This paper aims to compare upper secondary school curricula for English studies in Norway and Sweden for the purposes of identifying similarities and differences in the description of the purpose and learning outcomes for using English as an academic reading language in higher education. In Scandinavian countries, most students are expected to read academic texts in English at university. Studies from both countries (e.g. Pecorari et al., 2011; Hellekjær, 2009) have found that upper secondary school does not necessarily prepare students for the English they encounter at university. Therefore, it is important to examine the focus and priorities of the national curricula in order to identify how these programs are designed to help students prepare for tertiary studies, and how this might differ between countries which are often considered to share many relevant characteristics. Both countries have undergone changes to the English curriculum in 2021, and this paper will also look at these changes and discuss them in relation to relevant research. This study takes a comparative approach to curricular research both between countries and over time. Preliminary findings suggest that a focus on academic English is potentially underspecified in both countries in the current as well as in the preceding curricula. The curriculum change in Norway has added information about the importance of academic English whereas in Sweden, the focus on academic texts and scientific content has been reduced. With respect to academic English reading proficiency as an indispensable preparation for university, the findings suggest that these seemingly similar countries have some interesting differences in their English curricula which could have implications for the teaching practices in the English classrooms.