Certificate of international merits

Faculty of Social Sciences

The Certificate of International Merits (CIM) offers students a unique opportunity to enhance their academic, personal and professional development. By participating in various international activities, you will collect merits leading to a "Certificate of International Merits", a certificate issued alongside your degree.

A pair of glasses atop a world map. Photo. — By participating in various international activities, both abroad and in Sweden, you collect “merits” that lead to a “Certificate of International Merits”. Photo: Pixabay

Develop yourself internationally – both personally and professionally

The Certificate of International Merits (CIM) is a certificate describing the international activities you have participated in during your studies. This is a combination of activities taking place abroad and in Sweden, and can be both shorter and longer. For example, you may have participated in an international conference, been a mentor to an international exchange student or actively chosen to spend part of your programme abroad.

By participating:

You make your international credentials visible
You develop your intercultural understanding
You are encouraged to build international networks
You get prepared for work in an international environment

Get started with CIM

Instructions on how to proceed and what is required

Participate in international activities at home and abroad

You need to participate in at least three international activities to be eligible to apply for a CIM. At least one activity must take place abroad and at least one activity in Sweden. See some examples of activities via the links below:

Activities in Sweden – definitions and guidelines

Activities abroad – definitions and guidelines

How do I go about finding international activities?

We encourage you to proactivly commit to the search for activities.

There are several ways to find activities to achieve your certificate, such as via the following web sites:

You can also develop your individual activity. Please note: If you choose to develop an individual activity, it must first be assessed by the CIM contact person at your department.

Faculty contact

Faculty International Office
outgoing [at] sam [dot] lu [dot] se

Department contacts

School of Social Work
Roberto Scaramuzzino
roberto [dot] scaramuzzino [at] soch [dot] lu [dot] se

Service studies
Annika Permevik
annika [dot] permevik [at] ses [dot] lu [dot] se

Sociology of Law
Ana Maria Vargas Falla
ana_maria [dot] vargas_falla [at] soclaw [dot] lu [dot] se

Strategic Communication
Frida Hessel
frida [dot] hessel [at] isk [dot] lu [dot] se

Please note that CIM certificates do not apply to programmes that already have elements of international experience built into the syllabus.

Why CIM?

The primary purpose of the CIM – Certificate of International Merits – is to highlight the students’ concrete international experiences and make them more visible; as this will be regarded as an important part of internationalisation at home. Taking advantage of these reflected experiences benefits not only the students themselves, but also fellow students, our departments, and Lund University as a whole.

CIM was established by the Faculty of Medicine in 2014 as a pilot project at Lund University. The School of Social Work was inspired; began to further develop the CIM and launched CIM as a pilot project at the department in spring 2017 when the first certificates were awarded.