FAQs FAQs Study Abroad FAQs

You will receive these two sets of materials upon being formally accepted to DIS which will answer most of your questions: The Registration Packet and the Pre-Departure Packet. DIS includes a Student Handbook in the Pre-Departure Packet, in which you can find information on a wide variety of topics associated with living and studying in Copenhagen, e.g. "Denmark & the Danes", "Housing: Living with the Danes", "Transportation", "Communication", "Academics", etc. The handbook will be sent to you upon registration.

Money Matters | Academics | Visa | Preparing for and living in Copenhagen

Money Matters

How much spending money should I bring?
Because student lifestyles differ, it is difficult to generalize how much money you will need, however, you should anticipate spending more than you would at home, as the cost of living in Denmark is relatively high and you will want to experience your new environment to the fullest. Former students have reported using $400-500 per month.  You may find yourself spending more or les than this.

You should also budget for travel in Europe during the mid-semester travel break, and for one meal per day during study tours. Students living in kollegiums, DIS Residential Communities or with Danish roommates pay for their own food on top of the housing fee. 

These students receive a food stipend of $600/semester to help off set the cost of food. We recommend that you budget an additional $250/month for food. Students choosing the host family option are provided with all meals by the families and therefore will not receive a food stipend. Students living at the folkehøjskole option will have a communal evening meal included in their housing fee, and therefore will not receive the food stipend.  We recommend these students budget an additional $250/month to cover food expenses for other meals.

In what form should I take my money abroad?
DIS recommends that you use a debit/ATM card with a Visa or MasterCard logo during your stay in Denmark. Using a debit/ATM card allows you to take money directly out of your account back home, thus eliminating the need for others to send checks or wire money to you. ATM/debit cards linked to the Cirrus and Plus networks can be used throughout Denmark and Europe. Please note your home bank may assess a fee per ATM withdraw.  Students are advised to call their bank to inquire about this fee and to make sure their card is ready for use in Denmark (lifting account protection, etc.).

DIS students have not found traveler’s checks to be as flexible and convenient as ATM/debit cards and there is a higher commission fee charged for each check.

What kind of insurance coverage do I have while abroad?
Please see Insurance

When and how will I be invoiced?  Why haven’t I received an invoice?
You will be invoiced via email approximately 4 to 6 weeks prior to the program arrival date for your term of attendance. If you have not received an invoice then review the following:

Why did I receive an invoice when I thought my school was paying?
Invoices are issued based on the specific billing agreements we have with our partner institutions. If you don’t believe you were supposed to receive an invoice, please check the following:

When is full payment due?
If you have been invoiced directly by DIS, full payment is due 30 days from the date your invoice was issued. If your invoice was issued within 30 days of the official program arrival date, then payment is due no later than the arrival date.

Is there a payment plan?  What if my Financial Aid isn’t disbursed by the due date?
We do not typically offer payment plans due to the amount of expense incurred on behalf of the students prior to their arrival. Classroom spots are booked and held, study tour travel arrangements are made, housing placement has been arranged and rented, etc.

If you cannot pay your total amount due by the due date because you are expecting financial aid, then upon receiving your invoice via email please reply with the specific amounts and dates of disbursement. If your aid does not cover the total amount due, then the remainder will need to be paid by the invoice due date. The same applies to funds being received as a result of bank or personal loans.

If you are unable to pay the total amount due by the due date and are not receiving financial aid, then please contact Mary Malone at mmalone@umn.edu with the exact specifics of your situation. In exceptional cases, written permission by DIS to postpone part of the payment may be arranged. Payment of all fees must take place by the end of the Orientation Program or students will be dismissed from the program.

How do I pay and what payment types are acceptable?
If you were invoiced directly by DIS, program fee payments are accepted only via wire transfer or by check. Credit card payments are not accepted for Comprehensive Tuition or Housing fees. If paying via wire transfer, please refer to the invoice you received via email or visit Billing Information.

When will I be invoiced and what are the due dates for the optional study tour and/or adventure trip payments?
You will be invoiced separately for your optional study tours after you register for the tour by paying the deposit online. Payment is due 30 days from the date the invoice is issued. Payment options include those listed above as well as credit card payment through Paypal via DIS Online Registration.

What is the DIS Refund Policy regarding cancellation from the program or from a study tour?
For the DIS Refund Policy regarding program cancellation, go to the Financial section.

For refund policy information related to the cancellation of participation on a study tour, please contact the DIS Study Tour department using our Contact form.

Academics

When does the program start and end?
The DIS calendar matches a typical US university semester calendar - the fall semester runs from late August until late December, spring semester from mid-January until mid-May, and summer programs of various length may begin as early as mid-May and end as late as the end of August. Semester Calendar | Summer Calendar.

What is a program at DIS?
The DIS courses are subdivided into 11 academic programs (starting in the Fall 2010 semester, 14 programs will be offered). Normally, a program consists of one or two core courses and two program-integrated study tours, plus elective courses. For an overview of programs/core courses/study tours, please visit the Programs pages.

What classes can I take?
With some important exceptions, you may take all the courses listed in the Full Course Overview.

The exceptions pertain to:

  1. Prerequisites. Some programs and individual courses have prerequisites that must be fulfilled to sign up for the particular program or course. Consult the program pages found at the link above or individual course descriptions.
  2. Required courses: Some DIS programs require that you take certain core courses for you to participate in that program.
  3. Conflicts of schedule: Some classes may be placed in the same time slot.

What is the typical course load?
All students take a full load of 12-18 credits per semester. Only students enrolled in three 1-credit classes can take 18 credits, in other words, it is not possible to take six 3-credit classes. Summer programs vary in length (3-7 weeks) and credit hours (3-9) depending on your course/program of interest. For specific information, please consult our summer study abroad section.

How do credits transfer back to my home university?
DIS' curriculum is designed so that you can bring all of your credits home with you, however the policies of your university will dictate whether the courses can count toward your major/minor/distribution requirements, as well as whether your grades earned abroad will appear on your home transcript and/or count into your GPA. Check with your study abroad advisor and major/minor advisors for specific course transfer information. They may request syllabi for the courses you intend to take at DIS. For more information, visit the Credit Transfer from Study Abroad section.

Visas/Residence Permits

Who needs a residence permit?
All fall, spring, or full year students who will be living in Denmark for longer than three months and do not hold a passport from a European Union member country, Iceland or Norway!

Summer students: If you are not a citizen of the US, Canada, or the European Union, you may need a tourist visa to enter Denmark for the duration of the DIS summer programs. To determine if you must obtain a tourist visa, from the Consular Service. Enter your nationality, Denmark as your destination, and ‘visit’ as your purpose of travel and the next screen will tell you whether or not you will need a visa.

When will I apply for a residence permit?
Students who are considered 'visa free' will enter Denmark as tourists and will apply for a Danish residence permit after arrival in Copenhagen.  A visa-free student is any student who holds a U.S. passport or if from another country that is exempt from the requirment of having an entrance visa to enter Denmark. A list of visa-free nationalities can be found at http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/coming_to_dk/visa/need_visa/who_needs_visa.htm (scroll down to the list of 'Citizens exempt from the visa requirement').

Once in Denmark, all visa free students will apply for a residence permit - upon arrival you will receive the necessary application/paperwork and there will be an orientation session that will offer assistance in completing the application.  Immigration Service will arrange for special hours for this processing and residence permits will be processed on the spot.

Students who are NOT considered visa free (i.e. you need a visa to even enter Denmark), will need to apply for a residence permit prior to departure from Copenhagen.  Once we have received your passport number, the DIS North American Office will be direct communication about your next step.

Preparing for and living in Copenhagen

Does DIS provide me with an ISIC (International Student Identification Card)?
DIS does not provide this card, but your school may – check with your study abroad office to see if they will provide the ISIC. If you are interested in purchasing the ISIC, contact any student travel service such as Student Universe or STA Travel or visit your study abroad office for more information on where to purchase it.

What should I pack?
There is always a tendency to bring more than you actually need, so once packed, take a second look and try to reduce your load by at least a quarter. You can always buy things once you arrive, and usually the things you purchase in the shops 'on location' are better suited to life where you are anyway!

For more advise on what to bring, what to leave at home, etc., please refer to the Student Handbook included in your Pre-Departure Packet.

I need to send a package to Denmark prior to my arrival – where should I send it?
You may send a package or two to the DIS office in Copenhagen. Simply send it to:

DIS
Student name, Semester of enrollment
Vestergade 5-7
DK-1456 Copenhagen K
Denmark

Is there access to gyms/work out places?
Yes, there are plenty of fitness centers and gyms in Copenhagen. In addition, both male and female students can join DIS-sponsored sport teams and play with Danish peers.

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Denmark: DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad. Vestergade 5-7, 1456 Copenhagen. Phone: (+45) 3311 0144, Fax: (+45) 3393 2624
USA: DIS - North American Office, University of Minnesota. 1313 Fifth Street SE, Suite 113, Minneapolis MN 55414. Phone: (800) 247-3477, Non-US: (612) 627-0140 Fax: (612) 627-0141
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