About
The University of Copenhagen (UCPH) is a public research university based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479 by King Christian I, UCPH has ranked consistently as the best university in Denmark and in the top 100 globally. With nearly 40,000 students, 5,000 researchers and 10 Nobel laureates, UCPH boasts an ambitious interdisciplinary approach that places research at the heart of teaching. They believe that by involving students in research they will be better equipped to address society’s challenges and needs. They are also a founding member of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), a strategic cooperation of universities that share a similar vision and commitment to educating future leaders.
UCPH is working towards becoming one of the world’s greenest campuses, leaving as little of a climate footprint as possible. UCPH also facilitates cross-organisation collaboration, liaises with the business community and helps students find relevant programmes and projects in the field of sustainability.
Consult UCPH on QS World Rankings to learn more about their current world ranking and academic reputation in different subject areas.
Location
UCPH has four main campuses – City campus, Frederiksberg campus, North campus and South campus, all located within the city of Copenhagen. A university map of UCPH’s campuses and main buildings is available here. Campuses are well within cycling distance of each other or can be reached on the extensive public transport network. This includes the Metroselskabet metro system, public bus routes and the S-tog train network. Public transport is reliable and in many cases 24-hour, but you may find you don’t need to use it. Copenhagen is a very walkable city, especially downtown.
Each campus usually holds one or two faculties. The Faculty of Social Sciences is based on City campus, while the Faculty of Law is on South campus. General facilities, such as study spaces and venues, are spread evenly between the four campuses.
Copenhagen is an exciting city with a high standard of living. You can walk through a medieval town centre and come out the other side in a contemporary courtyard. There are a great number of green spaces and gardens, from the popular Fælledparken to the tranquil Royal Library Gardens. The arts scene and nightlife are fantastic, and there are plenty of places to meet new people, in and outside the university. There is something for everyone in Copenhagen.
Level of competitiveness
This destination is open to students in the School of Law, the School of Politics and International Relations, and the School of Economics and Finance.
Exchanges from the Department of Law will be within UCPH’s Faculty of Law. SPIR and SEF will both be hosted within UCPH’s Faculty of Social Sciences. SPIR and SEF exchanges will also be able to study 25-50% of their modules outside of the host department – subject to course capacity, availability and pre-requisite requirements. However, the modules must all be within the Faculty of Social Sciences.
- School of Law agreement: Competitive **
- School of Politics and International Relations agreement: Very competitive ***
- School of Economics and Finance agreement: Very competitive ***
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Language of Instruction
The language of instruction for all agreements is English. 86% of Danish people speak English, and Copenhagen in particular is an international city. However, students may feel more comfortable learning some basic Danish. International exchange students at UCPH are eligible to follow free language courses under the Official Danish Language Education program as new residents in Denmark, who meet the following requirements:
- You have not been enrolled in other language schools before.
- You are eligible for free Danish courses for up to 3½ years within a 5-year period.
- You have a residence permit, be 18 years old, and hold a CPR number (Danish personal identification number). Upon arrival in Denmark, all non-EU students staying for more than 3 months must register for a CPR number.
- You can pay a deposit of DKK 2,000. The deposit may be reimbursed to you, if you complete the course within the timeframe.
Read more about UCPH language courses here. Any questions should be addressed directly to UCPH.
Academic Calendar
The academic year is divided into two semesters.
- Autumn semester: early September – late January
- Spring semester: early February – late June
Orientation: Students must attend the orientation programme, essential for UCPH to welcome new arrivals into life as a UCPH student. Orientation events are organised by the hosting faculty, so nominated students should expect and look out for communications from their host faculty relating to orientation.
Courses
The University of Copenhagen offers a wide range of individual courses taught in English at either bachelor's (BA) or master's (MA/MSc) level each semester. Please consult CUPH’s course catalogue here. Not all courses are available to international/exchange students so please make sure to filter for this when using the search function.
In the context of Queen Mary’s three bilateral agreements with UCPH, Queen Mary students should be sure to consult the available courses of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Social Sciences only, according to the respective host faculty.
Important to note: Students nominated from Queen Mary's School of Law follow all Master's level modules at Copenhagen, as the partner does not offer UG modules in Law taught in English. This is a unique exception among our exchange partners (nearly all students completing exchanges abroad at our partners only complete UG level modules). Law students will find that there are many Master's level modules available within Copenhagen's Faculty of Law that are of a feasible academic rigour, taught in English and open to exchange students.
Note: Queen Mary students on exchange with UCPH are classified as “Overseas exchange students” according to the partner’s terminology on their website (not “Erasmus students”).
Restrictions to note:
- Faculty of Law: To take a full course load at the Faculty of Law, students must have completed at least 3 semesters of study in Law at their home university. Students with less than 3 semesters of Law may be able to take individual courses depending on their academic background.
- Faculty of Social Sciences: Students nominated on an agreement established by one of the departments at the Faculty of Social Sciences (Economics, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology or Political Sciences) must take at least 22.5 ECTS per semester within the Faculty of Social Sciences.
- Economics: Requires an academic background corresponding to at least 30 ECTS (one Queen Mary semester) within microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics at introductory and intermediate levels.
- Political Science: Requires an academic background in all Political Science subfields (political theory, international relations, comparative politics, public policy, and political science methodology) at introductory and intermediate level.
Credits
The University of Copenhagen uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), which defines a full study load for one year as 60 ECTS. The number of credits awarded for each course varies depending on the workload.
Students must enrol on a full courseload: 30 ECTS per semester / 60 ECTS for the full academic year (equivalent to 60 Queen Mary credits per semester / 120 Queen mary credits for the full academic year).
Grading scale
Examinations are assessed according to the Danish 7-point scale (see below) or by pass/fail. The lowest passing grade is 02.
12: For an excellent performance
10: For a very good performance
7: For a good performance
4: For a fair performance
02: For an adequate performance
00: For an inadequate performance
-3: For an unacceptable performance
Find out more about Queen Mary's credit transfer and grade conversion process.
Transcripts
- Faculty of Law: Students can order transcripts and confirmation of enrolment directly from the faculty. There are forms via which to do so here.
- Faculty of Social Sciences: When a student’s exam results have been registered by the departments at UCPH, the International Office will send 3 hard copies of the transcript directly to Queen Mary (Global Opportunities Office). It may take as much as 8 weeks from the enrolment end date before the transcript is received by Queen Mary.
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Accommodation
There are no specific allocated dorms for international students, and housing can be very competitive. The two main styles of housing are dormitories and private rentals.
UCPH recommends expanding your search to the suburban areas of Copenhagen, as these are often overlooked and are usually not more than 20 minutes commute from the city centre. This page is a good overview of the city’s suburban districts. Full accommodation guidance for students can be found here, and a summary of options for international students is available below.
Dormitories
There are about 80 dormitories in the central Copenhagen area and many more in the suburbs. Some are small, old and quite luxurious, while others are massive buildings with hundreds of rooms. These are small rooms with shared kitchens and occasionally shared bathrooms. For the majority of dormitories, you should sign up through the two largest administrators CIU and KKIK to get on various waiting lists as soon as possible. Some have up to a three-year wait, others take no more than a few months. CIU and the KKIK administer approximately 11,500 youth homes in the Copenhagen capital region. From 1st August to 1st December, new students who have more than one hour’s transport to their study programme jump to the front of the queue for student housing with a capped/limited monthly rent. The scheme is called the study-start list, and CIU and KKIK each have their own separate list.
Private Rooms
The alternative to dormitories are private rooms. These are usually a bit more expensive but may offer bigger bedrooms and a greater choice over who you are living with. Many people find private rooms through social network platforms and word-of-mouth. There are also a lot of websites facilitating communication between landlords and potential tenants. The biggest ones usually have the biggest selection. Some of them are free, but the largest usually charge a fee. There are a large number of room/flat-finding websites and Facebook groups. Some require a subscription, but some – including the Facebook groups – do not, or only require payment if you wish to contact a landlord. There is a good selection of housing websites on this page.
Important: Finding and securing private accommodation in Copenhagen during the summer months and at the start of the academic year is typically competitive and challenging, given the city’s size, popularity and student population. Queen Mary students are advised to follow the partner’s guidance as soon as possible to begin their accommodation search safely. Guidance about searching for private accommodation safely is available on the QMplus resource page, “Pre-departure” tab from early spring.
Cost of living
The University of Copenhagen provides information on the cost of living as a student here. You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Copenhagen here.
Living expenses can vary depending on individual lifestyle, especially in Copenhagen where renting private accommodation can be as (if not more) expensive than renting privately in London. Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
Important: Students considering to live and study in Copenhagen must be realistic about financial matters, this being one of the most expensive cities in the world. In the decision-making process, Queen Mary students must calculate their forecasted budget with confirmed funding to which they will have access against the rising cost of living.
Support services
Orientation is organised by faculty, and students should expect to receive information on the orientation programme during the pre-departure phase.
Support for disabled students is available via the Special Educational Support (SPS). This includes exchange students – please contact the service as soon as possible to apply for SPS. The Housing Foundation Copenhagen has a number of rooms especially suited for wheelchair access, etc. Please note: Personal aid and services specifically for disabled students require payment of fees.
Learn more from the partner about Health and Safety in Denmark. Upon arrival, all non-EU visiting students staying for more than 3 months must register for a Danish CPR number which gives access to Danish Health Care, free of charge. Once a student possesses their CPR number, they can select a GP, covered by Danish Health Insurance. For students who have well-being or psychological difficulties, the GP can refer them to a psychiatrist (no charge). Psychological therapy requires payment of fee.
As a current Queen Mary student you will be able to find a summary sheet for this partner university on our QMplus page, with an overview of the local student support services available on the following topics: specific learning differences, physical impairments, sensory impairments, long term medical conditions, autism spectrum conditions, mental health and wellbeing difficulties, special accommodation provision, non-emergency health care, emergency services, harassment and trauma and suicide prevention.
Student life
Comprehensive information on UCPH student life can be found here. Information about Campus life can be found here. UCPH’s student-led organisations are truly fantastic. The university calendar details all the upcoming events cross-campus.
- Studenterhuset is a house in central Copenhagen where students meet, plan and hold activities and events of all sorts. By attending UCPH you are automatically a member and are entitled to the food and drink discounts, room access and packed social calendar. There is something on every day from study groups to concerts, and the majority of all events are held in English.
- Studenterrådet is the student union. At the end of August they hold a ‘freshman’ event on South campus for students and tutors to meet cross-faculty. They are also involved in the running of UCPH day-to-day – a good place to get involved if you are interested in the work being university life.
- Uniavisen is the UCPH student newspaper. It is very high quality with a significant number of English articles. It has a thorough knowledge of the university and gives helpful, honest guidance on live at UCPH. Find their page for new students here.
- UCPH sports gives students the chance to get involved with over 70 sports at a range of levels. Please be aware you will need an in-browser or browser app translator to navigate the website as the majority of it is in Danish.
Faculties often have specific events and societies chosen for their relevance to the subject. For example, here are some English-speaking societies within the Faculty of Law.
