University of Copenhagen (UCPH)

The University of Copenhagen (UCPH) was founded in 1479 and has a student population of around 39,000, making it the largest and oldest institution of research and education in Denmark. After a merger in 2007 with the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University and the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the University became one of the largest Centres for Health and Life Science in Northern Europe.

Academic Highlights

UCPH has six faculties - Health and Medical Sciences, Humanities, Law, Science, Social Sciences and Theology. It is considered among the best universities in Europe and ranks very highly in the world ranking system.

Location

UCPH is located in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, and is located across four campus areas. It encompasses approximately 100 different institutes, departments, laboratories and centres, as well as museums and Botanical Gardens.

Did you know?

The University of Copenhagen has produced eight Nobel Prize winners.

Handbook/Catalogue

Online Course Catalogue

Note that units taught in English are not announced in the course catalogue until two to three months prior to the start of semester. You may have to refer to the previous year’s available units to predict what would be on offer during your semester abroad and check them again two to three months before your semester starts.

UCPH allow students to take fewer or more ECTS based on their needs, but students must keep within the ECTS limits described below.

The lower limits are as follows:

Students who do NOT participate in the pre-semester Danish language course:

22.5 ECTS per semester is the absolute minimum you can take to be considered a full-time student. If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen this is also of importance for your residence permit, as you cannot be granted a residence permit for studies in Denmark unless you are a full-time student.

Students who DO participate in the pre-semester Danish language course:

22.5 ECTS per semester is the absolute minimum you can take to be considered a full-time student. If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen this is also of importance for your residence permit, as you cannot be granted a residence permit for studies in Denmark unless you are a full-time student.

Academic Restrictions

Please ensure you read through the academic restrictions regarding the areas of study that are NOT available to exchange students. These restrictions have been updated recently, and any new changes will be published on UCPH's Course requirements and restrictions webpage.

Take note that many units—particularly units offered by the Faculty of Science, and by the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences—have a quotas for the number of students that can be allowed in each class. If you wish to study science, biomedicine or medicine units at UCPH, you need to ensure that you have lots of back up units in case your approved units become unavailable.

You may not find out your timetable until very close to the start of your exchange semester, at which time it would be too late to be redirected to another university should all of your units become unavailable.

Full-time Credit Load Equivalents

ECTS - European Credit Transfer System

*If your study load cannot exactly equate to 22.5 ECTS, then you will need to complete a study load as close to 22.5 ECTS without going under in order to receive 18 Monash credit points.

Academic Calendar

University of Copenhagen Autumn Semester (Monash Semester 2): early September to late January
University of Copenhagen Spring Semester (Monash Semester 1): early February to late June

See UCPH's Academic Calendar here.

Note

• The listed disciplines are not necessarily exhaustive and other fields of study might also be available at the institution.
• Approval to study particular subjects at any institution is always at the discretion of the departmental/discipline and faculty advisers in your managing faculty(ies) and subject to available places at the host.

Accommodation

UCPH offers information on Finding Housing including links to halls of residence with which the University works.

Visas

If you’re planning to stay in Denmark for more than 90 days you’ll usually need a student visa (ST1 Residence and Work Permit for Tertiary Students) from the Danish Consulate General in your home country; in Australia it is the Royal Danish Consulate General, Sydney. Once you’re accepted by the University, you’ll receive an endorsed form that you can use to apply for your visa.

For more information on visas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark has a Denmark in Australia with helpful information. UCPH also provides advice on CPR registration and obtaining a residence permit.

Health and insurance

After receiving your visa you must apply for a Danish Personal Registration Number (CPR number) to receive health benefits and be covered by the Danish health insurance system. UCPH provides some information on health insurance.

When travelling on a Monash Abroad approved program, you are automatically covered under the Monash University Student Travel Insurance policy.  This will provide cover to and from your exchange.

Orientation and extra-curricular 

The mandatory orientation program is organised at a faculty level, so you’ll need to attend the program hosted by the faculty to which you have been admitted.

The University of Copenhagen offers a pre-semester Danish language course to all non-Scandinavian students and a mentor program organised by different faculties/departments.

You might find the Study in Denmark website interesting.

Cost of living

Living in Denmark can be expensive. Consider budgeting for at least approximately A$1,200 (c. DKK 6,090) per month of your stay, but these costs can vary. You can read more about the cost of living on the Study in Denmark website.

Funding

For information about funding available to support study on exchange overseas, see the Financial Information page on the Monash Abroad website.

Important notes

Students must have completed at least 72 credit points in Law in order to be eligible to study Law at Copenhagen.

Due to the popularity of this partner institution, for semester 1, 2026 onwards Monash students can only apply to study here on exchange for one semester.

To begin your application and study plan, click the button below.

Apply here

Have you been to the University of Copenhagen and want to share your experience? 
Let us know about your exchange via this survey form and your testimonial could be shown here!

Cassandra Tremblay
Bachelor of Arts/Commerce
Semester 1, 2017

Study Experience

The University of Copenhagen offered a lot of courses about Danish culture and society which I was really interested in taking advantage of, since it can help you to understand the way that the locals you meet think and interact with each other and with incoming exchange students.

Culture

A rather obvious difference between living in Copenhagen and Melbourne is, of course, the preferred mode of transport: biking is a central part of Danish culture and makes you feel like somewhat of a local pretty quickly. This can help as the Danes are pretty reserved when you first meet them and they form a really close-knit community built on a lot of trust, so it might be hard to connect with individuals initially. Another clear difference is the weather; however, the colder climate in Denmark made sunnier days all the more appreciated - on these days, it felt like the population literally doubled with the amount of people that come outside to spend time in parks, on terraces, etc.

Benefits of going on exchange

Going to a different university, let alone one in an entirely different country and education system, meant that I had to adapt to different expectations and methods of teaching. So not only did I learn more about Danish society just by studying there, but I also broadened my skill set regarding ways of learning.

Career Benefits

Leaving your network of friends and family to enter an environment where you know no-one forces you to learn to interact with people that you don't know too well and to solve problems more independently.

Money and Budgeting

First, take advantage of any financial aid that you can and gather more money than you think you'll need. In Copenhagen, specifically, things can be pretty expensive, but you can save by doing as the locals do; many of them buy food/drinks at supermarkets and share with a group of friends in a park or at someone's place. There are also a number of community-style dinners where you can volunteer or pay a reasonable amount for a sizeable meal - my favourite is Kafa X every Tuesday, but there is also the Bolsjefabrikken cultural centre.

Top tips

• Forget everything that you think exchange is going to be like.
• Talk to everyone and anyone
• It might be harder, but make the effort to get to know some locals as well.