study in Copenhagen
Denmark's capital — outstanding universities, a cycling culture that genuinely works, and the most expensive, most constrained housing market in the country.
Copenhagen is among the most liveable cities in Europe, and the reasons are structural rather than scenic: the cycling infrastructure is real, the public services work, and the design culture shows in ordinary streets and buildings.
Its universities are strong and complementary — the University of Copenhagen across medicine, law and the sciences, and DTU as one of Europe's leading technical institutions. The life-sciences and pharmaceutical cluster around the city is substantial.
The costs are the honest problem. Copenhagen is expensive by any measure, and student housing is scarce enough that securing a room is the first and hardest task — with the CPR registration chain depending on it.
Two major universities plus business and applied institutions.
University of Copenhagen
Denmark's largest; medicine, law, natural sciences, pharmacy and the humanities.Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Engineering, wind energy, life-science engineering and computer science, north of the city.Copenhagen Business School
Business, economics, finance and management, with a large international intake.IT University of Copenhagen
Small and specialised; software development, digital design and data science.Copenhagen is the most expensive Danish city and one of the more expensive in Europe. Non-EU tuition is set by your institution rather than the city, so housing is the variable you actually control by choosing where to study.
Against the other cities we cover in Denmark, Copenhagen is one of the more expensive. That is our reading of this country’s own spread, not a published index.
Non-EU tuition in Denmark runs roughly DKK 45,000–120,000 a year, set by your institution rather than the state.
The practical texture of the place — what a week actually looks like.
Climate
Mild but grey and windy — wet winters with little deep cold, short winter days, and pleasant summers.
Getting around
Cycling above everything; the infrastructure is genuinely comprehensive. Metro, buses and trains beyond that, with a student discount.
Housing
The hardest and most expensive in Denmark, and the gate to your CPR number. Apply for university-brokered housing the moment you are admitted.
Working
Non-EU students may work up to 20 hours a week, and full-time in June, July and August. A CPR number and tax card are required first.
Language
English works throughout study and most of social life. Danish widens the part-time job market considerably.
Registration
Register your address and apply for the CPR number immediately on arrival. Bank accounts, health care and legal work all depend on it.
Almost everything in Denmark requires a CPR number — health care, a bank account, a tax card, legal employment. It requires a registered Danish address, which means housing has to be solved first.
Sequence the first month deliberately: confirmed accommodation, then address registration, then CPR, then a bank account and tax card, then work. Each step gates the next. Students who arrive in Copenhagen without a room frequently spend weeks unable to be paid, open an account or register with a doctor — an avoidable problem, but only if you treat housing as a precondition rather than a task for after arrival.
Copenhagen is one of 3 cities we cover in Denmark. Tap any pin to compare — the city you pick moves your total cost more than almost any other choice you make.