Rules for parental leave as a student

Studerende laver gruppearbejde rundt om et bord

Are you a student and about to become a parent? Get a handle on the rules for leave, benefits, and student grants.

Do you have the right to parental leave benefits?
Student grant and parental leave
Student grant and parental leave: if you have had a child before starting your studies
If you drop out of your studies
Student jobs and the right to parental leave benefits
Just graduated: your right to parental leave benefits

Do you have the right to parental leave benefits?

If you, as a student, become pregnant or adopt a child, you can take parental leave during your studies, regardless of whether you are the mother, father, or co-mother of the child. The amount of parental leave you are entitled to as a student depends on when you receive the child.

As student parents, you can receive a student grant during the parental leave. As a rule, you are not entitled to parental leave benefits, but you may be entitled to parental leave benefits under certain circumstances.

Student grant and parental leave

As a student in higher education, you can receive additional student grant months if you have a child while studying – even if you have used all your regular student grant months.

Both parents can receive up to nine months of additional student grant in connection with birth or adoption.
Each of you can transfer up to three months of the additional student grant to the other parent if both parents are eligible for the student grant.
Single parents can be awarded up to 12 months of additional student grant in connection with the birth or adoption.

Read more about the rules for student grants during parental leave

Student grant and parental leave: if you have had a child before starting your studies

If you have had a child before starting your studies, you can receive additional student grant if:

You have become a mother either through birth or adoption within 12 months before the start of your studies.
You have become a father within 6 months before the start of your studies.

If you drop out of your studies

If you stop studying because it is too difficult to be both a student and a parent, you will lose your student grant and usually also parental leave benefits.

You can receive unemployment benefits if your parental leave starts one month after your bachelor's degree and you drop your master's degree, or if you meet the employment requirement through a student job.

Considering taking a break from your studies?

Student jobs and the right to parental leave benefits during parental leave

If you have a student job, you may be entitled to parental leave benefits during your leave if:

You have a job where you have worked at least 160 hours within the last 4 full calendar months. In 3 out of the 4 months, you must have worked at least 40 hours each month.
You are eligible for unemployment benefits in an unemployment insurance fund.

If you meet these requirements, you are entitled to parental leave benefits. In that case, you should ask your employer to report your parental leave to Udbetaling Danmark.

You can receive additional student grant months while receiving parental leave benefits. Note that parental leave benefits are included in your free income allowance.

Remember that you must be a member of an unemployment insurance fund. IDA is not an unemployment insurance fund, but we cooperate with Akademikernes A-kasse.

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Just graduated: your right to parental leave benefits

If you become a parent shortly before or after you graduate, you can receive parental leave benefits during your parental leave if you are a member of an unemployment insurance fund.

You must have joined an unemployment insurance fund 1 year before you complete your education. IDA is not an unemployment insurance fund, but we cooperate with Akademikernes A-kasse.

If you join an unemployment insurance fund later, you will have a waiting period of 1 month during which you cannot receive parental leave benefits.

You can receive your parental leave benefits no earlier than one month after you have completed your education. If you are not registered with an unemployment insurance fund 1 year before you complete your studies, you will have to wait 2 months due to the waiting period before you can receive parental leave benefits.

Your education is officially completed when all study activities have ceased. If you complete your studies with a thesis, your education will be completed when you receive a preliminary approval or a grade. The same applies if you complete your education with a course or an internship.

IDA helps you focus on your maternity leave

We understand that pregnancy and maternity leave can be filled with both joy and concerns. We are here to support you every step of the way.

Our legal experts help you navigate your rights as a student and pregnant, so you can feel safe and secure.

Get legal help here