Karolinska Institute — Attraction in Solna kommun

After having a phone call with the student counsellor of my prospective department, I must confide that I am genuinely baffled and still heavily shell-shocked from the experience. It started out fine, besides the fact she did not remember me despite our email correspondence and that I called exactly when appointed. I spoke Swedish to express respect, even though I haven't spoken it for over 6 months and was quite rusty. (The program in question is deducted in Swedish with the majority of textbooks in English) She quickly understood that I have trouble understanding and the conversation impeded. Instead of being understandable or offering a switch to English, she remained silent. Only answering to my questions in couple of words and almost always deflecting my questions with reference to confidentiality. Questions like the median age of students in the program, common reasons to quit and the amount of foreigners remain as a mystery to me, since these pieces of information cannot be confided to prospective students. I have carefully scrutinised antagning statistics for the same questions and found them to be very vague. I hoped for a better overall understanding of the program from the counsellor. Instead I received resentment through paracommunication and a feeling that you are not welcome here. My apologies for not possessing the verbal prowess to rock your socks off, but I have passed my Swedish language examinations with flying colours and can understand and write Swedish according to the test results which KI has accepted without flinching. As a foreign student, the study counsellor is the safety net when things go wrong and after this experience I am not surprised why last year all 3 Finnish students quit the program( two of them before the first semester even ended). The most surprising was how well she made me feel ashamed of my Swedish and giving me the feeling of how dare I to even apply here. All of this without saying it out loud. I guess practice makes perfect. I truly hope other departments have positive, supporting and compassionate study counsellors and I am extremely grateful for the phone call, because I can now imagine what kind of treatment I would receive during...

I expected a world-class experience from a globally respected institution, but my experience with Karolinska Institutet was profoundly disappointing. Beneath the surface of its prestigious reputation lies a culture that seems more interested in protecting its image than upholding transparency or integrity.

There is a clear lack of openness — concerns are deflected, inconvenient truths are hidden, and communication feels calculated rather than honest. Rather than addressing issues directly, the institution appears to downplay or obscure them, which severely undermines trust. For a university that claims to champion science and ethical leadership, this behavior is unacceptable.

I strongly urge anyone engaging with KI — whether as a student, researcher, or collaborator — to proceed with caution and ask tough questions. Reputations can be polished, but integrity is proven...

Karolinska Institutet is truly impressive and lives up to its reputation as one of the world’s leading medical universities. The atmosphere on campus is inspiring, with a strong sense of innovation and excellence throughout.

The infrastructure and facilities are modern, well-equipped, and thoughtfully designed to support both education and research. During my visit, my friend who works here kindly showed us around, and I was amazed by the quality of the laboratories, study spaces, and collaborative areas.

It was a fascinating experience that left me with great admiration for the institute and the people who work and study here. Without a doubt, Karolinska Institutet stands as a global leader in medical science, and visiting the campus was both insightful...