly rest and recover during the winter break and lean back on the couch instead of once again picking up course literature in the glow of a laptop. It would also mean that students would not need to start working immediately after the spring term ends but could take a week of vacation and still afford to pay the rent.

The Review of the Student Finance System

In the 2025 budget bill, the government announced that a review of the student finance system would be carried out. We are still waiting for such a review to be launched but wish to get ahead of it with the proposals above. In the meantime, the Public Health Agency of Sweden has been tasked with strengthening efforts related to students’ mental health by developing an overall picture and proposing changes that may involve CSN, the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ), and the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). Our hope is that a systemic reform will be based on proactive measures for student health. The right to recovery is currently denied to students, and for a sustainable study experience and effective learning, this must be addressed urgently.

Rest is not the opposite of ambition — it is its prerequisite.

Victor Nygren, President – SUS, Stockholm University Student Union
Kai Nuñez Wiklund, Vice President – SUS, Stockholm University Student Union
Jessica Liander, President – SSCO, Stockholm Federation of Student Unions
Giancarlo Valverde, Vice President – SSCO, Stockholm Federation of Student Unions

Read more about our work HERE.