Failing Medical School at Karolinska Institutet? Exams, Dismissal and Transfer (2026)

Failing medical school at Karolinska Institutet: the exam rules

Key facts

• The Läkarprogrammet at Karolinska Institutet has 360 credits: semesters 1 to 6 are undergraduate level, semesters 7 to 12 are advanced level.
• The programme syllabus was adopted on 11 February 2021 and last revised on 1 December 2025 (Dnr 3-4862/2025).
• The Higher Education Ordinance sets a floor: if a university limits exam attempts, the limit must be at least five (6 kap. 21 §).
• For clinical placements the floor is two occasions (6 kap. 21 §).
• KI's examination regulation (Dnr 1-372/2020) guarantees at least six occasions per exam and two for VFU.
• A grade decision cannot be appealed at KI, but you can request a re-assessment.
• Medschool Experts organises transfers from Karolinska Institutet to partner universities in Europe.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) is a state university in Sweden, so national law sets the outer limits. KI then adds its own regulation, and each course syllabus fills in the details. When rules differ, the course syllabus of your course is what counts for your next exam.

The table below sums up the rules we verified. Check the syllabus of your own course for its exact wording.

Exam attempts at Karolinska Institutet: how many retakes

KI's examination regulation guarantees at least six occasions for every single exam needed to pass a course (point 2.6). A limit must be justified and written into the course syllabus. A student who risks not passing within the maximum number of attempts should be offered support.

The syllabus of Klinisk medicin 2 (Invärtesmedicinsk fördjupning och breddning, 25.5 credits, valid from autumn 2026) shows how this looks in practice. You may sit five further occasions after the ordinary one. Handing in a blank paper counts as an occasion. An occasion you registered for but did not attend does not count.

The dates of resits are announced at the latest two weeks before the course starts. The gap between your result and the first resit is normally two to six weeks during term. Resits are planned so that a student who passes can still start courses that require this pass.

If a course ends or is changed in a major way, the right to six occasions no longer applies in the same form. In that case students should be offered at least three extra occasions beyond the ordinary one, for at least one year.

Failed VFU at Karolinska Institutet: clinical placement rules

VFU (verksamhetsförlagd utbildning) means clinical placement. In the Läkarprogrammet it appears from semester 1, in shorter and longer blocks, and your performance is assessed continuously.

Two occasions apply to VFU. If the examiner stops a placement because of serious deficiencies, you fail that module, one occasion is used and an individual action plan (handlingsplan) must be written. Until you have completed the plan you cannot be placed in new VFU.

The syllabus of Klinisk medicin 2 adds two details. You need at least 50% of the VFU completed to sit the written exam and the OSCE. Professional conduct in VFU also has two occasions, and a fail uses one. To resit a failed VFU module you redo the whole module, with the support of the action plan.

KI's regulation limits the knowledge checks in an action plan to two where the syllabus says so. If you fail on the last possible occasion, no action plan is drawn up.

Progression in the Läkarprogrammet: prerequisites between courses

Progression works through prerequisites in the course syllabi. The programme builds from basic science to clinical medicine, with more independence over time. A degree needs a degree project of at least 30 credits.

Klinisk medicin 2 is a clear example. You need a pass in Basvetenskap 1 to 6 and in Medicinsk diagnostik med basvetenskaplig integrering (semesters 1 to 4). You also need a passed VFU module in Klinisk medicin 1 (semester 5). A missing pass therefore delays the whole clinical sequence, not just one course.

The grading scale is fail (U) or pass (G) in the courses we reviewed.

Study break at Karolinska Institutet: leave and returning

KI's regulation on resuming studies (Dnr 3-3566/2020, in force since 13 October 2020) distinguishes three situations. A student who follows the programme cohort has a guaranteed place. A student with a granted study break has one too, if they return at the time stated in the decision. A student with an approved individual study plan keeps it as well.

A student who leaves the cohort without any of these must apply to resume, must be eligible for the course at its start and can only return if a place is free. If places are scarce, applicants are ranked in four priority groups, and ties are decided by lottery.

The practical lesson: ask for the study break before you step out of the cohort, not after.

New examiner, appeals and accommodations at Karolinska Institutet

After two failed attempts at an exam you may request a new examiner, unless special reasons weigh against it (Högskoleförordningen 6 kap. 22 §). If the syllabus limits VFU to two attempts, you can ask for a new examiner for the second occasion after one failed VFU. A refusal must be explained in writing.

KI's regulation says a grade decision cannot be appealed (point 5.3). You can ask for a re-assessment (omprövning). Under Högskoleförordningen 6 kap. 24 § an examiner must change a decision that is obviously wrong, if this is quick and simple and the grade does not get lower.

If you believe your result comes from insufficient accessibility under the Discrimination Act (1 kap. 4 § 3), the decision can be appealed to the Överklagandenämnden för högskolan.

For students with a disability, the examiner may deviate from the form of the exam, the number of occasions or mandatory elements. Content, learning outcomes and the expected level cannot be lowered. If you could not sit an exam because of a mistake by KI, you should be offered a new occasion as soon as possible, normally within one month.

Why students get stuck in the Läkarprogrammet

Medicine at KI is dense. Basic science, placements and exams run in parallel. Some students learn better with another teaching format, another language of instruction or a smaller group. Others face illness, a family situation or money worries.

None of this says anything about your ability. It says that this programme, at this pace, does not fit your situation right now. That is a reason to look at options, not a verdict on you.

Switch early: a checklist if exams at Karolinska Institutet go wrong

• Write down how many attempts you have used for each exam and placement.
• Read the examination section of the syllabus of every course you have not passed.
• Ask for a new examiner if you have failed twice.
• Request a study break before leaving the cohort.
• Order your transcript of records and your passed courses.
• Talk to Medschool Experts before your last attempt.

Your next four weeks after a failed exam

Transfer from Karolinska Institutet to another medical school abroad

A study transfer is a complicated undertaking. Credits must be assessed, deadlines met and documents prepared in the right order. Our experts have almost ten years of experience with study transfers worldwide and therefore plan and carry out each one confidently.

Medschool Experts are experts in exactly this situation. We help with the whole application process abroad. We aim for no loss of time, with entry into a higher year where your profile allows it, and we check every case individually. For exactly this case we have several partner universities in Europe. A transfer can save a medical career that is stuck at a limit.

Returning home: recognition of an EU degree in Sweden

Directive 2005/36/EC regulates the recognition of professional qualifications between EU and EEA countries. For doctors, the programme must meet the minimum training requirements of the directive. Your Swedish licence application then goes to Socialstyrelsen. We explain the steps in the consultation.

What it costs to continue Medicine abroad

How Medschool Experts helps students of Karolinska Institutet

You send us your transcript and your situation. We tell you which options exist, in which year you could enter and what it costs. You decide afterwards, without pressure.

For the national picture, read our guide Failing Medical School in Sweden.