Academic matters
Academic matters for international exchange students at UCPH
Find information about academic matters and important information about studying at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH).
Getting started at UCPH
The academic year is divided into two semesters: autumn semester (September to January) and spring semester (February to June).
All faculties use the semester structure except for the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, who divide each semester into two blocks (block 1 and 2 in the autumn semester, block 3 and 4 in the spring semester).
The dates below give an overall view of the academic calendar (autumn and spring semester) at UCPH. Please contact the individual departments to confirm their specific teaching schedules.
Autumn semester: 1 September – 31 January
(classes typically end in December)
Spring semester: 1 February – 30 June
(classes typically end in May/early June)
General holidays and breaks
Denmark has a lot of holidays and special occasions. Below, you will find a list of holidays, where you might not have lectures (but check your course schedule to be sure).
Also, you might still have to prepare for the next lectures or prepare an assignment.
- Autumn break
- Christmas break
- Easter Break
- Ascension Day.
To welcome you and help you settle into life as a University of Copenhagen student, you will be invited to attend an orientation programme or session at the beginning of your stay. Attending orientation is an important step in starting university, so attendance is considered essential.
After you have been admitted, you will receive more information about how to sign up for the orientation event at your faculty.
When you are applying to UCPH, you will get a university e-mail account.
UCPH uses this e-mail address to contact you both prior to and during your stay in Copenhagen, so please make sure to check your University of Copenhagen account regularly.
As a student at UCPH, you will need a student ID card.
Use of the ID card
The card identifies you as a student at the university and you must remember to bring it when you sign up for and sit your exams. You also use the card to access your campus outside regular opening hours, get student discounts in bookshops, museums, theatres, etc., and as a library card.
KUnet is the name for UCPH's intranet.
Once you have been admitted, you will be able to log in to KUnet, which has useful links to your UCPH e-mail account (KUmail), timetable, links to course information, as well as news from your studies.
Visit KUnet (login is only possible when you have been admitted to UCPH)
Studying at UCPH
The study structure at UCPH is divided into three levels and follows a 3+2+3 structure.
This means three years of bachelor studies leading to a bachelor’s degree, two years of master studies leading to a master’s degree, and three years of PhD studies leading to a PhD degree. Only a few degrees differ from this model.
Accessibility: Assistance for physically handicapped students
If your mobility is limited by a disability and you have questions concerning the University of Copenhagen’s physical accessibility?
At UCPH, you will experience many different types of teaching during your studies. Each programme can consist of a mix of lectures and tutorials. Some include student presentations and project-based work, and many programmes also have practical assignments as well as lab- and fieldwork.
Students are assessed after taking one of the following types of examinations: written examination, oral examination, or active participation.
UCOH 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.
Learn more about the credit system
Your exam will be assessed according to the Danish 7-point scale (see below) or by pass/fail. The lowest passing grade is 02.
Pass grades cannot be changed to a numeric grade or vice versa.
Therefore, it is important that you check with your home university if you can receive credit for courses for which only “pass” will be assigned.
Grading Scale
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
Learn more about the Danish grading system
Publication of examination results
Results of ordinary examinations will be published under ‘Self Service' on KUnet.
Plagiarism and cheating
The term plagiarism refers to the unacknowledged use of someone else's ideas; in other words, you plagiarise when you present someone else's thoughts or ideas as your own or copy text that you have not written yourself. You should at all times present your own work for the exams and should give correct references for all quotations, ideas, and arguments from other sources.
Solemn declaration
When you submit a paper, you have to make a solemn declaration along with the paper. You make the solemn declaration directly in Digital Exam. With the solemn declaration, you declare that you have written your paper in accordance with the regulations concerning academic integrity established in "Disciplinary measures towards students at the University of Copenhagen" and elaborated in the "General Instructions for Examinations" written by the Department of Sociology.
Exam appeals
If you are dissatisfied with an exam result or the way an exam has been conducted, you are entitled to appeal. This appeal should be in writing (with reasons given) and sent together with the form “Examination appeal” (find the form in KUnet). These must be sent no later than two weeks after the exam result has been published to the faculty/department in charge of the course.
You can find more information on KUnet and in the Danish Ministerial Order on University Examinations and Grading (the Examination Order).
It is no longer possible to extend your stay at UCPH.