Karolinska Institutet Global Master's Scholarship
Karolinska Institutet (KI) — Sweden's leading medical research university and home of the Nobel Assembly that awards the Prize in Physiology or Medicine — offers full tuition fee waivers to outstanding non-EU/EEA applicants admitted to its English-taught Master's programmes. Awards cover tuition only (around SEK 165,000 / year for medical Master's) and do not include living costs. KI's Master's portfolio spans Public Health, Bioentrepreneurship, Health Informatics, Toxicology, and other globally relevant health-sciences fields — an excellent fit for Sri Lankan applicants in medicine, biology, or public health.
Karolinska Institutet
University-funded
emoji_events Award Overview
Tuition
100% Waived
Duration
1-2 Year Master's
Living Costs
Not covered (~SEK 10,000/mo budget required)
Awards
Limited each year — heavily merit-based
fact_check Eligibility Criteria
Non-EU/EEA Citizen
Open to non-EU / EEA / Swiss citizens who are liable to pay tuition fees in Sweden. Sri Lankan citizens are eligible. EU students don't qualify as they study free in Sweden.
Admitted to a KI Master's
You must hold an admission offer to one of KI's English-taught Master's programmes — Public Health, Health Economics, Biomedicine, Health Informatics, Toxicology, Nutrition Science, and others. Applications go via University Admissions Sweden.
Outstanding Academic Record
Strong Bachelor's in a relevant discipline (medicine, biology, biochemistry, public health, statistics, computer science) with a high GPA. KI weights academic merit and research orientation heavily.
Demonstrable Means for Living Costs
The scholarship covers tuition only. Awardees must demonstrate ability to fund living expenses in Stockholm (~SEK 10,000-12,000 / month, around €860-1,030) for the Swedish residence permit application.
account_tree Application Process
Apply via universityadmissions.se
Submit your application for KI's Master's programmes through University Admissions Sweden by 15 January 2026. Include transcripts, English-test results (IELTS 6.5 / TOEFL 90), motivation letter, and references.
Submit the scholarship application
After the application deadline, KI opens a separate Global Master's Scholarship application form (typically February). Submit it with a separate motivation statement focusing on academic merit and intended impact.
KI scholarship committee review
The KI scholarship committee reviews all applications and ranks candidates. Selection is academic-merit based, with weight given to relevance of background, motivation, and future career trajectory.
Decision + visa
Scholarship decisions are typically announced in April-May, alongside the admission decision. Use both for the Swedish residence permit application via the Migrationsverket (Migration Agency).
Why Karolinska?
Founded in 1810, Karolinska Institutet is consistently ranked among the world's top 50 universities for life sciences and #1 in Sweden. The Nobel Assembly at KI awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine each year — the institution sits at the centre of global biomedical research.
Top 50
QS Life Sciences Ranking
Since 1810
Institution Founded
Nobel Assembly
Hosts the Physiology/Medicine Prize
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