University of Copenhagen

Areas of Study: Copenhagen offers a wide variety of courses taught in English, including Anthropology, Biology (Life Sciences), Chemistry, Computer Science, Ethnology, Film Studies, Geography, Geology, Greek & Roman Studies, Health Sciences, History, Law, Math, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Political Science, Physics, Sociology and more. Additionally, the Danish Cultural Courses program offers a variety of course packages in subjects that vary each semester - past offerings have included Gender & Sexuality Studies, Nordic Mythology, Danish Cinema, Danish Architecture and Design, and Danish Philosophy.

Course requirements:
In Europe, full-time course load is 30 ECTS (European credits), and exchange students at Copenhagen MUST take 30 ECTS per semester. 6 ECTS = 3 units at UCalgary, or 1 standard semester course (1 HCE). 30 ECTS = 15 units at UCalgary, or 5 courses (5 HCE).

The amount of credits each course is worth corresponds to the workload/contact hours, so please be mindful of this in your selection. Most courses offered at Copenhagen are 7.5 or 15 ECTS but some may be worth more or less. You are also eligible to earn an additional 7.5 ECTS if you enroll in the Pre-semester Danish Language Course. 

At Copenhagen, students must choose courses from no more than 2 different Faculties. Please list your preferred faculty(s) in the course list section of your online application. 

Finally, please note that exchange students from the Law faculty must select master's level courses at Copenhagen. 

The academic year is divided into 2 semesters.

• The Autumn semester runs from late August to late January. Students in some departments (such as Law) are able complete the Autumn semester in December; please contact the exchange advisor for more information.
• The Spring semester runs from late January to late June. 

There is a private Housing Foundation that works in conjunction with the university to provide housing to all international exchange students. All housing is located off-campus in multiple residential areas throughout Copenhagen. Available housing is either "halls of residence", which are hallways of one- or two-person rooms with private or semiprivate bathrooms that share a common kitchen, or "shared apartments", which are private apartments that house between two and five people with shared bathroom and kitchen. The type and location of each residence determines the cost of rent; the full range of residences span 2500-5500 DKK per month (about $450-1000 CAD). The Housing Foundation can also provide some advice on finding your own housing privately.

Student Tips: "I lived in Nordre Fasanvej in Frederiksberg. Frederiksberg was fantastic. My building was really old but room was great because of the size, and I had my own kitchen and bathroom. [There was also a] grocery store located directly under the building. Laundry was in the basement but was included in rent and so did not require extra payment. I highly recommend bringing bedding with you if you can so you have something to sleep on/in when you arrive and don’t accidentally drop $500 on sheets at some store when you arrive because you’re exhausted and just want to sleep. [Also] bring good rain gear, or buy some there as there are many classic Danish brands that make excellent (though expensive) raincoats. "

This exchange is open to regular, full-time students in any faculty at UCalgary, who have completed at least 1 full year (10 courses) at the post-secondary level, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 (B-).

For applicants from the UCalgary Faculty of Law, an academic reference letter is required. Please click here to view the reference letter guidelines & submission instructions. It must be submitted at the time of your application to UCalgary.

Do I have to speak Danish?

No prior knowledge of Danish is required to participate in this exchange. UCPH offers a wide variety of courses in English.

What's so special about Copenhagen?

The University of Copenhagen has four campuses spread across Copenhagen: Frederiksberg to the East (which houses the Science faculty), North Campus (mainly Science & Health Sciences), City Campus (the central campus, consisting of Social Science and some from Science, Health, and Medical Science, as well as the university administration), and South Campus (Faculty of Law, Theology, and Humanities). While each campus is located in a different region of the city, they fall within a relatively short circumference and are easily accessible by bike or public transit. 

The city of Copenhagen is the Danish capital and the largest in the country, and offers a huge variety of local scenes to fit every interest; as described by Lonely Planet, it's "the coolest kid on the Nordic block"! It's also one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the world, and all of the more newly renovated university facilities offer gender-neutral bathrooms. 

What resources are available for new students?

The university has a Mentor Programme. Incoming students must contact them to be assigned a local mentor.

Each faculty also arranges its own orientation session for incoming international students.

The local chapter of the Erasmus Student Network, ESN Copenhagen, organizes a wide variety of events and unique travel opportunities for international students.

The university also has a range of student clubs, which are open to everyone and can be a great way to mingle with Danish students. 

What supports and accessibility resources are available?

The University of Copenhagen provides comprehensive support for students with disabilities, including support to find appropriate housing if necessary.

For information on accessibility and support services at campuses across Europe, please check out Inclusive Mobility. For city-specific services and places in Europe, the Jaccede interactive platform (website and/or smartphone app - both Android and iOS) also provides a searchable user-built database to identify important accessibility information of public places and locations.