For students attending the Bachelor's Programme in Biomedicine Study Abroad with the Bachelor's Programme in Biomedicine

Deadline for applications 2023/2024

Exchange studies in semester 3 or 4 (courses):

Deadline to apply to go on exchange to Leiden for courses in the Autumn semester 2023 is February 10th 2023

Deadline to apply to go on exchange to Leiden for courses in the Spring semester 2024 is August 22nd at 11am. The outcome of our assessment will be sent out the following week. If nominated, you will have until September 15th to apply to the University of Leiden.

Exchange studies in semester 6 (degree project):

Deadline to apply to go on exchange for your degree project in semester 6 (Spring semester 2024) is January 27th 2023; the deadline for our second round of application has been set to Friday June 9th at 11am.

APPLICATION

The link to apply for exchange studies in the academic year 2023/2024 can be found here. It will take you to our Mobility Online database where you will be asked to first create an account. After that you will receive an email and by following the link included in that email you will be able to access your account in Mobility Online and to submit all the necessary documents to finalize your application:

• CV
• Motivation letter
• Transcript of records
• Merits documents (for instance: research experience or engagement in BUS)

Until your deadline you can prepare yourself by collecting the necessary documents. You can also read the exchange reports from previous exchange students and benefit from their experience.

The list of available exchange places (semester 6) can be found here shortly.

Follow the instructions carefully: an incomplete application results in not being considered for exchange studies by the international committee. Late applications will not be considered in the first round of applications.

The electronic application is constituted of two parts. The first part is the online registration where you state your contact details, information about your present studies, which semester you are studying and which programme you are registered in at Karolinska Institutet. You can state up to 6 preferences in the order that you choose to prioritize. You will only be able to choose universities with which your programme has a bilateral agreement.

After you have registered your application online you will receive an automatic generated email with a link that you will have to follow in order to complete and submit your application with all the extra necessary documents. This last step can be done online directly in Mobility Online.

The International Committee of the Biomedicine Programmes (BIONK)

The International Committee of the Biomedicine Programmes (BIONK) is responsible for exchange studies in the Biomedicine Programmes. BIONK consists of teachers, international coordinators, the programme administrator, and student representatives. BIONK signs exchange agreements with partners universities, decides about rules for participation and selection of students for the exchange programmes, etc.

In the field of Biomedicine, you have the opportunity to spend part of your studies abroad. Completing a course or doing project work in another country is a unique experience compared to studying in Sweden. Experiencing another culture from the inside is a fantastic way of learning more about yourself and your field of study. Studying abroad means not only academic development, it also provides insights and experiences you will profit from in your future life - both professionally and personally. You will also make lifelong friends and many other interesting contacts. If you are considering studying abroad, it is important that you consider how you will deal with unforeseen events. An exchange student should be flexible and be able to take initiative.

For general information on exchange studies through KI, read more on:

Study Abroad at Karolinska Institutet

Studera utomlands genom Karolinska Institutet (Swedish)

Best Exchange Travel Report 

Every student going abroad as officially nominated is requested to write a travel report. All students allowing us to publish their travel reports with their name and email address compete for the Best Travel Report of the Year award which includes a money prize. Here you can read about the latest winners.

Participation in an exchange programme

General requirements

• You must have studied at least one year at KI (60 ECTS). Specific rules regarding additional study merits may be specified by the univer sity abroad.
• You must be eligible to continue your studies at KI before you go on exchange. 
• You must have a good command of the language of instruction in order to go abroad. Within the Erasmus+ Programme you will be required to show results in a language test (Erasmus+OLS).
• You must be able to accredit your exchange studies at Karolinska Institutet (only applies to exchanges in semester 3).
• An exchange must be at least three months (Min. 90 days within Erasmus+) up to a full semester.

Eligibility for exchange studies during semester 3

• In order to be eligible for exchange in semester 3, you must have passed all your courses from semester 1, as well as the course Biochemistry in semester 2, at the latest on April 15. 

Eligibility for exchange studies during semester 6

• In order to be eligible for exchange in semester 6, you must have passed all the courses from semester 1-4 on September 15. Moreover, you must have passed Part 1 on the course Molecular Medicine – Oncology, and have participated in the obligatory sessions of Molecular Medicine – Cardiometabolic and Infectious Diseases.

General rules

Important information regarding application, waiting list and second round of application

Deadline to apply for exchange studies in the academic year 2023-2024 was Friday January 27^th at 11am. Only complete applications are assessed by BIONK. No individual extensions will be granted.

Acceptance of nomination

After BIONK has assessed all applications, they are ranked based on the criteria set by the international committee. Successful applicants will receive an offer of exchange (nomination) by email and a deadline to accept/reject their nomination.

As an applicant you have the following options:

• Accept their nomination
• Reject their nomination
• If not having been nominated to the firsthand choice of university, the applicant can accept their nomination and be placed on a waiting list for a higher alternative as listed in the application

If the applicant does not fulfill the course eligibility criteria to be nominated for exchange, i.e. having passed all taken courses, the applicant will receive a conditional nomination. This eligibility criteria will be checked again on April 15 for exchange during the Autumn semester 2023 and on September 15 for exchange during the Spring semester 2024.

Acceptance of nomination:

As soon as an applicant accepts their nomination, the international coordinator will nominate the applicant to the allocated host institution; the applicant will have to apply to the partner institution according to the rules stated in the information sent by the partner institution.

Waiting list:

During the first two weeks of May the international coordinator will assess if any of the applicants placed on the waiting list can be offered a higher alternative. After this assessment, all applicants on the waiting list will be informed if any of their higher alternatives have become available and they will be offered the opportunity to be nominated to a higher ranked alternative or to keep the original nomination.

After this step the student will no longer be able to change to any other host institution. It is not permitted to reject a nomination awarded in the first round of applications and then re-apply in the second round. Any such application will not be assessed.

Second round of applications

Those who did not apply for exchange in the first round have the opportunity to apply for exchange in the second round of applications. In mid-May the list of places still available after the first round will be published online, and a second application round will be announced.

During the first week of the summer break, students who did not participate in the first application round can apply in the second round, and exchange study places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Until accepted by our partner university it is possible to withdraw from the exchange program. Please consider though that the later you withdraw, the fewer chances you will give to a fellow student to be nominated instead of you if there is a tight application deadline to the partner institution. After being accepted you will only be able to withdraw due to issues related to health, family problems or financial problems.

• You can only be nominated twice for exchange, once in semester 3 or 4 (courses in Leiden) and once in semester 6 (Degree project). 
• Only one exchange per academic year is possible. 
• You cannot postpone an exchange place to next academic year unless you have a valid reason for doing so. 
• If you are awarded a scholarship, you have to follow the rules that apply to the scholarship (see Travel Grant Application Form for Exchange Students).
• Within Erasmus+ you can receive the scholarship in total up to 12 months per academic level (i.e. Bachelor, or Master).
• During your exchange period you must be a good representative for KI and market KI in the best possible way. See Code of Conduct for exchange studies.
• You have to hand in your exchange report after your exchange period has ended. The deadline is September 1 every year, but you are strongly advised to write and hand in the report directly upon return from your exchange.

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After a decision has been made by the Nomination Committee within BIONK

If you are nominated by BIONK

• Note that BIONK will only nominate you to one exchange place. You are not admitted as an exchange student at the partner university until you have received a letter/notice of acceptance from the partner university.
• If you are nominated for exchange by BIONK you must accept or decline your place by giving notice via email to the International Coordinator before the deadline specified in the email that you receive when you are nominated. If you do not accept your place within the deadline, it will be considered that you have declined the place and it will be given to another student. 
• You can only accept a place that you have chosen in your application even if other nomination places are on offer. 

If you are not nominated by BIONK

• If you have not been nominated to an exchange place, you will be able to re-apply in our second round of application later on in the Spring semester to all remaining available exchange places. 

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Renouncing your place after you have sent your application to the partner university

• If you renounce your exchange place after having sent your application to the partner university, you must have specific and valid reasons for doing so (ex. illness – show medical statement). You are obliged to explicate these reasons to the International Coordinator.
• Possible costs paid in relation to the exchange will not be reimbursed if you renounce the exchange place or discontinue an ongoing exchange without showing specific and valid reasons  (ex. illness – show medical statement).

Exchange studies during semester 3 or 4

During semester 3 or semester 4 you can go on exchange studies to Universiteit Leiden (LUMC), where you take a full semester of courses. Hand in your application during semester 2.

On YouTube you can find out more about Universiteit Leiden:

- Universiteit Leiden/Leiden University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gDfOvufoQQ

- Student Life at Leiden University : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kdlyc48aM4

- Living & Housing in the Netherlands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi6he-IShMY

- 444 years of Leiden University:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPX3Aj6m-08

- Starting your master’s programme at Leiden University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKVsxnf8L6I

- Leiden City Netherlands. Travel to Holland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcq9NE1XQho

Read the exchange reports from previous exchange students to learn more about studying abroad at Universiteit Leiden.

Eligibility for exchange studies during semester 3

• In order to be eligible for exchange in semester 3, you must have passed all your courses from semester 1, as well as Medical Biochemistry from semester 2 at the latest on April 15. 

The courses our students follow in the Autumn semester in Leiden are:

• Design and Analysis of Biomedical Sciences, 6 ECTS
• Introduction to the Neurosciences, 6 ECTS
• Infectious Agents and Immunity, 6 ECTS
• Immunology, 9 ECTS
• Communication in Science for Exchange Students, 2 ECTS

The courses our students follow in the Spring semester in Leiden are:

• Physiology, Advanced Concepts 300, 4 ECTS
• Human Pathology 300, 7 ECS
• Physiology, Basic Concepts 300, 8 ECTS
• Hormones and the Nervous System 300, 10 ECTS
• Other Communication in Science for Exchange Students 300, 2 ECTS
   

Exchange studies during semester 6

In semester 6 you have the opportunity to go abroad to collect data for your degree project. See list of universities here.

For information regarding the degree project course, please read more at the course web page. Please contact the course organizer if you have questions regarding the degree project. Contact information can be found here.

Eligibility for exchange studies during semester 6

• In order to be eligible for exchange in semester 6, you must have passed all the courses from semester 1-4 on September 15. Moreover, you must have passed Part 1 on the course Molecular Medicine – Oncology, and have participated in the obligatory sessions of Molecular Medicine – Cardiometabolic and Infectious Diseases before you go on the exchange.

Partner universities 2023/24

Please note that the information about the partner universities is continuously being updated and may contain errors as partner universities sometimes change their policies/requirements.

At the Bachelor’s Programme in Biomedicine you can participate in exchange studies at universities in the Nordic countries, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and North America.

See the current list of partner universities and available places in the list here: 

You have the option to go on exchange in two different semesters. In semester 3 you can go on an exchange to Leiden University Medical Centre, where you take courses. In semester 6 you have the opportunity to go abroad to collect data for your degree project.

The exchange reports are a great source of information where previous exchange students write about their experiences abroad.

If you want to learn more about the respective universities and what they can offer exchange students, read about the universities here.

AUSTRALIA

Read about studying and living in Australia, watch stories from other students, and learn about Australian education on the official Australian Government website for international students.

The University of Newcastle, Callaghan

Possible to do both project 30 ECTS or project+course 22.5 ECTS. For a list of projects and courses, please click here:

University of Newcastle prospectus

Information for incoming exchange students is available here.

Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane (not available during the academic year 2023-2024)

Possible to do both project 30 ECTS or project+course 22.5 ECTS. Information for international students is available here.
Not available for KI students in 2019/20 due to imbalance.

University of Sydney 

A minimum of average grade "B" is a requirement. Course work and project. Information for incoming exchange students can be found here.
Not available for Biomedicine Bachelor students in 2019/20 due to imbalance.

Griffith University 

BRAZIL

Universidade de São Paulo

Read information for incoming exchange students here.

CANADA

Find out about studying in Canada on the EduCanada web site.

The University of Calgary, Hotchkiss Brain Institute  Only projects. Not available in the next academic year.

University of Toronto

If students are interested in going on exchange to the University of Toronto Mississauga to do research, the process has changed a few times over the last 18 months, but currently you should reach out early to their international coordinator Andrew Sedmihradisky and he can put you in touch with staff in the Experiential Education Unit (EEU) – who will assist you in finding a project/supervisor. Please do so s early as possible so you will have an idea of whether research in your area of interest is possible. The EEU  can walk you through the process and help you find a project in their Research Opportunity Program (ROP)

All research areas are potentially possible, but they vary from year to year depending on which professors have submitted projects or not.  

One or more elective courses have to be additionally selected when going on exchange to Toronto for a research project. This is mandatory to obtain a full-student visa in Canada. Here you can read more about life as an international student at the University of Toronto.

Students studying at the University of Toronto need to take a minimum of 1.5 U of T credits per semester. Assuming your research project is worth 1.0 credits, you’d need to take at least 1 (and up to 3) more 0.5 credit course. Students can view the courses available in an academic year using the UTM Timetable linked below – if you need a detailed syllabus for a particular course you can reach out  to Andrew and he can download it for you. The chosen courses don't have necessarily be related to your study programme here at KI.

UTM Timetable

For more information please visit the following page: Inbound opportunities at Toronto University

DENMARK

Read about what life would be like studying in Denmark at Study in Denmark.

University of Copenhagen

Information for exchange students is available here.

• Broad range of courses on offer – the Faculty of Science offers approx. 600 English-taught courses a year most of which are available to exchange students.
• Most English-taught courses are master’s level courses – but senior (3rd and 4th year) bachelor students are allowed to register for master level courses provided they meet the academic requirements. They are also allowed to follow courses at the Faculty of Medical Health Science.
• Exchange students can choose from the full range of courses offered by all the departments at the faculty – provided they meet the requirements. The course catalogue is available here.
• Students can do individual study/research projects of 7,5, 15, 22,5, 30, 45 and 60 ECTS.

Syddansk Universitet

Information for incoming exchange students can be found here, and instructions for how to apply here.

FRANCE

Practical information and facts about studying in France is available on Campus France.

Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) New name: Sorbonne Université
Projects only. Previous research experience is a requirement.

Université de Strasbourg
Only project work. French language skills not a requirement.

Eurolife partner

GERMANY

Study in Germany provides information, student stories, and tips about student life in Germany.

Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

Please note that in Germany term dates are different than KI dates.

Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen

Projects only. For help in finding projects, please contact: Elena Lebherz <Elena.Lebherz@med.uni-tuebingen.de>.

GREAT BRITAIN (Still possible to receive an Erasmus+ stipend when going as officially nominated student to one of our partners)

You can find information about studying in England on the web site of the British Council, and about studying in Scotland on the web site Study in Scotland.

The University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Information for incoming exchange students can be found here, and specifically for Erasmus exchange students here.

Eurolife partner

Imperial College School of Science, Technology and Medicine, England

Projects within the Department of Life Sciences (no other Departments).

Life Science researchers can be found here.

Instructions on how to apply are available here.

King's College of London, England

Information for incoming exchange students can be found here. Application guidelines are available here.

IRELAND

Find out about studying in Ireland on the web site Education in Ireland.

Trinity College Dublin

Information for inbound exchange students can be found here.

Note that the Dept. of Human Health and Disease will not be able to receive students during 2019/20.

Eurolife partner

ITALY

Università Degli Studi di Milano

SINGAPORE

Nanyang University of Technology
Project or project and course work. If you do a project you have to find a supervisor before applying for exchange.

National University of Singapore
Project or project and course work. If you do a project you have to find a supervisor before applying for exchange.

Information about projects from the International Office at NUS here: NUS_lsm_modules.pdf

SPAIN

Universitat de Barcelona
Project only. Application link here. You apply with: application form, 2 x photos, learning agreement, transcript of records and proof of English language skills. Here is the fact sheet: Universitat de Barcelona_Infosheet.pdf

Contact person for application and projects: Dr Marta Camps martacamps@ub.edu

Eurolife partner

SWITZERLAND

ETH - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich

Information for incoming exchange students is available here.

Switzerland is no longer participating in the Erasmus+ Programme, but student exchange is continued within the Swiss-European Mobility Programme.

• Students can find supervisors/projects in Pharmaceutical Sciences or Health Sciences and Technology. 
• Students should contact ETH for further instructions if they are applying for projects that are not within Pharmaceutical Sciences (only Pharmaceutical Sciences will appear in the application system).
• Students should look for a suitable project on the website of the Department or Institute the student is interested in joining, and contact respective professors or senior scientists directly.
• Some projects offered at ETH Zurich are also published by SiROP (https://siropglobal.org/).
• Please be aware that if you are entitled to receive a study loan from CSN this will not be awarded in conjunction with the Swiss stipend SEMP. 

THE NETHERLANDS

Study in Holland provides ample information about studying in Holland and practical matters relating to the study experience.

Universiteit Leiden (LUMC)
Project or project and course work. Please note: may be difficult to find projects within Neuroscience.

Eurolife partner

On YouTube you can find out more about Universiteit Leiden:

- Universiteit Leiden/Leiden University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gDfOvufoQQ

- Student Life at Leiden University : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kdlyc48aM4

- Living & Housing in the Netherlands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi6he-IShMY

- 444 years of Leiden University:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPX3Aj6m-08

- Starting your master’s programme at Leiden University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKVsxnf8L6I

- Leiden City Netherlands. Travel to Holland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dcq9NE1XQho

Semester 3 and 4: courses

Semester 6: degree project

USA

Find out more about studying in the USA on the official government web site and on the U.S. Department of State network Education USA.

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (not available during the academic year 2023/2024)

Projects only.

Eurolife grantee stories

On the Eurolife's webpage you can read the stories of studies who have been granted a Eurolife stipends. Here you can also find our own students' Fahrsan Rahman and Tetiana Poliakova's stories.

NEWS

2022-11-15

Information session about exchange studies in Leiden (courses) in Autumn 2023/Spring 2024 will be held on Monday November 28th at 12.15pm-1pm in Rockefeller

Information session about exchange studies (degree project) in the Spring semester 2024 will be held on December 7th 12pm-1pm in Scheelesalen

The presentation of the international coordinator can be found here.