Once you have been accepted to your exchange studies at the Swedish Red Cross University there are a few preparations that need to be made. On this page you find information about the most important things that you need to do prior to your exchange. Please remember that it is important that you send us any documents that might be asked from you in time, since some of the bureaucratic processes are drawn-out.
KCMUCo students, please refer to Prior to your studies at The Swedish Red Cross University for information about travel arrangements.
Travel arrangements
Arrival-date information
We ask you to inform us about your arrival and departure dates once you have booked your tickets to and from Stockholm. You can reach us at: ic@rkh.se
A student mentor will meet you up either upon your arrival or prior to course start. The mentor will give you practical information and be your contact person during your study period.
Traveling to Stockholm from the airport
The main international airport in Stockholm, Arlanda Airport, is located 40 km north of Stockholm. From there, you can go to Stockholm either by bus, train, taxi or Uber.
- Airport coaches (Flygbussarna or FlixBus) depart every 10-15 minutes from Arlanda to Stockholm (Cityterminalen/Centralstation). The journey takes about 50 minutes. For more information about long-distance bus lines, please visit Cityterminalen.
- The Arlanda Express train takes you between Arlanda and Stockholm Central Station in 20 minutes (Arlanda express). You can also go by regular train lines, either with the national train company SJ or the local commuter train SL.
- A number of taxi companies have fixed prices to and from Arlanda (for example Taxi Stockholm or Taxi Kurir).
Stockholm Skavsta Airport is located 100 km south of Stockholm. Airport coaches (Flygbussarna) depart once or twice an hour from Skavsta Airport to Stockholm city (Cityterminalen). The journey to Stockholm city takes about 80 minutes.
All airport trains and buses to Stockholm arrive to the Central Station/Cityterminalen. From Stockholm city (Cityterminalen) you can easily reach all the underground- and commuter train lines, many bus lines, as well as taxis. Uber taxis are available within the Stockholm area (instructions on how to download the app here).
Flight tickets and transportation
As soon as you have booked your trip to Stockholm please send an e-mail to the International coordination team at the Swedish Red Cross University at ic@rkh.se and inform us when you are coming!
Students from countries outside Europe will get picked up at the airport by taxi. European students are responsible to arrange for their transportation to their housing.
Visa
Students are responsible for finding out if visa is needed. Please note that issuing processes may be long, which is why it is important to start the visa application as soon as possible after you receive the notification of your acceptance to the Swedish Red Cross University. More specific information on documentation requirements can be found on the Swedish Migration Board’s (Migrationsverket) website.
For Swedish diplomatic missions abroad, see Sweden Abroad.
For a list of foreign embassies and consulates in Stockholm, visit Embassies Abroad.
Housing
Finding housing in Stockholm can be a challenge and it is both hard to find a place to stay inside the city, and expensive to rent. The public transportation system, however, is very efficient and students are encouraged to look for apartments or rooms a little further outside. Due to the large distances (Stockholm is not a populous city but due to the many islands it is rather stretched-out) it is not uncommon that travel times to school or the workplace vary between at least 30 minutes to an hour.
In order to find housing we encourage you to contact the International coordination team at the Swedish Red Cross University since we sometimes have contacts who rent rooms. You are, however, also welcome to search for places in the following web pages.
Link for student housing
Short-term housing
Private host arrangements
Other websites with private housing advertisements
There are several websites with private advertisements. Most of the advertisements are legitimate and serious. However, frauds occur, so please remember to be careful when you look for housing in Stockholm. Do not pay anything in advance if the person does not have a Swedish bank account, can't show the flat or room in person and/or can't provide you with a written proof from the landlord that they are allowed to rent out their flat or room. We recommend that you only pay in advance if you are using a real estate agency (they usually charge a service fee). The following websites provide private housing advertisments:
Mandatory MRSA screening
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to beta-lactam-antibiotics. Most MRSA infections are skin infections. More severe or potentially life-threatening MRSA infections may occur more frequently among patients in healthcare settings. MRSA is common in many countries, particularly in hospitals, but so far less common in Sweden. In order to prevent further spreading, all people that have been in contact with medical services outside of Sweden, either as a patient or as staff, are obliged to undergo MRSA-testing before they can participate in clinic-based work or studies.
Insurance
The Swedish Red Cross University insurance coverage for incoming exchange students is limited to general liability insurance and accident insurance during study hours at the Swedish Red Cross University.
The student must arrange for her/his own insurance coverage, including: health, accident (outside study hours) and housing. All incoming exchange students are responsible to make sure that they are appropriately covered by insurance during their study period at our university college and they will be asked to show insurance coverage before arrival to the Swedish Red Cross University.
Important! Electronic ID
At your clinical placement, you will need an electronic ID issued by the Stockholm City Council, that will be ordered before your arrival. In order to obtain the electronic ID, we need to receive a passport copy from you, with its authenticity confirmed by a witness signing the copy, at least 5 weeks prior to your arrival.
This is what you need to do:
- Copy the photo page of your passport
- Ask your international coordinator (or someone else) to write for example: THIS COPY IS TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL, and sign their name on the copy
- Scan the witnessed copy (photos of copy are not valid), and upload it here.
- Only if we receive your passport copy five weeks before your arrival, you will get your e-ID on time.
You will then receive information about how to book an appointment in order to collect your e-ID. A mentor student will assist you personally and it is important that both you and the mentor bring your identifications to the appointment.
Health clearance
A Health Clearance is required of all students attending placement on a healthcare programme within Region Stockholm. The International coordination team at the Swedish Red Cross University will send you instructions about this before your exchange studies.
Upon arrival in Stockholm you will bring your health clearance to the Student Health Centre at Karolinska Institutet (KI) where you will also make a MRSA test. Click here for more information about MRSA and MRSA-screening.
Student mentors
Our student mentors are students that are currently enrolled at the Swedish Red Cross University, and have taken on the task to guide our incoming students. At the start of each semester, all incoming students are assigned one or two student mentors. They will contact you via e-mail before your arrival to Stockholm, and are responsible for helping you with the following:
- Meeting you in the city center (or where most convenient) to help you find your way to campus
- Accompanying you to the MRSA screening (mandatory for all students), the e-ID office and to your clinical placement on your first day
- Introducing you to our course web system (Canvas) and give you a tour of the school
- Answering questions about things you might want to know, like where to go grocery shopping or how you can book a library introduction
Other practical aspects
- Bring warm clothing, especially if you will study in Sweden during the winter. Although not that common, the temperature can drop to about -20 degrees Celsius!
- Bring an electronic adapter to make sure you can use your electronic devices while you are in Sweden
- Sweden is a multicultural society and although Swedish is the main language, you might also benefit from knowledge in, for instance, Arabic, Persian and Turkish