Location
  • Denmark
    • Copenhagen
Term
Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer
Subject Areas
Architecture Art History Biology Business Communications Computer Science Design Economics Education Entrepreneurship Environmental Studies European Studies Finance Gender Studies Graphic Design History Humanities Interior Design International Business International Relations Journalism Landscape Architecture Literature Marketing Media Relations Natural Sciences Philosophy Political Science Pre-Med Psychology Public Health Public Policy Public Relations Sociology Sustainable Development +25
Need-based funding, Merit-based funding
Health & Safety

Program Details

Program Type
Provider
Degree Level
Bachelors
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
English

Pricing

Starting Price
26995
Price Details
Price can vary based on your institution. DIS offers need-based and merit-based scholarships that range from $500 - $10,000 per semester. Visit DISabroad.org/scholarships for details!
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Airport Transfers Classes Some Meals Transportation Travel Insurance Visa Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare SIM cards
Sep 04, 2023
Jul 17, 2022
39 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Copenhagen is one of the most livable cities in the world, where locals enjoy a high quality of life in a vibrant capital. On your way to class, you will be surrounded by a network of walking streets, canals lined with colorful houses, public gardens with castles, and spires dotting the skyline.

At DIS, ignite your love of learning, further your academic achievements, develop intercultural understanding, and acquire life skills essential for engaged citizenship. Discover Europe and meet the unexpected.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

DIS is dedicated to ensuring that all students have a platform for discussion and dialogue regarding diversity abroad. The Diverse Identities and Students of Color Affinity Groups welcome students to gather, share stories and experiences, and contribute to a community surrounding the topic of diversity. They are facilitated by locals and have meetups throughout the semester.
Sweden and Denmark regularly top the list as the world’s most LGBTQIA+-friendly countries. At DIS, we are committed to building an open and supportive community. The LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group welcomes queer people and allies. Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join the regular meetups, which take place throughout the semester. The meetups seek to provide spaces for students to explore their identities and build community, while also gaining local insights.
DIS is committed to supporting neurodivergent students though our collaborative and iterative approach. We encourage students to reach out, as early as possible, to healthaccommodation@disabroad.org to discuss their study abroad plans, share any accommodation requests and understand more about the DIS program options.
DIS is committed to supporting students with disabilities and chronic conditions though our collaborative and iterative approach. We encourage students to reach out, as early as possible, to healthaccommodation@disabroad.org to discuss their study abroad plans, share any accommodation requests and understand more about the DIS program options.

Impact

We are part of a sector that revolves around travel and thereby generates substantial carbon emissions. This fact makes it particularly critical to be intentional about our sustainability efforts, focusing on the capabilities of DIS as a Scandinavia-based, non-profit study abroad organization, to make the most meaningful impact we can. Through our Going Greener initiatives we are working on: reducing our carbon footprint, enhancing out carbon handprint by preparing students for a carbon-constrained world, and collaborating with peers to accelerate the field's response to the climate crisis. We also offer courses focusing on climate and sustainability.

Program Highlights

  • Create your own semester: Choose a Core Course from 26 academic programs and select from over 240 upper-level elective courses. Your freedom of choice extends to your housing, where you apply for living arrangements that best fit you.
  • Engage in high-impact courses: Learn how concepts and issues are perceived, lived, and theorized in Europe, and reflect on the cultural norms and values that shape you.
  • Build your knowledge in new settings: Turn Copenhagen into your classroom on local Field Studies. Hone your skills in research or labs, studio, practicum, or workshops.
  • Explore Europe on Study Tour: Travel with your class and faculty on two course-integrated Study Tours in Europe.
  • Get to know the locals: Live in a Homestay, join a local club or organization, sign up for a Danish Language and Culture course, attend evening seminars, and more.

Program Reviews

4.57 Rating
based on 14 reviews
  • 5 rating 78.57%
  • 4 rating 14.29%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 7.14%
  • Academics 3.75
  • Support 4.35
  • Fun 4.6
  • Housing 4.35
  • Safety 4.65
Showing 1 - 8 of 14 reviews
Default avatar
michael
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

TERRIBLE do not go i messed 3 classes was dismissed!!!

TERRIBLE do not go i messed 3 classes was dismissed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

103 people found this review helpful.
Response from DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia

Hi Michael,
We regret that your summer abroad did not go as planned. All DIS students sign a code of conduct and understand that violations include sanctions up to and including dismissal. DIS, like U.S. institutions, take the code very seriously as an education tool and rarely dismiss a student from the program. Dismissal only occurs after repeated or very serious violations. More information can be found here: https://disabroad.org/summer/student-resources/student-conduct/
Best regards,

DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia

Default avatar
Eli
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great program!

I had an amazing experience studying in Copenhagen! The program is designed to facilitate interesting classroom learning and well as actual cultural engagement and exploration. I got to be friends with a bunch of young Danes through my living arrangement (kollegium) and had ample time to explore the city and Europe. I also made some great American friends during my time at DIS that I continue to be close with. Highly recommend!

What would you improve about this program?
They do a fantastic job. It's hard to think of whay specifically could be improved.
156 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Marla
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I found myself here

DIS is described by many as "the Lamborghini of study abroad" because it is pretty dang expensive. That being said, my semester in Copenhagen was worth every penny. My classes and professors challenged me intellectually but didn't weigh me down with busy work like my American professors do, and I made incredible friends throughout the semester. The unique way that DIS structures their courses, which all include field trips (short field studies and longer study tours) around Copenhagen and Europe was a huge plus for me- I got to study genocides with an expert who's spent his whole life learning about them and then see a concentration camp with him, which I'll never forget. The program handles everything for you- your phone plan, transportation costs for around the city, resources and tips for how to adjust to the culture, and everything to do with your housing. None of my other friends who have studied abroad received that kind of support. I went abroad to learn about myself and about sustainability in Denmark, and I flew home with my expectations blown away. I wish I could do it over again and again.

What would you improve about this program?
By increasing diversity- the overwhelming majority of students are rich and white. Of course there there were people of color and I met many LGBT+ students, and (as a white, cis, straight, able-bodied person) I didn't hear from any of my friends that they felt discriminated against by DIS or by the students in our program. That being said, I don't think DIS has enough programs in place to provide support specifically to people of color, which could be problematic if students were dealing even with small issues like home sickness for a place that looks more like them.
142 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Default avatar
Sophia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Studying Abroad in Copenhagen

I loved studying abroad in Copenhagen. I didn't know much going to Denmark, but ended up finding so much to learn from in the country and in my travels, both about myself and the areas that I traveled to. My homestay experience was the best. I got to gain an outside perspective of the US, as well as become more integrated into Danish society through learning about Danish norms, culture, customs, history, and welfare state. It was so interesting and my host family was so open to discussing varying topics. The lack of PC culture was refreshing. Also, getting to travel and experience those country's cultures first-hand and learn how history shapes the culture and current perspectives of locals.

What would you improve about this program?
The coursework could be made more engaging and go beyond a few theories discussed.
142 people found this review helpful.
Ian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Definitely worth it

I studied with DIS in Spring of 2014.

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. I was scrambling for study abroad choices the previous summer and by word of mouth I heard about this one. I applied because of its focus on environmental studies, and I am so glad I did.

While I was in Copenhagen, I stayed with a host family in Greve (suburb town SW of the city near Ishoj) and I commuted to the city every day via train and bike. I was intimidated by the thought of living with a host family, but DIS matched me well and my family and neighbors were very welcoming to me. I loved the whole living situation and, for someone who doesn't party much, it was perfect. Sure it may have been easier to have been in a kollegium near the city center, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything about my housing, including the commute.

For the semester I was enrolled in the Sustainability in Europe module with a core course of European Sustainable Development (that might have changed by now). What I liked most about DIS academics was that even though my classes weren't taught at Kobenhavns Universitet I was still taught by university professors. The topics were engaging, the professors' teaching methods were stimulating, and I was able to get a specific look into European environmental culture and management such as I hadn't been able to get at Berkeley.

Another reason I really enjoyed DIS was the field trips that were incorporated into the core courses (and some others). With my core course I was able to travel to Sweden and Germany, which I probably wouldn't have been able to do on my own just due to money. During the Easter break, I took part in "Czech Trek," where a group of us toured the "Bohemian Paradise" NE of Prague for a fun-filled couple of days. On my own time I traveled to Norway for half a week with friends from my classes and to Italy to see a relative.

Some advice:
Copenhagen really is a great diving board for the rest of Europe, if your main goal is traveling. Trains leaving from Copenhagen Central Station will take you just about anywhere in Europe. For air travel, RyanAir is your quintessential budget airline, but Norwegian is also a reliable airline and pretty cheap if you check far enough in advance.

I recognize I was pretty lucky to have some money set aside for doing outside travel like I did to Norway, Italy, and the DIS-sponsored Czech Trek. All three of these experiences were a big part of my overall enjoyment of the program, but I know it may have been a bit harder to explore more places if I didn't have the money. Some of my friends were going places like Amsterdam or Tallinn every weekend, but I couldn't do that cost.

The facilities of DIS are really nice, and I absolutely loved being in a city like Copenhagen to study.

If you're coming to Copenhagen for language study, fair warning on that. Most people in Copenhagen and Denmark know how to speak English, and they will gladly show you their skills even if you may want to converse in Danish. Since Danish doesn't have too many dialects (unlike English), it's much harder for them to understand your unperfected pronunciation of the words than it is for you to understand their pretty-good pronunciation of English. Also, when you sign up for a Danish class, DIS automatically places you in one of the basic Danish courses. Personally I'm good with languages, and I realized during the first class or so that it was going to be a slow semester with learning the language. I heard in passing there was a more advanced class generally only for year-long students. I pursued the matter, spoke with the teacher and DIS administration, and I was able to get into the course having no prior Danish experience. By doing that and practicing with my host family I was able to learn a lot more Danish than I would have done with the normal course.

I can't think of other stuff right now, but like everyone else I have tons of stories. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

If you want to read directly about some of my experiences, just check out this link and go back to Jan-May of 2014: http://celastrek.blogspot.com/

What would you improve about this program?
I think it would have been nice to have had more social activities with my kommune. We had one in the beginning when we were just settling in, but aside from that there wasn't much. I remembered hearing stories from other kommunes about the get-togethers they had, and I tried to recreate that by visiting other students, but we did not have more officiated events. I recognize part of this is due to the kind of students who were in the kommunes, but perhaps there might be a way for DIS to make this more widespread. Perhaps they have already.
161 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Matthew
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Completely Absorbed in Denmark

It wasn't until 3 am on the night before the last day that I actually processed the past three weeks of my incredible Denmark and DIS experience. At that point in time, I was on a paddleboat in the middle of one of Copenhagen's beautiful man-made canals with 6 of my new best friends, coming back to reality from a state of flow. I realized how completely absorbed I had been in the past three weeks from dancing the nights away in the local bars, studying happiness and positive psych, taking a study-tour to Scotland, flipping a kayak in the North Sea and starting our own flash mob. It truly shattered expectations and sparked my interest for international education and travel.

What would you improve about this program?
DIS covered all of their bases. One improvement I would make would be to create more of a cultural experience in connecting directly with the Danish. Having a host family for a couple nights, going to a weekly dinner or traveling with the Danish on the weekend would, I believe, enhance and outstanding program.
136 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
John
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

DIS

The Danish Institute for Study Abroad is a very well program. The staff are helpful, organized, the faculty kind and intelligent. Copenhagen is a wonderful city with beautiful people and an amazing infrastructure and fantastic style. I would do the program again in a heartbeat.

What would you improve about this program?
There is a housing option in a town called Trekroner...it is too remote and located on a university campus that DIS students dont ever interact with, so its isolating. l would suggest this option be changed and a better alternative is offered.
141 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kristin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

GREAT experience at DIS!

DIS was an extremely organized study abroad program. DIS helped me figure out my classes, housing, cell phones, travels, etc. which made the experience stress free. It was also a great program with a variety of really interesting classes. I loved my core program (Positive Psychology) and getting to go on study tours with my class. I still keep in close contact with my host family, who I know will be my family away from home for a lifetime. They've already been to the US to visit me twice!

What would you improve about this program?
I can't think of anything I would change about DIS! It was really well put together and I think there was a perfect amount of exploration/travel time and classroom time.
147 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers