Karolinska Institute

Program Dates

• • Spring Semester 2021: Jan. 18-June 6, 2021

  • Fall Semester 2021: Aug. 30, 2021-Jan. 16, 2022

Arrival

Airport pickup is available for all international students upon arrival in Stockholm. Upon arrival in Stockholm, take the airport coach (Flygbussarna) to the Stockholm City Terminal, where you can be met and escorted to your accommodation. You will be travelling by public transport to your accommodation, and you will be able to buy your public transport ticket at the City Terminal.

Flygbussarna Airport Coaches

SL - Stockholm Public Transport

As soon as you have the details for your arrival in Stockholm, please e-mail the following to pickupservice@ki.se.

• 1. Day and time of arrival

  2. Flight number and airport

  3. Accommodation in Stockholm

  4. Mobile phone number

Immigration/Visa

Students from outside the EU/EEA, who intend to stay in Sweden for a period longer than three months, must apply for a residence permit for studies (uppehållstillstånd). The permit must be issued before entry to Sweden. It is very important that you apply for a residence permit as soon as you receive notification of your admission. The responsible authority in Sweden is the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). Please visit their website for details regarding the regulations and the application procedure.

Rules for students from outside the EU/EEA

A person who is in Sweden for a period of less than three months does not need a residence permit. However, citizens of certain countries must have a visa. You apply for visas at the Swedish embassy or a Swedish consulate in your home country or in your country of residence. Swedish embassies and consulates

A residence permit is granted for one year at a time. If the period of study is less than one year you will be granted a residence permit that is valid for the length of the study period. If you have been enrolled for continued full-time studies and have your support secured, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit.

Work During Studies

Foreign students are allowed to work in Sweden during their period of study. No additional work permit is required. However, please be aware that it can be difficult to find a part-time job in Stockholm, especially if you do not speak Swedish.

Working in Sweden

The Local - job ads in Stockholm

Orientation/Introduction Days

Currently the tentative dates are January 16-17, 2021. An introduction week for international students is arranged the week before the semester starts. Once you have been accepted for exchange studies at Karolinska Institute, you will receive an invitation and a link to sign up. For students arriving at other times, you will receive a short individual introduction from your international coordinator at Karolinska Institute.

Weather

Check the weather forecast before your arrival to Sweden. The weather can be different than expected. Be prepared ahead of time.

Banking Information

Due to strict regulations and national security, opening a bank account in a foreign country can be difficult. If you are staying in Sweden for a shorter time it is easier to use your bank account in your home country for financial matters. We strongly recommend you to bring a Visa/Mastercard to Sweden, as cards are widely used all over the country. Some banks in Stockholm do allow international students to open a bank account and, depending on the length of your stay, also access to Internet banking and an ATM-card. Please note that we cannot assist you in opening a bank account, you would have to do it yourself.

• • SEB bank offer for international students

  • Swedish Bankers' Association - information about opening a bank account in Sweden

MRSA Screening

For students taking part in clinical education during their exchange, screening for MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is required before performing any intimate procedures. The screening must be carried out as soon as possible upon arrival at the Student Health Centre at Karolinska Institutet (NB: exchange students from the Nordic countries are exempted from the requirement).

Please note that the screening upon arrival in Sweden must be done regardless of previous screening in your home country. For more information, please contact the Student Health Centre.

Student Health Centre

Expectations

Karolinska Institutet Housing offers furnished apartments and rooms in several areas in Stockholm to incoming international students and guest researchers. KI Housing does not own any of the housing areas or buildings but contracts are always signed between KI Housing and the student/guest researcher. To get an idea of what the accommodation looks like, please visit the Students at KI-blog, where students have written about housing in Stockholm as well as filmed the locations.

Admitted students can apply for housing through KI Housing on this webpage. Accommodation is short in supply and is not guaranteed. It is imperative that you adhere to application deadlines in order to increase the likelihood of securing housing.

For concerns regarding COVID regulations and modifications, rental agreements and more, please visit here.

Housing Options

Jägargatan (Exchange students and fee-paying masters students have priority.)

• 86 furnished dorm rooms - 100 SEK/night

• KI Housing offers 86 furnished dorm rooms at Jägargatan 20, in central Stockholm. In this student accommodation you have your own private sink but you will share the bathroom with other tenants in your hall. You have access to a common kitchen, living room, laundry and wireless network. Jägargatan is located near the hospital Södersjukhuset, in the popular district Södermalm, in central Stockholm. Södermalm is known for its large selection of restaurants, cafés, bars and shops. There are nice walking tracks along the water “Årstaviken”, located just around the corner. There is a shopping mall called “Ringen Centrum” within walking distance. View further details here.

KI Residence Flemingsberg (Masters and undergraduate exchange students have priority for rooms in the shared apartments. Researchers with family have priority for family apartments.)

• 84 apartments - from SEK 148 to 328 SEK/night

• KI Housing offers 84 apartments of different sizes at Alfred Nobels Allé, located on KI Campus in Flemingsberg, in southern Stockholm. There are 30 studio apartments, 4 shared three-bedroom apartments, 42 shared two-bedroom apartments and 8 family apartments. There are several stores, cafés, restaurants and a fitness gym in “Flemingsberg Centrum” close by. Three different types of accommodation are provided:

• • Shared apartment: There are 42 shared two-bedroom apartments where two students each have an own single bedroom (single bed) and share kitchen, living room and bathroom. There are also 4 three-bedroom apartments, that consist of two single bedrooms (with one single bed) and one double room (with two single beds). The kitchen, living room and two bathrooms are shared. The double rooms are intended for a tenant who is bringing a partner, or a friend.

  • Studio apartment: A private studio apartment (one bed size 140x200cm) with kitchenette and bathroom.

• Family apartment: A private apartment with two bedrooms, a combined living room/dining area, kitchen and bathroom.

For more details, view here.

Pax (Masters and undergraduate exchange students have priority.)

• 71 dorm rooms ensuite - 130-135 SEK/night

• Pax is located in a residential area called “Huvudsta” in Solna. There is easy access to public transport with the subway and bus stop located nearby. There are nice walking trails along a lake called Ulvsundasjön, nearby. The lovely neighborhood Vasastan is within walking distance. Vasastan is known for its large selection of restaurants, bars and cafés. A big shopping mall, Solna Centrum, is also within walking distance. For more details, view here.

Strix (Masters and undergraduate exchange students have priority.)

• 12 dorm rooms ensuite - 129 SEK/ night

• KI Housing offers 12 dorm rooms ensuite in Strix, at Armégatan 32. The rooms are 16 square meters and fully furnished. In this student accommodation area you have your own private room and bathroom. You have access to a common kitchen, laundry room and internet. Strix is located in a residential area called “Huvudsta” in Solna. There is easy access to public transport with the subway and bus stop located nearby. There are nice walking trails along a lake called Ulvsundasjön, close by. The lovely neighborhood Vasastan is within walking distance. Vasastan is known for its large selection of restaurants, bars and cafés. A big shopping mall, Solna Centrum, is also within walking distance. For more details, view here.

Home Insurance

• • Obtaining home insurance is strongly recommended in the case of an emergency or unforeseen incidents.

  • If you do not have a Swedish personal identity number (personnummer), KI Housing has an agreement with Länsförsäkringar with where you can take out home insurance for your stay in Sweden. Read more and sign up for the home insurance here.

  • If you have a residence permit for studies in Sweden for at least 12 months, you can register in Sweden and receive a Swedish personnummer. With a Swedish personnummer, you may take out home insurance through any Swedish insurance company.

Academic Culture

Founded in 1810 in Solna, Karolinska Institute, is Sweden’s single largest center of medical academic research and offers the country’s widest range of medical courses and studies. Today it serves over 7,600 students and employs over 2,500 faculty.

Karolinska Institute is a university dedicated solely to the medical and health sciences, with a reputation for top quality research and innovation. Karolinska is consistently ranked in the top 50 universities globally and the top 10 medical universities in Europe. It is also the proud home of the Nobel Assembly – 50 professors from KI who select the Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine each year.

Teachers at Karolinska divide their time between teaching and conducting research which contributes to keeping them informed of and involved in ongoing developments in their respective fields, making coursework current and cutting edge. You can expect to be offered eight global master’s programs and one global bachelor´s program in the fields of public health and life sciences, all taught in English and with an international focus.

Most courses are full-time courses and require at least 40 hours of study per week, even though you only will have a few hours of lectures each week. The rest of the study time should be spent studying on your own or working on group assignments. Normally, you will only take one course at a time and when it's finished there is an exam. After the exam, a new course starts. The structure of individual courses varies depending on what subject you are taking.

Courses usually include lectures, seminars and in some courses also laboratory sessions. You might think there is a lot of group work during a course; the idea is to encourage students to develop critical thinking and collaborative skills. Teachers expect you to come well-prepared to class, which is why independent work and reading between class normally is extensive.

Examinations vary and can take the form of written or oral tests, laboratory work, or group work. The performance will be graded in accordance with the course's grading scale and on the basis of the student's fulfillment of the learning outcomes stated in the course syllabus.

Students are expected to complete research projects. All projects require at least 40 hours of studies per week if they run full-time. One study week is equivalent to 1.5 ECTS credits. Projects can however be combined with courses and/or run in parallel with courses. The performance will be graded in accordance with the course's grading scale and on the basis of the student's fulfillment of the learning outcomes stated in the course syllabus.

Some curriculum require full-time clinical rotations (offered in English and in Swedish within different specialties). A clinical rotation requires at least 40 hours of work per week if run full-time and a student can, if needed be, only attend one rotation at a time. Please note that there is only a limited number of places for clinical rotations and a study place can therefore not be guaranteed. Some of the study programmes offer fairly flexible starting dates meanwhile others have fixed rotation dates. During a clinical rotation the student will be assigned to a clinical supervisor who will be responsible for ongoing instructions and supervision. The performance will be graded in accordance with the course's grading scale and on the basis of the student's fulfillment of the learning outcomes stated in the course syllabus.

Visit this page to view the Swedish grading scale.

All programs' transcripts will be sent to Illinois automatically after the end of the program. However, the time for receipt and processing can take a few months. Be patient, and you can track to see when your transcript is received by the Office of the Registrar by when the digital copy is uploaded into your My Study Abroad documents.

For more information about the day to day life at Karolinska, view the student blog Youtube channel here.

Social Media Presence:

• • Facebook

  • Instagram

  • Twitter

Student Account & KI Card

All KI students will get a student account which gives you access to a range of services, such as email, student computers, remote access to library resources, the learning platform Ping Pong and the university's wireless network. It will also enable you to get the KI card which is essential if you want to use the commuting bus, borrow books at KIB Library or print documents.

You will receive a multitude of information related to your studies via your KI-student email, so it is important to activate your student account as soon as you receive the instruction e-mail. It will be sent to your e-mail address approximately two weeks before the exchange study period begins. Please remember to check your spam if it does not appear in your inbox.

Student Account and KI Card

Transportation

In Stockholm it is easy to get from one place to another compared to many other big cities. Public transport is well developed, with the metro, commuting trains and buses; and bicycles are also very common as there are many cycle paths in and around the city.

Shuttle Service at Karolinska Institute

A free commuter bus connecting Campus Solna and Campus Flemingsberg operates on weekdays. The journey takes approximately 30 minutes, depending on the traffic situation. To access the buses you need to show your KI card. Visit the page Commuter bus for details.

Public Transport

Public transport in Stockholm is run by SL. Metro stations are marked with a ”T” and commuter train stations are marked with a ”J”. The easiest way to travel with public transport is to buy a 30-day travel card, the SL card. The travel card enables you to travel by bus, metro and commuter trains throughout the county of Stockholm. SL has discounted student prices for students taking at least 22.5 ECTS (credits) per semester at Karolinska Institutet.

Bicycle

An easy way to get around Stockholm is to travel by bike. Bicycle paths and bicycle lanes are constantly developed, and the city council encourages biking. You can either buy your own bike or, if you are here during the snow free season, use the city bikes that are accessible at a cheap cost.

Stockholm City Bikes

Student Travel Card

If you are a student at KI registered for a minimum of 22.5 ECTS credits, you are eligible for the student travel card. In order to use the student travel card you also need to provide the student card Mecenatkortet, which you will receive later during your stay in Sweden. The student travel card is available for 30 days (570 SEK) or 90 days (1650 SEK).

When travelling and at ticket inspection, you are required to show your ID card and the student card Mecenatkortet, carrying the SL logo. If you do not have the Mecenatkortet, we recommend you to buy tickets at ordinary cost, in order not to be fined.

How to reach Karolinska Institutet

Water

Tap water in Stockholm (and Sweden) is of high and consistent quality. You can drink it without having to boil it. It is also normally safe to swim in the lakes and the sea surrounding Stockholm. However, avoid bathing during the algal bloom which normally happens during the late summer months. Keep an eye on the quality of the water on the "Badvatten" (bathing water) map.

Stockholm Vatten - about drinking water in Stockholm

Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management - The "Badvatten" quality water map in Sweden