Study abroad on your own
Do you want to take the step and study abroad on your own? Regardless of the path you choose to take you can conduct part of your studies abroad. Thorough preparation is key to a rewarding international experience.
If you choose to arrange your studies abroad on your own, you can control a lot yourself. This means that you independently prepare and arrange your stay at a foreign educational institution.
You are responsible for all costs, such as application and tuition fees. The contacts with universities and authorities are also your own responsibility.
Three ways to undertake a study period abroad on your own
You are registered for a thesis or project course in Ladok and are examined at KI, but you collect data at a company/organization. The course leader for the thesis or project course at KI must approve the internship/data collection and sign the Erasmus+ internship agreement if the stay takes place within an EU/EEA/partner country. This can also take place outside an EU/EEA/partner country but must then be agreed upon with the course leader and does not include an Erasmus+ scholarship.
Read more at Degree project and project course abroad on your own
Outside your regular study program and without a contact person at KI. You cannot credit the internship, but it will be included in your Diploma Supplement if you complete the internship before you graduate and it is approved by the education program. The application for an internship scholarship must be made no later than your final term at KI, while you are still a student at KI. Your program director signs the Erasmus+ internship agreement.
As part of your thesis through Minor Field Studies, which is a Sida-funded scholarship program for undergraduate and advanced level students who want to conduct field studies in low- and middle-income countries to collect data or material for their theses.
Erasmus+ traineeship
As a student at Karolinska Institutet, you can apply for an Erasmus+ traineeship grant to do your thesis or internship at a company, organization, or another institution in an EU/EEA/partner country as part of your education at KI. If you travel within the EU, you are entitled to an Erasmus+ grant if your program approves your traineeship abroad and if you are away for at least 60 consecutive days.
Work experience in your field of study is valuable. It provides practical application of theoretical knowledge and prepares you for your future career by developing important skills and contacts.
Erasmus+ Learning Agreement
Prepare thoroughly
Preparation includes obtaining documentation such as descriptions of the education and courses you plan to participate in, reading lists, and other materials that can help your director of studies determine if the foreign study results can be credited. You request a study break from KI during your stay abroad and are therefore not registered at KI during the break. Remember to check with CSN if the university where you want to study qualifies for student aid.
Don't forget that if you want to study abroad on your own, you need:
- approval from the course leader of the KI course you want to go abroad for before confirming your participation at the host institution.
- approval from the program director at KI before confirming your participation at the host institution.
Traineeship during summer or after graduation
If you want to undertake an traineeship during the summer or immediately after graduation, you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant if the traineeship takes place in a country that belongs to the European Union. To receive an Erasmus+ grant, you must be abroad for at least 60 consecutive days. Remember that you can only receive up to 12 months of Erasmus+ grant within a study cycle (bachelor's or master's). If you choose to undertake an internship outside the European Union, you will not receive insurance or a scholarship from KI.
Traineeship after graduation
If you choose to do a traineeship abroad during the summer or after you have graduated, you need to talk to your program director. All paperwork must be completed at least 4 weeks before the end of the term for both summer internships and internships that take place after graduation.
Traineeship in Switzerland and the United Kingdom
To qualify for an Erasmus+ grant for an traineeship 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 traineeship 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 grant. You must be abroad for at least 60 consecutive days to qualify for an Erasmus+ scholarship.