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In some of the larger cities, finding student housing can be a challenge—so start your search as soon as you know where you’ll be studying. Try to keep an open mind and explore areas you might not have considered at first.

Read our top tips for finding the right student housing here: Find the right student accomodation
Learn more about rent limits, subletting, and other important rules in our FAQ: The Danish Rent Act FAQ

Have You Moved Because of Your Studies? Don’t Forget to Change Your Address on Borger.dk
If you’ve moved in connection with starting your studies, remember to update your address at Borger.dk.

Moving within Denmark

If you’ve just moved away from home, you’ll need to take out your own insurance policies. The most important ones are home contents insurance and personal accident insurance.

Home contents insurance covers things like spilling coffee on your laptop or having your bike stolen. A big advantage of this insurance is that it also covers up to three roommates—perfect if you’re living in a shared apartment!

Personal accident insurance covers you in case of an accident, and it even applies while working in the lab at your university.

IDA Insurance offers some of the most attractive student insurance plans.
Read more here: Student Insurance

Your union supports you throughout your studies and gives you access to exclusive benefits. You can also get professional advice and guidance to help you land a job quickly after graduation.

Become a student member of IDA, Denmark’s largest union for engineering, IT, and natural sciences: Join as a student member and get 12 months for free.

The unemployment insurance fund (A-kasse) pays out benefits if you become unemployed after finishing your studies. You’re eligible to receive benefits from your first day of unemployment—as long as you’ve been a member for at least one year beforehand.

When you sign up as a student member of IDA, you get free access to Akademikernes A-kasse as long as you’re under 30: Join Akademikernes A-kasse through IDA

With a solid budget, you’ll have a clear overview of your finances—so you won’t end up living off pasta without ketchup at the end of the month. Don’t forget to set aside money for new textbooks at the start of each semester.

Want tips on how to make a budget? Check out our guide: Living on SU: How to Master Budgeting as a Student

You’ll need to plan your time as a student.
There might be studies, friends, family, and possibly a student job that all take up space in your daily life. Find the type of planning and technique that works best for you.
If you want to read more about study techniques, you can find information and tips in our Student life section: Student life

There’s probably more reading in your study program than you expected, so it’s a good idea to make a solid plan to help you get through as much as possible. Remember to also schedule time for breaks, relaxation, fun, sleep, and proper meals.

You might find inspiration in our weekly planner, which makes it easier to keep track of your weekly activities. The goal is to help your student life run smoothly—both academically and socially: Download Weekly Planner

If your computer is working well, make sure all systems and programs are up to date and include everything you’ll need for your studies. If your old computer is starting to give up, it might be time to consider getting a new one—so you won’t have to worry about technical issues during your studies.

Ask your tutors for advice—they know which programs you’ll need and what your computer should be able to handle. That way, you won’t risk spending too much money based on advice from a tech store.

Your student card is your ID and key to campus—it gives you access to buildings, facilities, and many practical services. You’ll also need it to get student discounts in lots of places.

You’ll be commuting to and from campus a lot, so make sure you have a reliable bag to carry your things. It should be comfortable, durable, and spacious enough for your laptop, books, and daily essentials.

What do you need for your studies? Make sure you’ve got the basics covered—like notebooks, highlighters, a calculator, pens, and other essentials for lectures and assignments.

Make sure you have a place where you can sit comfortably and concentrate when studying. At most study programs, the majority of the work happens outside of class time, so it’s important to create a good environment for learning.

Explore your campus libraries and reading rooms to find a spot that suits your personal study style. Studying outside your home from time to time can help you stay focused—so you don’t end up postponing assignments in favor of doing the dishes, shopping, or other distractions.

Without food and drink, no student can thrive. Make sure your fridge is well-stocked for the start of the semester, so your base is covered.

Make everyday life easier and more manageable with meal kits! As a member, you get a discount on 26 different meal kits from HelloFresh:

Claim your HelloFresh discount

If you live within biking distance of your new studies, a reliable bike is a must! You’ll get fresh air, daily exercise – and often get around faster in big cities. Always remember your helmet before heading out.

Check if you have home contents insurance – it’s what covers you if your bike gets stolen or damaged. As an IDA member, you get free home contents insurance throughout your studies and for one year after graduation.

Read more and order here: Free home contents insurance for students

Your study programme contains all the essential information about the courses you’ll take during your education. Here, you can read about what you’ll learn, how the teaching is structured, what type of exams you’ll face, how to pass – and much more.

It’s also where you’ll find out if there are any software tools you should be familiar with, or courses you need to complete before the semester begins.

You can find your study programme on your university’s website.

Many study programmes expect you to have certain skills before you begin. In other cases, it’s simply a big advantage that makes it easier to keep up. Check your study programme for each course to see if there are any preparatory courses you should take before the semester starts.

As an IDA member, you get free access to online study courses on IDA Campus.

Read more and get access here: IDA Campus

Once you have an overview of your courses, make sure to buy the required reading materials so you can keep up with your studies.

Hot tip: You don’t always need the newest edition – check whether the exact version listed by your lecturer is necessary. Often, the changes are minor.

Look for affordable textbooks on platforms like Facebook and others, so you don’t spend too much on expensive books. Usage varies from course to course, but having the books is always helpful.

As an IDA member, you also get great discounts on textbooks at FACTUM Books – save up to 20%!

A good study group can make student life much easier, as you’ll always have someone to share ideas with.

Knowing that others rely on your input can also help you stay committed during your studies – especially when motivation drops and you feel like postponing tasks and projects. It happens to everyone, and that’s when it’s great to have someone holding you accountable for your role in the group.

Get useful tips on how to build a well-functioning study group: How to succeed at goup work

The social side of student life is what truly makes it fun. Your new study programme almost certainly has a Facebook group run by your future tutors – so don’t wait, join now!

That way, you won’t miss out on any social events, and you’ll get the chance to find out who your new classmates are before the semester begins.

You can also follow IDA Students, where we share updates about campus visits, events you can bring your study group to, or just join if you want to meet new people.

Read more about IDA Students events here: Events