Fewer students choose academia, report finds

The proportion of university students who continue on to an academic career has decreased in Sweden, a report has found.

In 2016, 0.8 per cent of the population started their postgraduate studies before they turned 30—down from 1.6 per cent a decade ago, the Swedish Higher Education Authority, UKÄ, has said. It published its annual report on 1 June. 

According to the report, the number of new doctoral students decreased from just under 4,000 in 2012, to about 3,000 in 2016. However, the report found a great variation between different disciplines. People studying the natural sciences and mathematics were more likely to go on to do a PhD, at 16 per cent. On the other hand, only 2 to 4 per cent of the people who studied pedagogy, teacher training, health and social care and administration went on to do a PhD in 2016.