Practical information before departure

In Denmark

You can sublet your home to an international student through the International Centre at AU. The advantage of a sublet is that you can leave your furniture where it is, and that the International Centre will find a tenant for you.

• Read more about subletting your home

Abroad

It’s a good idea to do some research about housing options before leaving for your host country. Some universities offer to arrange accommodation for international students, but in most cases you will have to find your own accommodation. Consult the university's website or write to their international office if you want to know more about their housing policy, or about housing conditions in the city you’ll be studying in. You can also find useful links that will help you in your search in MoveON. You might also find it useful to read Travel Reports from students who have returned from an exchange in the MoveON database. 

If you live abroad for more than six months, you must register your departure with the Danish National Registration Office (Folkeregistret). If your stay is for less than six months, and you retain use of your home in Denmark, you are not required to notify the National Registration Office. You report a change of address online at borger.dk.

Remember to check whether you need a residence permit or a visa before you leave.

• Check the Ministry of Foreign Affair's of Denmark's website for more information

Important information for international students at AU who want to study abroad in another country:
In addition to checking whether you need a residence permit or a visa before you travel, as an international student at AU you should also be aware that your residence permit in Denmark may lapse if you give up your place of residence in Denmark, or if you leave Denmark for an extended period of time. 

You can apply for an exemption from the lapse of your residence permit if you wish to travel or live outside Denmark for longer than the permitted period, or if you give up your place of residence in Denmark in connection with an exchange abroad. To qualify for an exemption, your stay abroad must be temporary, and you must have a well-documented, legitimate reason for leaving, for example:

• Employment with an international institution, organisation or company
• Educational opportunity that is not available in Denmark or a study abroad

The rules regarding residence permits are made by the Danish Immigration Service, which also deals with the administrative processes. Aarhus University is unable to help you with your application for an exemption. Read more about the conditions for residence permits and rules/procedures regarding exemptions on the Danish Immigration Service website. 

You need an international driving license if you want to hire a car outside Scandinavia and the EU. Apply for an international driving license at your municipal Citizen’s Services centre with a passport photo and your driving license.
Read more about international driving licenses here.

The SU Office is notified of your exchange once it has been pre-approved. But it is your responsibility to check that your exchange is registered correctly in STADS, because this ensures that you will still receive SU whilst you’re abroad. It also ensures that the SU Office is aware that there might be a slight delay in registering your ECTS and final credit transfer for your exchange semester.
 

• You can see whether your exchange is registered correctly by going into STADS once your exchanged has been pre-approved by AU. Click on the "Grade results" tab and check the information in the "Credit Transfers/Excused from" field. You need to make sure that the correct number of ECTS has been entered as pre-approved credit and that the date on which the pre-approval was granted is correct. If you select "Transcript" and then choose "Transcript (all examinations), you can see which university has been registered for your pre-approved credit transfer. If you have applied for a study abroad scholarship, it is important that the SU Office can see that your pre-approved credit transfer is registered at the correct university abroad – so that your exchange can be approved for a scholarship.  
• Read more about receiving SU whilst abroad.​​​​​​​

If you receive special educational support (SPS), you can continue to receive this support whilst on exchange. You will typically receive the same level of support during your exchange semester as you receive during a regular semester in Denmark.

To find out more about how to receive special educational support whilst on exchange, talk to your SPS counsellor, your educational consultant or your literacy counsellor. 

Contact details for SPS counsellors

Examples of support:

• Dyslexia - you can continue to use your IT aids and to order e-books from Nota. If you receive literacy counselling, you can arrange to conduct these sessions on Zoom during your exchange semester.
• Mental health conditions and neurological disorders. If you receive support from an educational consultant, you can arrange to stay in regular contact with your consultant whilst you’re on exchange.
• Other disabilities or illnesses. Talk to an SPS counsellor about the options available to receive support whilst you’re studying abroad.

In addition to talking to your SPS counsellor about possible special educational support whilst on exchange you can investigate the possibility of getting extra time in any language tests - e.g TOEFL. In addition, som host universities offer students with special needs preferential right to housing, you should contact your host university directly to check if this is the case.

When you receive SPS, you also have the opportunity to apply for Grosserer Ludvig Berlin og frøken Maria Poulsens scholarship if you are going on exchange or a project-oriented course abroad for a minimum of 14 days, as a part of your education at AU. 

You can read more about the scholarship and application process here. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark has created a free app called Rejseklar, which makes it possible for them to send a message to Danish residents abroad if an emergency situation arises in the country they’re in. As an exchange student, you are advised to download the app and register on ‘Danskerlisten’ – the list of Danish residents abroad – so that the Ministry can contact you quickly if a crisis situation arises, such as a natural disaster, political unrest or a terrorist attack.

• Read more about Danskerlisten and the benefits of the Rejseklar app

You can also register on Danskerlisten using the link below. 

• Register on Danskerlisten

The Nordic region

You must take your Danish health insurance card with you and register with your new host municipality, taking along your health insurance card and your passport.

Europe

You must take a European health insurance card with you. You can order the card from the municipality you live in. The card is free, and it is valid for up to one year. With the European Health insurance card, you are entitled to the same services as the citizens in your host country. This means that, in some situations, your treatment may not be entirely covered by insurance – since some services that are free in Denmark might not be free in other EU countries. You should therefore consider taking out private healthcare insurance as well. Repatriation to Denmark is not covered by the card.

• Order a European health insurance card

Outside the Nordic region and the EU

You must take out private travel health insurance. Some host universities require you to take out health insurance through them. This is always the case for Australian universities (which require students to take out insurance through an Overseas Student Health Cover provider) and is often the case for universities in the United States and Canada as well. Remember that you are not covered by health insurance taken out through your host university outside the period of study, or when travelling outside the host country. See the section on insurance for more information.

It is always a good idea to check your existing insurance policies to make sure that they provide coverage while you are staying abroad. Even if you have taken out health insurance through your host university, you may also need insurance which covers your belongings and luggage as well as repatriation in the event of illness. A study travel insurance policy will normally cover these things. There are special rules about insurance for students who have an Erasmus+ grant.

• In EU countries, you are covered by your blue European health insurance card. You are advised to take out travel insurance to cover lost baggage, cancelled flights and repatriation, etc. 
• Outside the EU, you are not covered by your blue EU health insurance card, so it is compulsory to take out health and accident insurance. Check whether your host university has any specific requirements for health insurance. 

Aarhus University has partnered with the Goin' Abroad Network. The Goin' Abroad Network is your opportunity to connect with other students from AU and other universities within the network going to the same exchange destination as yourself.

Moving to a new country, without a network, often comes with questions and uncertainties. The Goin’ Abroad Network gives you the opportunity to share questions, ideas and to network with other exchange students who are in the same situation as you. Previous users of the Goin' Abroad Network app tell that it has brought along friendships, helped the process of finding accommodation and created some strong communities among adventurous exchange students. 

Are you curious to see who’s also going on exchange to your destination? Use the Goin’ Abroad Network to find other students before your arrival! If you have been allocated an exchange place you will receive an invitation by e-mail to register and get started in the app.

After each application round, the Central International Office at AU hosts a pre-departure meeting for all students allocated a study abroad position at one of AU's partner institutions.

During the meeting, we cover general information in relation to your upcoming exchange so you know what you must be aware of in relation to your stay. All students who have been allocated an exchange position receive an invitation to the meeting via email. 

Below you find the PowerPoint presentation from the last Pre-departure meeting for students that are going on exchange during the Autumn semester 2024. 

• Pre-departure meeting in English, Autumn semester 2024