Aarhus University

Student life

CAMPUS LIFE

The main campus at Aarhus University is located in the centre of Aarhus. Though students will be enrolled at a particular department, they will also feel that they are part of the university as a whole. The campus provides a unique and dynamic study environment which influences both the academic and social environments. Students from different departments meet in the Friday bars, at Studenterhus Aarhus, at concerts in the University Park and around the rest of the city.

STUDY AND TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

Active participation in class

Most courses use a combination of large lectures and smaller classroom-based seminars. In the seminars, you are expected to participate, for instance by asking questions, taking part in discussions or giving presentations. Critical thinking and freedom of speech are important at Aarhus University, and it is okay not to share all of your lecturer’s opinions.

Study methods at AU and in Denmark

While course work activities count as part of the final examination grade for most courses, there are rarely visible checkups (e.g. roll calls) on your presence in class. This leaves you with a high degree of freedom to be matched by your own responsibility and self-discipline. Please also note that in some courses class attendance is actually a pre-requisite for participating in the exam. Danish higher education is characterised by an analytical approach. Students are thus not only expected to accumulate and reproduce knowledge but also to compare, analyse and evaluate on an individual basis.

Most courses are followed by both Danish and international students. We hope that the classroom environment will pave the way for social interaction between international and Danish students.

Classroom Culture

As an international student or researcher, you may be surprised by the study culture at Aarhus University. The study culture Denmark is informal, and the hierarchy between lecturers and students is flat and not very strict.

Rather than Ms., Mrs., Mr., Dr. or Professor, most lecturers will ask you to call them by their first name, and students and lecturers are typically on first name terms. Professors and other staff members often chat informally with the students and socialise with them during breaks.

LIVING IN AARHUS - DENMARK'S #1 STUDENT CITY

The university’s main campus is located in Aarhus. From here, beach, harbour, and forest are all within a fifteen-minute bike ride.

With a Top 100 university right in the heart of town, Aarhus is swarming with students. The city is full of opportunities aimed at young people. Concerts, museums, nightlife and shopping (as well as the dorms) are all within walking distance.

Down on the harbour, Aarhus boasts the largest public library in Scandinavia, Dokk1 – a cultural centre offering a modern, functional and visually stunning experience.

Aarhus is known as Denmark’s culinary capital and has four Michelin-starred restaurants. There are dining opportunities everywhere and for every budget – from cosy cafés in the Latin Quarter to the modern restaurants in the central shopping area.

Welcome to Denmark’s number one student city!

On our website, you can find student profiles that will give you an authentic taste of student life at Aarhus University – told by our current students to you and other prospective students.
Learn about how they chose their degree programme and how they experienced the leap from upper secondary school to university, get good advice about living well on a tight budget, and catch a glimpse of their everyday life at Aarhus University.

See more here: https://international.au.dk/education/meetau/meetstudents/