Karolinska Intitute
trusts
HousingAnywhere
with accommodation for their students since 2014

• Was founded in 1810

• Ranks 7/500 in Life Sciences and Medicine universities in a QS Ranking by Subject in 2017

• Approximately 10,000 students

• Almost 300 international students

• Offers courses in English

• Has partnered with Housing Anywhere since February 2014

One of the leading research centers for global biomedical, Karolinska Institutet is well-known for its many contributions to the field. You may have heard of a little thing called the Nobel Prize. That’s right, every year at Karolinska Institutet, 50 professors representing different departments deliver awards for the most stand-out discoveries in biomedical sciences.

Additionally, it is important to see that KI is a very internationally-inclined university. They boast a total of nine programmes taught in the English language, including eight Master’s and one Bachelor’s. They also host numerous students from all over the world who choose Karolinska Institutet as the place to study for toward a PhD.

You can read on to learn even more about studying abroad in Stockholm.

Campus facilities

With two main campuses in Stockholm, Karolinska Institutet offers convenient places to study for all of its students. One is located in Solna, which is just a few kilometers from the city center and its attractions, while the other is situated in Flemingsberg, which is less than a 30-minute drive from the city centre.

The Karolinska Institutet School of Dentistry presides over much of the campus in Flemingsberg, along with space for its well-known areas of laboratory research. A majority of the activities for most of the study programmes are hosted at the campus in Solna. Most students will have classes or activities at both campuses from time to time.

When hunger calls, both of the campuses in Solna and Flemingsberg offer a variety of budget-conscious meals with healthy alternatives. If you’d like to keep an even greater reign on your cashflow, you can visit an area supermarket and bring your lunch to campus with you. For your convenience, there are plenty of microwaves scattered throughout the school so that you can heat any food or beverage items as well.

If you want to make sure that you can locate where you need to go in record time to maximize your break between classes, be sure to download the Mobile Campus app to your smartphone or tablet. It will include helpful information and campus maps, dining options, shuttle bus schedules and an events list.

Including resources, laboratories and competence centres, the Karolinska Institutet Core Facilities also assists in organizing supervised activities which are financed in part by the Board of Research (FS), in collaboration with Research and Education (FoUU) committees of hospitals that are associated with the programme. There are also several core facilities that are completely funded and managed by one of KI’s many departments or centres.

How to get to the university

All you have to do is show your student ID to gain access to a complimentary shuttle bus that links the two campuses at Karolinska Institutet .

Public transportation to Campus Solna

By bus, take numbers 3, 69, 70, 77 or 507.

By Metro, from St. Eriksplan, switch to bus 3 or 77.

By commuter train from the Karlbergs station, switch to bus 507.

When arriving at the Arlanda International Airport, take the Arlanda Express or Airport buses to the Central Station.

Public transportation to Campus Huddinge

By bus, take 704, 722, 726, 740, 742 or 865.

By commuter train, exit at the Flemingsbergs station.

When arriving at Arlanda International Airport, take the Arlanda Express or Airport buses to the Central Station.

Courses

Freestanding courses at the school are arranged for those students studying within doctoral education programmes and additional research schools. You can find these freestanding courses fully outlined in the university catalogue. There will be an initial application period, and afterwards, all courses with available openings will be announced on the Karolinska Institute website.

Some of these courses include:

• Basic Course in Medical Statistics

• Biostatistics I: Introduction for epidemiologists

• Biostatistics II: Logistic regression for epidemiologists

• Biostatistics III: Survival analysis for epidemiologists

• Writing science and information literacy

• Communicate science in different contexts

• Write your research results and get them published

• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: educational course for doctoral students

• Introduction to teaching at KI

• Present your research

• Basic Laboratory Safety

• Quality assurance of clinical research

• Medical research ethics

International Dimension

As you read this post, you are probably becoming more Intrigued by the minute. After all, it’s such an honour to attend this world-renowned university. To make things even better, it’s not even necessary to learn the Swedish language before you arrive. Karolinska Institutet prides itself in offering eight global Master’s programmes, with one taught completely in English!

Your choices of study include Health Informatics, Biomedicine, Bioentrepreneurship, Molecular Techniques, Health Economics, Public Health Sciences or Toxicology, which are all taught completely in English. Plus, if you are from a country that is a member of the European Union, there are no tuition fees! Really… how cool is that?

When you are considering studying abroad, be sure to take in as much information as you can. There are numerous sources of information that can help provide first-hand assistance.

You can also check for information on health insurance and other necessities while you are studying in Sweden.

Student neigborhoods

Södermalm is one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in the area amongst its students. The island encompasses the south end of the city, creating an urban oasis just outside of Stockholm. Once a blue-collar area, it is now well-known as a hipster’s paradise, with its fill of clothing designers, musicians, artists, hip shops, free-spirited cafés and trendy restaurants.

This neighborhood is a true melting pot, offering up plenty of diversity and cultural expression, which makes it an ideal home for international students hoping to immerse themselves in everything that the city has to offer. There are many sought-after homes here, with a variety of architectural designs. You can expect Art Nouveau apartments on Mariatorget, along with historical cottages that are precariously perched on the cliffs above the boisterous sea.

If you are hoping to stay in the city centre, pricing will be more expensive, and it will typically be more difficult to find. This is one of the many reason why Södermalm is just perfect for students who are on a budget. Not to mention, if you’d really like to hang out with the locals and get to know the area, this is the ideal place. Many native inhabitants call this neighborhood home, with its tall apartment buildings, quaint shops and wide streets. It is easily connected to the city centre via many methods of public transportation, yet it feels like a world away from the touristy sights and their accompanying crowds.

Common housing practices

Trying to locate your own housing can be very difficult when it comes to large cities in Sweden, especially in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Malmö, all areas where housing can be limited due to the close proximity to numerous universities with a multitude of different campuses in the city. In short, making an attempt to locate advertisements and respond on your own can be quite frustrating.

In Sweden, you have the option to rent "first-hand" or “second-hand”. Renting first-hand, also known as “första hand”, means that you will meet with the owner of the entire building and sign an agreement. Second-hand, known as “andra hand”, means that you will sign a contract with someone who owns that particular flat or holds what is called the “first-hand contract” on that flat.

To be eligible to obtain a first-hand contract, you must first register, which will allow you to be put on the municipal waiting list, called the "bostadskö". To move to the top of the list can take anywhere just a few days in some municipalities, however, in areas like Stockholm, it can sometimes take about 10 years to be get a first-hand contract.

Most students find an individual who is actually renting space from a person who is subletting a room in a shared flat, part of a second-hand arrangement. However, you must ensure that the landlord or the tenant co-operation board of the building, also known as the bostadsrättsföreningen, is aware. Even though you may sign a contract with an individual who is subletting the flat, if that person doesn’t have permission to do so, you could face eviction and the loss of any funds you have paid toward the housing.

Additionally, you can learn even more about the housing policies in Sweden, and which procedures you will need to follow to register for housing.

With so many risks in renting on your own, think about using HousingAnywhere.com to find your accommodation. Housing Anywhere is an expert at booking student accommodation, making them the leading housing platform in Europe. They also work together with over 120 universities, assisting their students in finding connections with trusted landlords and renting agents on their easy-to-use platform.

Landlords and housing agents also utilize Housing Anywhere to advertise their rooms each year to over 3 million students, who are located all over the globe.

There are two main student unions or associations at Karolinska Institutet. The Medical Student’s Association, located in Stockholm and also known as "Medicinska Föreningen", sets up a large variety of meetings and social events on both the Solna and Flemingsberg campuses. The Dental Student’s Association (Odontologiska Föreningen) only has a presence at the Flemingsberg location.

You can expect something for students of nearly any interest with both of these unions. Some of the activities include theatre groups, choir and numerous sporting teams and activities.

The International Committee at Medicinska Föreningen focuses on integrating international students into the culture at Karolinska Institutet with fun events and activities like:

• Language@KI, which gives local students the ability to assist international students by teaching them the Swedish language.

• Social Dance@KI ,which merges both fitness and culture by organizing weekly classes for dance, featuring Salsa, Bachata and more.

• Global Friends uses events like trips to other cities and pub crawls to introduce local students to international students. They also incorporate what is known as the "buddy system".

When you are a member of the student union, you will have the opportunity to take part in understanding student issues and overall student welfare. Students are an important part of the decision-making process at Karolinska Institutet, particularly when it comes to the Board of Higher Education.

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