Top Student Cities in Denmark 2019

Famous for its Viking history, stunning architecture and of course, Danish pastries, Denmark is a great place to study abroad.

The country has an abundance of interesting cities, all of which are steeped in history and culture. Within these cities are some of the world’s top universities, featured in the QS World University Rankings 2021.

Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, can be found in this year’s QS Best Student Cities ranking, where it ranks 46^th in the world. Outside of the capital, there are numerous exciting cities for students, including, Aalborg, Aarhus and Odense.

Read on to learn more about student life in these incredible Danish cities.

Aalborg

Aalborg is Denmark’s fourth largest city, with stunning architecture located on the waterfront. The city is now a buzzing hub for culture, knowledge and research – great for students studying at the academically renowned Aalborg University, which ranks joint 305^th worldwide in this year’s world university rankings.

The city has a range of theatres and performance venues, as well as museums such as Aalborg Historical Museum and Aalborg Museum of Modern Art. Aalborg also holds the Aalborg Carnival in May, which attracts more than 100,000 people annually. Aalborg’s nightlife is buzzing, and students can enjoy one of the city’s many clubs or grab a drink at one of the bars.

Aarhus

Home to Aarhus University, which places 147^th in the world rankings this year, Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark and is located on the east coast of the Jutland peninsula.

Aarhus has loads of parks and green spaces for students to enjoy. These include the Central Botanical Gardens, which hold a number of events throughout the year; the Den Gamle By open-air museum, depicting an old Danish town from around 1927; the Memorial Park, offering a panoramic view across the Bay of Aarhus; and Marienlyst Park, which holds the title of the largest park in Aarhus.

The city is a hub for foodies, offering traditional Danish food, new Nordic cuisine as well as Mediterranean and Asian food. Aarhus serves as Denmark’s principal port, making it a great place to find fresh seafood. You can also travel to Denmark’s capital in about three hours by car, or by bus, boat or air.

Copenhagen

Founded in 1167, Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and is one of Europe’s oldest cities. It’s located in the East of Denmark, on the coastal islands of Amager and Zealand.  A former Viking fishing village, the city now houses the top university in Denmark, the University of Copenhagen, which takes joint 76th position in this year’s world university rankings. The Technical University of Denmark is also located on the suburbs of Copenhagen, in the province of Lyngby.

Students won’t have to look hard for things to do in Denmark’s largest city, with the Rosenburg castle and the incredible King’s Garden, the Tivoli Gardens amusement park and the Langelinie pier, where you can see the famous Little Mermaid statue. On top of all of this, students can enjoy the many restaurants, cafes, bars and nightclubs that Copenhagen has to offer.

Odense

Odense is a city of just under 200,000 people and was formerly one of Denmark’s industrial centers. Today, it is still the commercial hub of Funen (one of Denmark’s islands) and has a notable shopping district. University of Southern Denmark first welcomed students to their main campus in Odense in 1966 and has since expanded to more than 27,000 students across their five campuses.

The city was the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, author of hundreds of globally beloved fairy tales. There are a great number of museums, sculptures and attractions in Odense dedicated to his works. Alongside these, Odense offers plenty of museums, art galleries and even a zoo, to keep students entertained between lectures. 

Odense is the up and coming location of choice for many large industries, particularly robotics, making it a good choice for students looking to benefit from its excellent employment prospects.