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The University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University are two of Denmark’s top universities. The two institutions may have plenty in common: excellent academic and employer reputations, a strong international outlook and both based in vibrant Danish cities; but they also have several key differences.
To help you decide, we have compared one against the other for overall university ranking, subject strengths, location and more.
So, which one will you choose?
QS World University Rankings
Overall, both universities perform well in the QS World University Rankings. The differences between the two universities are marginal, so it’s important to decide which factors are important to you when applying.
The University of Copenhagen performs well for academic reputation, while graduates from both universities are highly sought after by employers as shown by their strong employer reputation.
Aarhus University scores highly for citations per faculty - an indicator that aims to reflect the influence attained by research produced at each institution.
When it comes to international diversity, both universities earn high scores.
See the below table to see how the universities compare for each subject.
University of Copenhagen
Aarhus University
Accounting and Finance
--
201-250
Agriculture and Forestry
16
43
Anatomy and Physiology
12
101-170
Anthropology
=36
35
Archaeology
=41
19
Architecture and Built Environment
151-200
151-200
Art and Design
--
101-150
Art History
--
--
Arts and Humanities
74
=94
Biological Sciences
29
=126
Business and Management Studies
--
151-200
Chemistry
85
=162
Classics and Ancient History
51-150
51-150
Communication and Media Studies
=50
51-100
Computer Science and Information Systems
104
=119
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
--
--
Dentistry
=46
51-120
Development Studies
51-100
--
Earth and Marine Sciences
51-100
101-150
Economics and Econometrics
=91
=149
Education and Training
101-150
101-150
Engineering - Chemical
--
151-200
Engineering - Civil and Structural
--
201-275
Engineering - Electrical and Electronic
--
201-250
Engineering - Mechanical
--
301-350
Engineering - Mineral and Mining
--
--
Engineering - Petroleum
21
--
Engineering and Technology
=250
=239
English Language and Literature
72
101-150
Environmental Sciences
=72
104
Geography
=29
101-150
Geology
51-100
101-150
Geophysics
51-100
101-150
History
51-100
101-150
Hospitality and Leisure Management
--
--
Law and Legal Studies
=92
301-350
Library and Information Management
--
51-100
Life Sciences and Medicine
30
=107
Linguistics
101-150
201-250
Marketing
--
--
Materials Sciences
201-250
201-250
Mathematics
=147
201-250
Medicine
52
=138
Modern Languages
101-150
101-150
Music
--
--
Natural Sciences
=77
181
Nursing
--
51-100
Performing Arts
--
--
Pharmacy and Pharmacology
27
251-300
Philosophy
30
51-100
Physics and Astronomy
=97
201-250
Politics
58
=46
Psychology
101-150
=80
Social Policy and Administration
--
42
Social Sciences and Management
=123
=156
Sociology
46
101-150
Sports-Related Subjects
17
--
Statistics and Operational Research
51-100
101-150
Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies
51-100
51-100
Veterinary Science
=23
51-100
Location
Copenhagen is Denmark’s capital city and most populous city of Denmark, located on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. The city is home to the Royal Danish Opera House and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, plus plenty of new galleries and modern architecture. The city is easy to get around, with the public transport infrastructure of Copenhagen renowned for its efficiency and reliability.
Aarhus is Denmark’s second-largest city and is located on the East coast of the Jutland Peninsula. Aarhus is home to a variety of galleries, exhibitions and art museums, including the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, which lets you view the city from a rainbow panoramic skywalk. Getting around Aarhus is easy, with the city’s extensive network of buses and trams, as well as Denmark’s first light rail, Letbanen.
Financial support
Although education is free for Danish students, as well as those from the EU, EEA and Switzerland, Denmark has a generous funding program for overseas students.
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education is the main provider of grants in Denmark and students can decide how they use these grants, and how often they receive the grant money throughout the year.
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen offers several tuition waivers and grants through the Danish Government Scholarship Program to graduate students from outside the EU. It isn’t necessary to apply for these scholarships as the university will contact those nominated through email and they can either accept or reject the scholarship.
University of Copenhagen undergraduate and postgraduate students can also apply for the William D. Ford loan program, which consists of several different types of loan, including: subsidised loans, for undergraduate students and based on financial need; unsubsidised loans, for postgraduates and not based on financial need; and PLUS loans, unsubsidised loans for graduate students to pay for education expenses.
The university also offers a range of country-specific scholarships and loans which you can find out about here.
Aarhus University
Aarhus University offers scholarship programmes for fee-paying graduate students (i.e. non-EU students) These are funded by the Danish state and apply to four different subject areas: arts, business and social sciences, science and technology, and health. These scholarships generally include a full tuition waiver and a monthly scholarship for a maximum of 23 months.
Aarhus University is also approved for the William D. Ford loan program, which offers financial support to American students - you can learn more here.
Foreign students enrolled in Danish degree programs at Aarhus University are not eligible for domestic financial support. Exceptions are made on the basis of specific conditions, for refugees and other foreign students, provided that they have been living and working in Denmark long enough.
The university also offers a range of country-specific scholarships and loan programs for Russia, Canada, the US and Mexico.
As Content Editor for TopUniversities.com and TopMBA.com, Chloe creates and publishes a wide range of articles for universities and business schools across the world. Chloe has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Reading and grew up in Leicestershire, UK.
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University of Copenhagen or Aarhus University?
Chloe Lane
Updated Apr 16, 2025Save
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Table of contents
Table of contents
The University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University are two of Denmark’s top universities. The two institutions may have plenty in common: excellent academic and employer reputations, a strong international outlook and both based in vibrant Danish cities; but they also have several key differences.
To help you decide, we have compared one against the other for overall university ranking, subject strengths, location and more.
So, which one will you choose?
QS World University Rankings
Overall, both universities perform well in the QS World University Rankings. The differences between the two universities are marginal, so it’s important to decide which factors are important to you when applying.
The University of Copenhagen performs well for academic reputation, while graduates from both universities are highly sought after by employers as shown by their strong employer reputation.
Aarhus University scores highly for citations per faculty - an indicator that aims to reflect the influence attained by research produced at each institution.
When it comes to international diversity, both universities earn high scores.
QS World University Rank
QS World University Rank
QS World University Rank
QS World University Rank
QS World University Rank
Subject strengths
The QS World University Rankings by Subject shows us how the two universities compare for different subjects.
See the below table to see how the universities compare for each subject.
Location
Copenhagen is Denmark’s capital city and most populous city of Denmark, located on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. The city is home to the Royal Danish Opera House and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, plus plenty of new galleries and modern architecture. The city is easy to get around, with the public transport infrastructure of Copenhagen renowned for its efficiency and reliability.
Aarhus is Denmark’s second-largest city and is located on the East coast of the Jutland Peninsula. Aarhus is home to a variety of galleries, exhibitions and art museums, including the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, which lets you view the city from a rainbow panoramic skywalk. Getting around Aarhus is easy, with the city’s extensive network of buses and trams, as well as Denmark’s first light rail, Letbanen.
Financial support
Although education is free for Danish students, as well as those from the EU, EEA and Switzerland, Denmark has a generous funding program for overseas students.
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education is the main provider of grants in Denmark and students can decide how they use these grants, and how often they receive the grant money throughout the year.
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen offers several tuition waivers and grants through the Danish Government Scholarship Program to graduate students from outside the EU. It isn’t necessary to apply for these scholarships as the university will contact those nominated through email and they can either accept or reject the scholarship.
University of Copenhagen undergraduate and postgraduate students can also apply for the William D. Ford loan program, which consists of several different types of loan, including: subsidised loans, for undergraduate students and based on financial need; unsubsidised loans, for postgraduates and not based on financial need; and PLUS loans, unsubsidised loans for graduate students to pay for education expenses.
Find out more about these loans and scholarships on the University of Copenhagen’s website.
The university also offers a range of country-specific scholarships and loans which you can find out about here.
Aarhus University
Aarhus University offers scholarship programmes for fee-paying graduate students (i.e. non-EU students) These are funded by the Danish state and apply to four different subject areas: arts, business and social sciences, science and technology, and health. These scholarships generally include a full tuition waiver and a monthly scholarship for a maximum of 23 months.
Aarhus University is also approved for the William D. Ford loan program, which offers financial support to American students - you can learn more here.
Foreign students enrolled in Danish degree programs at Aarhus University are not eligible for domestic financial support. Exceptions are made on the basis of specific conditions, for refugees and other foreign students, provided that they have been living and working in Denmark long enough.
The university also offers a range of country-specific scholarships and loan programs for Russia, Canada, the US and Mexico.
You can find out more about the scholarships offered by the university here.
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As Content Editor for TopUniversities.com and TopMBA.com, Chloe creates and publishes a wide range of articles for universities and business schools across the world. Chloe has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Reading and grew up in Leicestershire, UK.
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