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.
Open for August 2027 entry — applications close 15 January 2027 via University Admissions Sweden. Dates follow the same annual pattern — confirm the current round before applying.
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
info How this award actually works
Who awards it
Karolinska Institutet — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.
How you are considered
Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.
What it covers
Full Tuition Fee Waiver. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.
Where we come in
We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.
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
Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?
Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.
Work out your real number
Tuition, living costs, visa funds and flights for your destination — so you know the gap you are actually trying to close.
Open the cost calculator arrow_forwardSort courses by lowest fee
The full catalogue, cheapest tuition first. Changing course or country saves far more than most awards are worth.
Browse lowest-fee courses arrow_forwardWhat Sweden actually costs
Tuition, living costs and the total first-year figure for Sweden, in LKR as well as local currency.
See the cost breakdown arrow_forwardCheck your proof of funds
Every student visa requires you to show funds. Find out what you need before you commit to an application.
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