Student Life | VIA University College

Get to know student life at VIA

Independence in learning, personal responsibility and freedom characterise the student experience at VIA.

Student life at VIA

A different kind of teaching

Project-based learning is a part of the educational culture.

The learning style in Denmark is different from what most international students are familiar with in their home countries.

We focus on good communication and dialogue between our students and teachers, project-oriented group work and an international environment, which is part of the students’ personal life education.

Read more about our teaching style

Workload

You earn credits for every course or project you complete.

For every course and project that you complete each semester, you earn ECTS credits. ECTS is a standardised European Credit Transfer System created by the European Commission for higher education.

Transfer academic credits

The system enables you to measure and compare your performance and study attainment with those of other students across the European Union and cooperating European countries.

This means that you can transfer academic credits between different institutions. This supports greater student mobility.

Workload per semester

The student workload is a minimum of 30 ECTS credits per semester.

Bring your own computer

Students at VIA are required to bring their own laptop on the first day of school.

You will need the laptop in class and when writing assignments.

If you need to buy a new laptop, we recommend that you do this after your programme starts. That way you can make sure that your new computer has the capacity to run study-related software.

We recommend that you buy a laptop with a long battery life. Please note that the technical programmes may have additional hardware demands.

The computers located in our classrooms typically run Windows 7 and Windows 8.

VIA IT provides support on the central IT systems and services provided by VIA. VIA also provides a free Microsoft Office package at the beginning of your studies.

Please note that Apple devices are not always fully compatible with the IT used at VIA.

There is free wifi for all students on our campuses.

As a student at VIA you have to bring your own computer.

International study environment

The international environment at VIA is a great platform for intercultural understanding.

An international outlook is a natural and integrated part of our daily lives.

Every year more than 2.500 international students from more than 50 different countries attend a programme at one of our schools.

This means that the exchange of ideas is not limited to the exchange between Denmark and the international student’s home country, but takes place in a truly international environment represented by students from all over the world.

Studying with intercultural understanding

Students from many different nationalities meet each other during project work and after classes, where an intercultural understanding is part of the social student life.

Cultural differences are greatly appreciated at VIA and we are proud to contribute to the general process of intercultural understanding.

Our campuses

Eight campuses with strong academic environments and many social activities.

Our programmes are located at eight campuses throughout Western Denmark. They house a broad range of programmes generating multidisciplinarity and facilitating interchanges between our programmes.

All of VIA’s campuses are newly built or newly renovated and offer modern facilities for our students.

From our campuses, you can reach beaches, spectacular scenery and big city life in no time.

Choose your study location

You can learn more about housing and the surroundings at our individual campuses on the list below:

Denmark is a safe and beautiful country

Core values in Denmark include freedom for the individual, equality, tolerance and a strong sense of mutual trust.

Denmark can be seen as a bridge between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. Denmark is a very safe country to travel and live in. The trust between Danes is high and compared to other countries (eg. United Kingdom, United States) Denmark has a low crime rate.

When you live in Denmark, you can enjoy a balanced lifestyle, and have time for both work and leisure.

While there is a strong respect for the community, there is also a strong emphasis on personal freedom and the opportunity to pursue and fulfil individual potential.

Personal freedom and responsibility go hand in hand when you are a student in Denmark.

Green grass and a blue sky

When living in Denmark you have a chance to experience great nature. Denmark is surrounded by coastline and have some of the finest beaches in Europe with pristine sand and clean refreshing water. From our campuses, you can reach beaches, spectacular scenery and big city life in no time.

In general Denmark is a clean country with fresh air, varied landscapes, forests, parks and gardens.

Denmark has some of the most beautful and crowd-free beaches in Europe.

Facts about Denmark

The Danish society is a modern, knowledge-based society.

Population

Denmark has 5.6 million inhabitants – 9 out of 10 own bicycles as 36% of adults bike to work, while 45% of children bike to school (Source: Cycling Embassy of Denmark).

Language

The native language is Danish. However, about 80 % of the population speaks English and many Danes speak a third language.

Geography

Denmark is a part of Scandinavia in the north of Europe. It is a small green country which consists of the Peninsula of Jutland and around 406 islands. In Denmark, you are never more than 50 kilometres away from the sea.

Climate

Denmark has a temperate coastal climate where the average temperature in the summer is 20°C and in the winter around 0°C.

Safety

Denmark is one of the world’s safest, least corrupt countries (with the happiest people in the world – source: 2014 World Happiness Report and Transparency International).

Currency

The Danish currency is Danish Kroner. 1 Krone = 100 øre. 7 Danish Kroner is approximately 1 USD.

You can pay with international credit cards in many places.