10 statistics about students in Copenhagen and Denmark

Students at the University of Copenhagen are 21.5 years old on average

… or somewhere around there. The median age for new students in Denmark in 2021 is 21.5. However, if they are a mathematician or a theologian, they may have a few grey hairs. One fifth of all new Danish students in mathematics are over 30, and the same applies to one third of new theology students. P.S.: Of all students, it is the theologians that rank their study environment the best. Amen!

Students in Denmark (almost) don’t care what their salary is

Do you want to be rich, or do you want to save the world? Maybe both? Students in Denmark certainly don’t follow the money when they choose their programme of study. 54 per cent choose their study programmes because they want to make a difference to other people, while only 31 per cent make their choice based on the prospect of a hot salary when they have finished their studies. There is still hope for humanity.

Students in Denmark drink — a lot

Young people in Denmark are European champions in terms of drinking. You don’t need to be at uni in Denmark for too long before you are offered a bottle of beer. If you are student in Denmark, it’s not entirely irrelevant whether you indulge, or not. The 20 percent who do not drink alcohol during the start of the semester face a greater risk of not being integrated into the social community. On the other extreme, those who drink seriously — and too much — have a higher chance of getting friends. But they also more often end up forgetting how to study and dropping out.

Students at the University of Copenhagen are mostly women

Six out of ten new students at the University of Copenhagen this year are women, and the rest are men. It is 2021, but gender ratios are still skewed on some study programmes. Men are few and far between at the Department of Animal Science, where only one man has been admitted this year (hey dude, hope you are reading this!). As for women, they are fewest on the Machine Learning and Data Science programme, where only 15 per cent are in possession of two xx chromosomes.

Students in Denmark use their student grants to pay rent

It is expensive living in Copenhagen. And even though a generous wallop of Danish SU grant will tick into their accounts every month, for most of them it is not enough to live off. It costs an average of DKK 5,100 a month to rent a room for a student in Copenhagen. Ouch!

If you need a one-room apartment, you will have to dish out DKK 7,900. Ouch, ouch!

Students at the University of Copenhagen get 9.8 for their master’s on the 12-grade scale (and stress out about it)

Students in Denmark will probably end up with a master’s thesis grade close to 10. They can be satisfied with that! The average is 9.8 across the university. This might help alleviate some of their physical stress symptoms — something that 69 per cent of all students in Denmark experience before important assignments. Many students really have the willies before an exam, so if you are one of them, give yourself and each other more hugs during exam periods!

Students at the University of Copenhagen study 36 hours a week

Danish politicians want ‘student life’ to correspond to ‘full-time job life’ in terms of weekly hours spent. Students are almost there at the University of Copenhagen. They spend an average of 36 hours a week teaching, reading texts, writing assignments or doing other study relevant activities. And a lot of this takes — and took — place at home (even prior to the pandemic). The average student only spends 22 hours a week on campus – and this includes all the time spent at Friday bars.

Students in Denmark follow in their parents’ footsteps

If students at Danish universities ever spent their teenage years in youthful rebellion, they certainly don’t do it now. One quarter of all students chooses exactly the same study programme as their parents. Most of them study the same as their mother. What mom does is always right.

Students at the University of Copenhagen get delayed

Danish politicians have done a lot in recent years to try and squeeze students through university in the prescribed time. And if you are at Danish university it makes sense for you to postpone a subject or semester because there are other cool things to do. But the students don’t need to worry: Many of them need a little extra time. Only three-and-a-half out of ten students at the University of Copenhagen complete their bachelors degrees on time, and only four out of ten University of Copenhagen students get through the master’s degree programme in the prescribed time.

The motivated students in Denmark want it the most (surprise!)

If you are a student in Denmark and have applied to university via the quota 2 system, a system that uses an individual assessment of qualifications and a motivated letter of application, you are more enthusiastic about your degree programme. 83 per cent who enter a programme via quota 2 are motivated. This only applies to 75 per cent for the standard Danish admissions system quota 1, where you just tick off the boxes. Maybe not too surprising if you think about it. More students in Denmark who have been admitted via quota 2 also stay put at their uni right to the end of their degree programme.

Sources: Danish Ministry of Science and Education, EVA, University of Copenhagen, Statistics Denmark