VIA campuses are now open

From 29 June campuses are open and student access cards have been reactivated. Please follow the guidelines posted on campus on hygiene, keeping distance etc. Be aware that most services on campus are closed during the summer (typically weeks 29 and 30), but campus as such is open for access. Students can order a VIA entry card for free via this link, if you only have a digital card. 

Follow official guidelines

VIA’s contingency plan and recommendations will follow the official guidelines from the Danish authorities. For general information on the coronavirus outbreak in Denmark, the strategy and recommendations of the Danish Ministry of Health or guidelines on travels to and from Denmark, we recommend that you stay updated by visiting the official site on coronavirus from the Danish authorities. It is also possible to call the Joint Danish Authority Hotline on +45 7020 0233.

Students may also benefit from visiting the Q&A by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Staff

If you are an employee at VIA, go to the employee portal to find more information about working/teaching from home, travles, IT safety etc.

Contact VIA

In urgent matters, you can contact VIA’s taskforce on coronavirus: T: +45 87 55 14 99 on workdays between 9 am and 3 pm. Be aware that it will not be possible to call this number during the summer holiday from week 28-31. During these weeks, please contact one of the following numbers, still between 9 am and 3 pm:

Week 28, i.e. 6 to 12 July T: +45 87 55 40 21
Week 29-30, i.e. 13 to 26 July T: +45 87 55 43 25
Week 31, i.e. 27 July to 2 August T: +45 87 55 34 56

in weekends and evenings, please send an email to international@via.dk. During the summer break reply time may be longer than usual. 

The Danish borders, society and thus also VIA is gradually reopening and we are looking very much forward to welcoming our new international students for the 2020 fall semester. We expect to be fully open when the semester begins in August/September.

Here is everything you need to know as a new student traveling to Denmark and VIA in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Travelling to Denmark

The Danish borders are currently (1 July) open for entry from the UK, EU- and Schengen countries (except Sweden and Portugal). This will be reviewed on a weekly basis depending on the rate of infection in each country. 

Students from other countries need a so-called “worthy purpose” for entering Denmark. Being enrolled at a Danish institution of higher education is considered a worthy purpose, so be prepared to document this at the border, for example by bringing your acceptance letter. In addition, you need to document that you have a valid residence permit, as you are currently not allowed to enter Denmark as a tourist.

The Danish authorities strongly recommends self-isolation at home for 14 days, if you travel to Denmark from a non-EU country, Sweden or Portugal, but this is reviewed weekly. Self-isolation can be cut short if you can show a negative COVID-19 test, however, testing is voluntary.

Guidelines change all the time, please check the official authority website before traveling to Denmark.

NB! Foreigners with clear symptoms such as dry cough and a fever will be rejected at the border.

Residence Permit

If you are a citizen of a non-EU country you need a residence permit to study in Denmark. The application process takes place in your home country before arrival in Denmark, and is processed by Danish embassies or Visa Facilitation Service Centers. Normally, the processing can take up to 60 days, but currently processing times may be longer, because many embassies are closed. Please contact the Danish embassy or VFS center closest to you in order to determine when you will able to apply. For more information on Danish immigration, please visit their webpage.

Experiencing symptoms?

If you are experiencing symptoms such as a fever, dry cough, troubled breathing, muscle soreness etc. prior to traveling to Denmark, you should not travel. It is likely that you will be rejected at the border. Stay home until you have been free from symptoms for 48 hours.

If you are in Denmark and start to feel ill or are unsure whether you are ill or not, you should consider yourself ill. Danish authorities recommend that you do the following:

• Self-isolate immediately until you have been free from symptoms for 48 hours. Keep your distance to members of your household.
• Follow the 5 general preventative measures for COVID-19
• If you need assistance from a doctor, call first. Do not show up at any health facility without an appointment. On weekdays between 8 am and 4 pm, contact your general practitioner. At other hours call the Central Denmark Region Emergency medical service at +45 70 11 31 31. 

If you are considering an exchange semester at VIA, please be aware that we continue to accept nominations for the spring 2021 semester. Learn more about our exchange opportunities.

Find more general information for new international students on this page.

If you have any questions, not answered in the information on this site, please contact the Admissions Office if you are a full degree applicant, or your International Coordinator at VIA, if you are an incoming exchange student.

VIA is preparing to fully open our campuses for the fall semester starting in August/September and we look forward to welcoming back all our international students.

In-person, practice oriented classes are a very important part of our teaching at VIA and we therefore advise all students to enter Denmark well in time for study start, if you are not already here. We expect that teaching will take place as normal in class, complemented by online teaching and self-study. 

If you are crossing borders in order to come back to study, we recommend that you download and travel with a “Declaration of Study Activity” from the Self-Service Portal at VIA – myVIA 

Be aware that classes may be placed later in the afternoons than what you have been used to. This is necessary in order to practice social distancing and make sure that there are not too many people on campus at once.

We follow the recommendations of the Danish Ministry of Health to ensure that students can feel safe on campus. Guidelines are posted on campus and will be distributed to students on e-mail and on Itslearning. 

Internships and study trips

Please contact your study programme regarding internships and study trips in autumn 2020/spring 2021. If you travel abroad, be aware that there may be some limitations as to what your travel insurance covers due to Covid-19.

 

Counselling for students

VIA offers phone counselling for international students who are having a hard time in the wake of the corona crisis. Find more information here.

The deadline for international applicants to VIA’s full degree programmes was 22 March and admissions 2020 is now completed. If you have a Danish upper secondary school diploma, you are able to apply until 5 July 2020 at 12 noon. You will receive the final acceptance letter on 28 July.

Follow the processing of your application on optagelse.via.dk or contact the admissions office if you have questions. More about admissions and contact information 

Delays in documentation

The deadline for handing in all documentation is 5 July at noon. If you are unable to get documentation such as verification forms, transcripts and diplomas as a result of the corona situation, please contact our Admissions Office in the admissions portal or send an e-mail to apply@via.dk to find a solution. Note that you only have access to VIA's admissions portal, if you have applied to one of our programmes in 2020. 

In addition to the language test VIA normally accepts, we also accept the following online language test certificates for all programmes for the 2020 intake: IELTS Indicator and TOEFL Special Home Edition test.

Questions about your programme?