Karolinska Institutet (KI) is a medical university in the Stockholm region with two campuses, Solna and Flemingsberg, and about 6,743 full-year students in 2025.[1] In the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2026 it is 41st in the world, and in the Times Higher Education ranking 2026/27 it is 55th.[2]
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens study free of charge. Other students pay tuition: for entry in 2026/27 the master’s programmes listed on KI’s fee page cost SEK 330,000 to SEK 400,000 in total over two years, and the bachelor’s programme in biomedicine SEK 540,000 over three years. The application fee is SEK 900.[3] Teaching in the global master’s programmes is in English, and applicants must show English at the level of English 6.[4]
Key facts
| Official name | Karolinska Institutet (KI) |
| Location | Two campuses, Solna and Flemingsberg, plus hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Stockholm region (main visiting address Nobels väg 6, Solna; postal address 171 77 Stockholm)[5] |
| Type | Public medical university; one of Sweden’s state universities[6] |
| Founded | 1810, by King Karl XIII[7] |
| Students | 6,743 full-year students in 2025 (about 6,500 on KI’s homepage figure)[1] |
| Doctoral students | 2,215 in 2025[1] |
| Staff | 5,675 employees (5,078 full-time equivalents) in 2025[1] |
| Turnover | SEK 8,650 million in 2025[1] |
| ARWU (Shanghai) 2026 | 41st in the world, 10th in Europe[2] |
| THE World University Rankings 2026/27 | 55th in the world, 15th in Europe[2] |
| QS World University Rankings | Not listed in the overall ranking (KI’s page, 2026 edition); QS subject results exist[2] |
| Tuition, non-EU/EEA/Swiss, entry 2026/27 | Master’s programmes SEK 330,000–400,000 in total (two years); bachelor’s in biomedicine SEK 540,000 (three years)[3] |
| Application fee | SEK 900 for non-EU/EEA applicants, paid at the central portal[3] |
| Official website | ki.se |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.
About Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet was founded in 1810 by King Karl XIII.[7] It is a medical university: its work covers medical education and research, and KI states that it accounts for the single largest share of all academic medical research conducted in Sweden.[7] Its two campuses are in Solna and Flemingsberg, and teaching and research also take place at hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the Stockholm region.[1]
KI’s 2025 figures are 6,743 full-year students, 2,215 doctoral students and 5,675 employees.[1] KI publishes about 7,200 scientific articles a year.[1]
How is Karolinska Institutet ranked?
KI’s own ranking page, updated on 30 September 2026, lists these results:[2]
| Ranking | Edition | World | Europe |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARWU (Shanghai) | 2026 | 41st | 10th |
| Times Higher Education | 2026/27 | 55th | 15th |
| U.S. News Best Global Universities | 2025/26 | 52nd | 14th |
In THE, KI was 55th, up from 53rd in 2025/26.[2] Uppsala University’s news page says KI is the best Swedish university in ARWU 2026 and Uppsala the second best.[8]
QS: no overall position
KI states that QS does not feature it in its overall university ranking, because QS includes only multi-faculty universities. The statement on KI’s page refers to the 2026 edition.[2] We could not confirm anything for the QS World University Rankings 2027, so we give no QS overall rank. QS ranks KI in subjects: Medicine 10th in the world (5th in Europe), Life Sciences and Medicine 11th (6th in Europe), and Dentistry 1st in the world and in Europe.[2] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at Karolinska Institutet?
KI’s fee page for entry in 2026/27 lists one bachelor’s programme and twelve master’s programmes for fee-paying students:[3]
- Bachelor’s (three years): Biomedicine.
- Master’s (two years): Bioentrepreneurship; Biomedicine; Biostatistics and Data Science; Global Health; Health Economics, Policy and Management; Health Informatics (joint programme); Nutrition Science; Molecular Techniques in Life Science; Public Health Sciences – Epidemiology; Public Health Sciences – Health Promotion and Prevention; Toxicology; Translational Physiology and Pharmacology.
Two of these are joint programmes with other institutions: Molecular Techniques in Life Science and Biostatistics and Data Science.[9] The fee page covers fee-paying programmes only; we did not read pages for other programmes and list none here.
How much does Karolinska Institutet cost in 2026/27?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland study free of charge but must document their citizenship. Citizens of other countries must pay application and tuition fees, with some exemptions.[3] The table shows the amounts KI lists for entry in 2026/27, in Swedish kronor (SEK):[3]
| Programme | Length | Total (SEK) | Per instalment (SEK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s: Biomedicine | 3 years | 540,000 | 90,000 |
| Bioentrepreneurship | 2 years | 360,000 | 90,000 |
| Biomedicine | 2 years | 400,000 | 100,000 |
| Biostatistics and Data Science | 2 years | 360,000 | 90,000 |
| Global Health | 2 years | 360,000 | 90,000 |
| Health Economics, Policy and Management | 2 years | 360,000 | 90,000 |
| Health Informatics (joint programme) | 2 years | 330,000 | 82,500 |
| Nutrition Science | 2 years | 400,000 | 100,000 |
| Molecular Techniques in Life Science | 2 years | 400,000 | 100,000 |
| Public Health Sciences – Epidemiology | 2 years | 360,000 | 90,000 |
| Public Health Sciences – Health Promotion and Prevention | 2 years | 360,000 | 90,000 |
| Toxicology | 2 years | 400,000 | 100,000 |
| Translational Physiology and Pharmacology | 2 years | 400,000 | 100,000 |
The bachelor’s fee is paid in six instalments and each master’s fee in four, each before the semester starts.[3] That is about SEK 165,000–200,000 per year for the master’s programmes (our arithmetic from the instalments).
What the fee covers and refunds
The fee covers teaching and supervision, access to university facilities, participation in examinations and student support. Fee-paying students also get a Swedish language course for new students and FASplus emergency health insurance.[3] Refunds are possible only in extraordinary circumstances such as a refused visa or residence permit, or serious illness.[3]
Scholarships
- KI Global Master’s Scholarship: covers tuition fees only; living costs, accommodation and travel are not included. You must be a fee-paying student who has applied to a KI master’s programme and ranked it first. In 2026 there were 12 awards from 1,002 applicants, and KI admitted 484 fee-paying master’s students.[9]
- Swedish Institute (SI) Scholarship for Global Professionals: fully funded for fee-paying master’s students and covers tuition, a monthly allowance and a travel grant. For the 2026 intake all KI global master’s programmes were eligible except one Erasmus Mundus programme.[10]
How do you apply to Karolinska Institutet?
Applications to KI’s bachelor’s and master’s programmes go through Sweden’s central portal, universityadmissions.se, run by the Swedish Council for Higher Education. For a master’s programme KI describes six steps:[4]
- Choose your programme.
- Check the entry requirements.
- Apply in the portal.
- Pay the application fee (non-EU/EEA applicants) or document your citizenship (EU/EEA applicants). Your application is not processed until you do one of these.
- Fill in the KI CV form and upload it to your account.
- Follow your application for messages about missing documents.
The application fee is SEK 900 for non-EU/EEA applicants.[3] A master’s applicant needs a bachelor’s degree equivalent to a Swedish 180 ECTS degree and proof of English.[4] University Admissions checks the general entry, documentation and English requirements; the KI Admissions Office checks programme-specific requirements; and the programme’s academic staff review the CV form and give every applicant a merit rating, which decides who gets a place.[4]
We give no deadlines here because they change every year. Check the programme page and the portal.
Which English level do you need?
KI asks for English at the level of the Swedish upper secondary course English 6 (also called English level 2). You can prove it through certain upper secondary studies, certain university studies or certain English tests.[4]
University Admissions lists the test scores for English 6: IELTS Academic with an overall 6.5 and no section below 5.5; TOEFL iBT with a total of 4.5 on the 1–6 scale and no section below 4 for results dated 21 January 2026 or later (90 points with 20 in writing for earlier results); Pearson PTE Academic 62 with 61 in writing; and Cambridge C1 Advanced with at least 180. IELTS General Training is not accepted.[11] Check the portal for the current list before booking a test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Karolinska Institutet free for international students?
How much is the Karolinska Institutet application fee?
Is Karolinska Institutet in the QS World University Rankings?
KI says QS does not feature it in the overall ranking, which includes only multi-faculty universities. It appears in QS subject rankings, for example Medicine (10th) and Dentistry (1st).[2]
How is Karolinska Institutet ranked?
41st in the world in ARWU 2026 and 55th in the THE ranking 2026/27, according to KI.[2]
More about studying in Sweden
- Sweden: best universities
- Study in Sweden: complete guide
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Sweden
- Blekinge Institute of Technology
- Chalmers University of Technology
- Halmstad University
- Jönköping University
- Karlstad University
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology
- Linköping University
- Linnaeus University
- Luleå University of Technology
- Lund University
- Mälardalen University
- Malmö University
- Örebro University
- Stockholm School of Economics (SSE)
- Stockholm University
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Umeå University
- University of Gothenburg
- Uppsala University
Sources
[1] Karolinska Institutet: KI in brief (page updated 2 Nov 2026 (shown as 02-11-2026))
[2] Karolinska Institutet: Ranking and Karolinska Institutet (page updated 30 Sep 2026; QS section is the 2026 edition)
[3] Karolinska Institutet: Tuition fees (entry 2026/2027) (page updated 1 Sep 2026)
[4] Karolinska Institutet: Apply for a master’s programme (page updated 20 Oct 2026)
[5] Karolinska Institutet: Contact or visit KI (page updated 17 Nov 2025)
[6] Wikipedia: Karolinska Institute (status and Nobel Assembly; page edited 6 Aug 2026)
[7] Karolinska Institutet: About Karolinska Institutet (page updated 23 Jun 2026 (shown as 23-06-2026))
[8] Uppsala University: The University still in top 100 in 2026 (news item of 17 Aug 2026 (secondary source for ARWU 2026))
[9] Karolinska Institutet: Apply for the KI Global Master’s Scholarship (page updated 18 Sep 2026)
[10] Karolinska Institutet: Scholarships for prospective master’s students (page updated 13 Oct 2026)
[11] University Admissions in Sweden: English language requirements (page updated 13 Oct 2025; TOEFL scale changed for results from 21 Jan 2026)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.