CSN, Centrala Studiestödsnämnden (National Board of Student Aid)

Besides SJ, CSN is probably the government agency that most people like to complain about. Unlike in the US it is free to go to university here but you still have to pay for your living expenses and for that the government gives you a grant and a loan. CSN is in charge of making sure everybody gets their money, and repays them to the state after they stop studying. That is not the way to be popular. There are so many loopholes and rules regulating the grants and the loans that it can sometime seem like an impenetrable jungle. You are, for example, only allowed to make a certain amount of money before you get cut off from having a loan.

The communication between CSN and other government entities seems to take place through encrypted messages in bottles, so sometimes information doesn’t get from one place to the other. Getting through on their helpline can be almost impossible, their web site is tricky to understand and their policies are arbitrary at best. That said, the hatred towards CSN can sometimes seem a tad bit exaggerated. After all they are providing a valuable service and compared to most other countries we are blessed. Just remember those words and use them as a mantra when you are put in a two-hour phone queue and then disconnected. Read more about student aid at CSN’s own website.