Study abroad on your own

If you choose to study abroad on your own as a so called freemover you will need to do everything yourself.

Four suitcases.
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This means that you prepare and arrange your studies at a foreign university/organization/company on your own initiative. 

You are responsible for all costs such as application and tuition fees, etc. Contacts with universities and authorities are also your responsibility.

Writing Your Thesis Abroad

If, on your own initiative and with the approval of supervisors at KI, you choose to carry out a project or degree project abroad (data collection for your thesis) and are still registered in the course at KI, you may be covered by the group insurance, Kammarkollegiet, that KI has provided there is a written agreement of acceptance between KI (not the student) and the institution or establishment.

The preparations include getting descriptions of the study programme and courses in which you plan to partake, course literature and other documents that can help your course leader or Director of Studies decide whether a credit transfer is possible.

Please contact your course leader/supervisor for more information. 

Additional rules and conditions may apply for students going abroad on their own (freemovers). Please check with your study programme at Karolinska Institutet.

If you wish to carry out a traineeship during your degree project, research project or during an elective course you can apply for the Erasmus+ scholarship if the traineeship takes place in a country belonging to the European Union. 

EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme

The following countries can fully take cart in all the Actions fo the Erasmus+ Programme:

Member States of the European Union (EU):

  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Germany
  • Estonia
  • Ireland
  • Greece
  • Spain
  • France
  • Croatia
  • Italy
  • Cyprus
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Hungary
  • Malta
  • Netherlands
  • Austria
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Slovenia
  • Finland

Third countries associated to the Programme:

  • North Macedonia
  • Serbia
  • Iceland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Norway
  • Türkiye

The amount of the scholarship can be found on this page. In order to receive an Erasmus+ scholarship you need to be abroad for at least 60 consecutive days. If you choose to go abroad to one of the above-mentioned country you may also be entitled to receive an insurance.

All paper work needs to be finalized no later than 4 weeks before the end of the semester. If you choose to carry out a traineeship outside the European Union you will neither receive insurance from KI or a stipend. 

KI will not take out individual Student UT insurance if you are on a study break or if you will carry out studies abroad that will not be accredited within your study programme at KI. 

Summer and recent graduate internships

If you wish to carry out a traineeship during the summer or directly after your graduation, you can apply for the Erasmus+ scholarship if the traineeship takes place in a country belonging to the European Union. The amount of the scholarship can be found on this page. In order to receive an Erasmus+ scholarship you need to be abroad for at least 60 consecutive days. Remember that you can only receive up to 12 months of Erasmus+ scholarship within a study cycle (bachelor or master). If you choose to do a traineeship abroad during the summer or after you have graduated you need to speak with your programme director. All paper work needs to be finalized no later than 4 weeks before the end of the semester for summer internships and no longer than 4 weeks before departure if you wish to go abroad during the semester.

If you choose to carry out a traineeship outside the European Union you will not receive either insurance or stipend from KI.

More Information

More information about studying abroad is available at, for example, studera.nu. The website contains advice on things you should consider regarding your application, language skills and finance. There are also links to further information on practical training in different countries.

Documents

If you choose to travel abroad on your own within the European Union you will need to fill out a Learning Agreement för traineeships.

If you travel within the European Union to one of the countries listed above, you are entitled to receive an Erasmus+ scholarship if your programme approves your internship and you are abroad for at least 60 consecutive days.

Before traveling home please ask your supervisor to fill out and sign your Certificate of Attendance.

Important

Don’t forget that if you wish to study abroad on your own, you need to obtain:

  • Approval from the course leader of the KI course you wish to take abroad before confirming your participation at the host institution.
  • Approval from the program director at KI before confirming your participation at the host institution.

To be eligible for an Erasmus+ scholarship, you need to be abroad in an EU country for at least 60 consecutive days.

 

For internships in Switzerland and the United Kingdom

To qualify for an Erasmus+ scholarship for an internship in Switzerland or the United Kingdom, KI must establish an individual agreement with the host institution. It is your responsibility to find information on who at the host institution is in charge of incoming internship students. Once you have the contact details, you can email them to the contact person at the end of this page, along with information about what you plan to do abroad and the name of your potential supervisor. KI will then contact the host institution. It is up to the host institution to decide whether or not to sign an individual agreement. If they choose not to, you can still go abroad (with approval from the KI course leader/program director) but without a scholarship. You must be abroad for at least 60 consecutive days to qualify for an Erasmus+ scholarship.

 

Contact person for internships abroad

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Giulia Grillo Mikrut

Project manager
+46702011526
Professional Services

Contact me if you have any questions related to study abroad on your own.

GG
Content reviewer:
04-11-2024