Exchange programmes
Karolinska Institutet has established exchange agreements with many universities around the world. The exchanges are carried out within different exchange programmes.
Erasmus+
ERASMUS+ is an EU programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport for 2021-2027. Erasmus+ is the EU's flagship education and training programme for universities around Europe.
The programme aims at promoting the European dimension in education. Participation in Erasmus+ includes bilateral exchange agreements between Karolinska Institutet and our partner universities.
Within the Erasmus+ agreements for your study programme you can participate in exchange studies or traineeships for two to twelve months. In order to be selected for an Erasmus+ exchange you must have completed at least one year of studies and you must still be a registered student at a study programme at Karolinska Institutet.
Karolinska Institutet's Erasmus code: S STOCKHO03
Erasmus University Charter Number: 29441-LA-1-2014-1-SE-E4AKA1-ECHE
Erasmus 2021-2027
KI has been granted "Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021-2027". The charter is a prerequisite for being able to participate in all the activities included in the Erasmus programme, such as teacher and student exchange, Erasmus + strategic partnerships and the European University Network in which KI is a member, NeurotechEU.
The Charter entitles KI to participate in decentralised Erasmus activities as well as to act as an applicant organisation in Erasmus centralised actions managed by the Executive Agency.
With the charter, we commit ourselves to following Erasmus' basic principles, which aim, among other things, at increased inclusion, non-discrimination, openness, sustainability and civic engagement.
In connection with the application, KI has a new "Erasmus Policy Statement 2021-2027". This policy describes, among other things, how KI's participation in the Erasmus program is seen as part of meeting the goals in Strategy 2030 through the activities in which we plan to take part.
Erasmus+ Grant
Students participating in Erasmus+ receive a grant, to help cover travel and subsistence costs in connection with their study period abroad. The grant differs depending on the country that you will be travelling to.
80% of the grant will be transferred before the exchange/traineeship starts. The remaining 20% will be transferred when the exchange travel report has been approved of and the "Certificate of attendance" has been handed in. Contact Kristina Jesinkey if you have questions regarding your grant levels.
For more information regarding exchange studies, traineeships and grant levels to the UK within Erasmus+, please contact Kristina Jesinkey.
Please note that the grant rates and the exchange rates may be subject to change and may differ in different Erasmus+ application rounds.
| Studies | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | € month | € day | |
| Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg | 560 | 18.7 | |
| Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Czechia, Germany, Hungary | 510 | 17 | |
| Traineeships | |||
| Country | € month | € day | |
| Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg | 710 | 23.7 | |
| Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Czechia, Germany, Hungary | 660 | 22 | |
| Short mobilities | 79 per day |
You can receive a scholarship for up to 12 months per education level (bachelor and master) for studies and internships within Erasmus+ (for students on long programs such as the doctoral program, the psychologist program and the dental program, a maximum of 24 months applies). You apply for an Erasmus+ scholarship on a special form, which you then submit to your International Coordinator before departure. The minimum amount of days you have to be abroad is 60 consecutive days for traineeships and 90 consecutive days for studies.
Switzerland is not part of Erasmus+, but you can still conduct exchange studies at Swiss partner universities. Instead of an Erasmus+ scholarship, you will receive a scholarship from the host university through the Swiss-European Mobility Program (SEMP).
Through Erasmus+, you as a parent can get the opportunity for extra financial support if you take your children on the exchange. Contact your International Coordinator for more information.
Extra inclusion support
From autumn semester 2022, extra support (currently 250 Euro per month, subject to change) can be awarded to all students in the following two groups:
- Students with permanent or long-term disabilities, including disabilities caused by physical or mental illness. This must be certified by the coordinator for students with disabilities or from the municipality that currently provides support.
- Students with children, regardless of whether the child accompanies the parent during mobility or not. This must be certified by the Swedish Tax Agency (“familjebevis”).
In addition, you can receive inclusion support for actual extra costs incurred by the exchange, if these costs are not covered by the extra inclusion support. Contact your International Coordinator if this is the case.
Extra support for Green travel
If you are going on an Erasmus exchange during the academic year 2024/2025 and travel by train or bus (“Green travel”) to and/or from your Erasmus destination, you can apply for an extra travel allowance of SEK 2 000 (if the trip costs less than SEK 2 000, you will be reimbursed for the exact amount).
The allowance can, for example, be used to pay part of an Interrail ticket. Up to four travel days can also be added to your regular scholarship days for studies or traineeship and reimbursed in the same way.
You apply by ticking the box "Green travel" (Erasmus) when you fill in your grant form. The grant is paid together with your first instalment of the Erasmus scholarship. After the exchange, you must send in a copy of the receipt and train/bus ticket. If you fail to do so, you must pay back the extra travel allowance.
Keep in mind that the insurance you receive via KI / Kammarkollegiet applies to the fastest possible route to your final destination, so you may not stop along the way for sightseeing or vacation. If you do so, you should complement the KI insurance with your own private travel insurance.
More Information About Erasmus+
For more information on the Erasmus+ Programme, please contact Karolinska Institutet's Erasmus Coordinator:
Kristina Jesinkey
International CoordinatorNordplus
Nordplus Higher Education is a programme for exchange of teachers and students at universities, university colleges and other higher education institutions in the Nordic and Baltic countries. The programme builds on cooperation within networks, offering activities such as student and teacher exchanges and intensive programmes.
Nordplus is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and aims at strengthening the contact between the Nordic and the Baltic countries. The duration of the exchange studies may vary from one month up to a full year. As a Nordplus exchange student you will receive a Nordplus scholarship, the size of which depends on where you are going to study and for how long.
The scholarship usually covers some of the extra expenses related to an exchange and some of the costs for travel.
Contact your International Coordinator or visit the Nordplus website for more information about the Nordplus programme.
INK Exchanges
Exchanges which are not carried out within the Nordplus, Erasmus or Linnaeus-Palme programmes, are called "INK exchanges" (short for International Committee exchanges). The INK programme gives students an opportunity to carry out exchange studies at partner universities outside Europe, but not funded by an exchange programme.
An INK exchange is based on a bilateral exchange agreement between Karolinska Institutet and a foreign university, just like the other exchange programmes, but it is not funded by for example the EU or Sida.
Students participating in an INK exchange will instead of a Nordplus, Erasmus or Linnaeus-Palme grant, receive a smaller travel grant from Karolinska Institutet. From the Autumn semester 2024 the amount of the grant depends on the distance of the host institution from Sweden. You can count the distance of your host institution from KI by using this distance calculator.
- Distances:
4000-7999 km = 8000 SEK - 8000 km- = 10 000 SEK
This means that if you travel to South America, Oceania, Japan and the USA's west coast you will receive a total travel grant corresponding to 10.000 sek. If you instead travel to the USA's east coast, Beijing and Uganda will instead receive a travel grant corresponding to 8.000 sek. For all other destinations, please use the distance calculator above.
The duration of an INK exchange must be at least 5 weeks. However, for some study programmes the minimum duration is 8 weeks. You can find more details on your programme website.
Contact your International Coordinator for more information about INK exchanges.