Information about coronavirus 

Campuses and other locations are open

Read more about the reopening of VIA in the "Information on reopening of VIA" below.

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

If you have questions related to coronavirus, please send an email to international@via.dk. 

More restrictions lifted

Requirements for keeping distance and using face masks or shields on campus are lifted from Monday 14 June. However, attention must still be directed at the general advice for preventing spread of infection, e.g. hygiene, fresh air and using hand sanitizer.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone infected, you are under no circumstances allowed to go to campus, but must follow authority guidelines. 

Campus open around the clock

Once again, it is possible for all of you to use campus and meet there for e.g. group work and preparation for exams. Your key card will now be opened to provide access to campus around the clock. Of course, we still have to take care of ourselves and each other, and therefore, some restrictions will remain be in place and these may create some limitations. 

Social events

Social events are allowed for students. Local reopening groups will together with the study programmes determine what is possible to carry out locally and how.

Testing requirements lifted per 1 August

As of 1 August 2021, students and other visitors are no longer required to be able to present a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination to gain access to VIA's campuses. Thus, you are free to go to campus without a valid corona pass, face mask or -shield.

However, attention must still be directed at the general advice for preventing spread of infection, e.g. hygiene, fresh air and using hand sanitizer.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone infected, you are under no circumstances allowed to go to campus, but must follow authority guidelines. 

Internships

Students doing an internship must contact their internship host and follow their directions.

If you are sent home from your internship, please contact your study programme. The study programme may in some cases chose to establish an emergency plan for your internship. 

If you have tested positive for covid-19, it is important that you contact your study programme and inform them that you are ill.

In order to make contact tracing more efficient, VIA recommends that you install the app ” Smitte|stop” on your phone.

Take care of yourself and others – limit the risk of infection!

Symptoms of covid-19

If you experience symptoms of covid-19 it is important that you stay at home and contact your physician by phone, so that you can be tested.

Symptoms of covid-19 are:

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Breathing difficulties
• Fatigue

If you are tested positive for covid-19

Contact your study programme and inform them that you have been tested positive for covid-19. In addition you should contact the people you have been in close contact with, as your contacts have to be traced.

The definition of close contacts is:

• People you live with
• People you have been in physical contact with (e.g. through hugs), or someone you might have sneezed or coughed on.
• People you have had close (less than 1 meter), face-to-face contact with for more than 15 minutes, e.g. in a conversation
• People you have been close to (less than 2 meters) for more than 15 minutes in any of the below mentioned scenarios with a heightened risk of infection:
  • Activities involving heavy breathing such as singing, speaking loudly or shouting
  • Activities involving physical exertion
  • Staying in a poorly ventilated room

The above mentioned means that people you have e.g. taken a choir or fitness lesson with in a closed room or someone you have been with in a car are close contacts, if you have been within 2 meters for more than 15 minutes.

Read the Ministry of Health’s information material on what to do if you have been tested positivefor more information.

If you cannot get in touch with your study programme

Contact VIA’s corona hotline at +45 87 55 29 59 if you have tested positive and can NOT get in touch with your study programme. ALL other corona-related inquiries must be directed to the individual study programmes.

In addition, we encourage use of the common authority hotline at +45 70 20 02 33. 

Handling of "close contacts"

If you have been in contact with someone who has Covid-19, there is a risk that the virus has been transmitted to you. You may be what the Danish health authority calls a "close contact" or a "secondary contact".

Read more about when you are considered a close contact or secondary contact - and what to if you are - at the Danish Health Auhority's website.

Recommendations change all the time, so make sure to always check authority website for the latest news.

VIA may send larger groups of students home in the event of outbreaks.

How to get tested

In Denmark, COVID-19 testing is free of charge.

If you have a Danish civil registration number (CPR), you can book time for a test at coronaprover.dk and you can check you result at sundhed.dk.

If you do not have a CPR number, you can visit one of the testing centers in Aarhus, Randers, Horsens, Silkeborg, Holstebro, Herning or Viborg and wait in line.

You will receive a text message within 48 hours if you have tested positive.  If the test is negative, you will not be notified. If you have not heard from the testing center within 48 hours, you can assume that the test is negative and are allowed to go to campus.

For more information, visit the website of the health authorities in the Central Denmark Region.

If you test positive, you must follow authority guidelines, inform VIA and self-isolate. Find authority guidelines here.

VIA follows guidelines set out by the health authorities and thus encourage both students and employees to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

In that connection, mobile vaccination centres will be set up at some of VIA's campuses. See below for information on where and when you can get vaccinated at the mobile vaccination centres. Booking is not required.

Campus Horsens:

First dose 25-26 August. 

Wednesday 25 August 10 am - 2 pm.
Thursday 26 August 2 pm - 6 pm

Second (or first) dose 15-16 September

Wednesday 15 September 10 am - 2 pm
Thursday 16 September 2 pm - 6 pm

Both the Moderna (at least 4 weeks since first dose) and Pfizer (at least 3 weeks since first dose) vaccines will be available to match your first dose

Campus Aarhus N

First dose Wednesday 8 September and Thursday 9 September 9 am - 1 pm in the atrium.

Date and time for second dose to be announced.

Campus Viborg

First dose Friday 3 September 10 am - 11 am.

Date and time for second dose to be announced.

Campus Aarhus C

First dose Wednesday 1 September and 8 September 9 am - 1 pm in room BE3.01

Date and time for second dose to be announced.

Campus Silkeborg:

First dose Thursday 26 August 10 am - 2 pm.

Date and time for second dose to be announced.

At VIA, we want to make sure that our students get a great start to their studies.

Study start in August and September will be carried out as normal. You will be notified of study start and fresher activities, trips, parties and Friday bar events directly by your study programme.

VIA adheres to authority guidelines

You should know that your study start and daily life at your study programme as such - just like the rest of the world - will be affected by the situation with corona virus.

VIA adheres to authority guidelines for hygiene, disinfection etc. So that you can feel safe and know that VIA is prepared to handle the situation - while providing a great start to your studies and high quality teaching headed by skilled lecturers.

Welcome to the large VIA family

As one of the about 6,500 new students admitted by VIA this year you will become a member of a huge 'family'. VIA is one of the largest institutions og higher education in Denmark and we offer more than 40 different bachelor's degree programmes with around 19,000 students across 11 cities in the Central Denmark Region.

Go here to learn more about VIA - and remember that you are always welcome to contact your lecturer or Associate Dean with questions or anything else on your mind.

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 at apply@via.dk if you are a full degree applicant, or your International Coordinator at VIA, if you are an incoming exchange student.

Gradual easing of entry rules

The restrictions on entry to Denmark are being eased gradually. Being an international student at a Danish institution of higher education is now a valid purpose for entering Denmark in some cases.

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instated categorisation of countries from which a traveller is entering Denmark – Yellow, orange, red – for which different restrictions and requirements (testing, isolation etc.) apply.

See which category your country belongs to and which restrictions and requirements apply at coronasmitte.dk.

Guidelines change all the time - make sure to check the official authority websites before booking your ticket and leaving for Denmark. It is your responsibility as a student to stay up to date with current restrictions.

Official authority website for current entry to Denmark rules

At VIA, we are looking very much forward to being able to welcome back our international students! 

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.

Campus open around the clock

Once again, it is possible for all of you to use campus and meet there for e.g. group work and preparation for exams. Your key card will now be opened to provide access to campus around the clock. Of course, we still have to take care of ourselves and each other, and therefore, some restrictions will remain be in place and these may create some limitations.

Testing requirements lifted per 1 August

As of 1 August 2021, students and other visitors are no longer required to be able to present a negative COVID-19 test or proof of vaccination to gain access to VIA's campuses. Thus, you are free to go to campus without a valid corona pass, face mask or -shield.

However, attention must still be directed at the general advice for preventing spread of infection, e.g. hygiene, fresh air and using hand sanitizer.

If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone infected, you are under no circumstances allowed to go to campus, but must follow authority guidelines. 

VIA carries out teaching activities according to local and specific guidelines given to students by the study programmes.

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

In case of questions or changes in your study abroad or internship stay, please contact int.national.erasmus@via.dk.

• It is now possible to engage in ’blended mobility.’ This means that students can start their mobility activity in the country he/she is studying in and go abroad to finish the activity. The total mobility period must still be a minimum of 60 days for internships and 90 days for exchange activities. However, there is no minimum for how long the student is abroad. It is for instance possible to divide the activity by staying 40 days in Denmark and 20 days in Germany. The student will only be eligible for a grant in the period that he/she spends abroad, i.e. 20 day in this example.
• If a planned mobility activity is moved online, the student can continue to receive Erasmus+ grant. The responsibility for abiding by the usual demands for documentation, e.g. Transcript of Records and After the Mobility, continues to lie with the student.
• If the student is required to enter quarantine upon arrival in the receiving country, the quarantine periode is included in the length of the stay. However, this must be an authority requirement and this has to be documented.

For more information go to the ministry’s website (in Danish) or contact your international coordinator for more information

If you have questions about cancelled Erasmus stays, please contact int.national.erasmus@via.dk.

Do you need social and psychological aid or counselling? You can contact the Student Counselling Service (Studenterrådgivningen):

Student Counselling Service

T:  70 26 75 00. (Open Monday to Friday 9 AM -12 noon)
Learn more at www.srg.dk

The individual study programme decides whether an exam will take place online or on campus.

If the current unusual situation makes it impossible to go through with an exam as planned, VIA will seek to offer an alternative test (e.g. a replacement test or an online exam). If VIA deems it impossible to replace the planned examination form, VIA will arrange an extraordinary exam.

As a student, you will be notified of how your exam will be carried out directly you’re your study programme.

In the tabs below, you can find more information on the guidelines for both online exams and exams on campus. 

Please read the guidelines carefully before showing up on campus for an exam. 

Take care of yourself - limit the risk of infection!

Please note

Before the exam:

•  You must be able to show a valid corona test to gain access to campus. You are required to present either:
  - A negative test result (no more than 72 hours old)
  - A positive corona test result. If you have been free from symptoms for at least 48 hours and the test was taken more than two weeks ago, you are allowed on campus. However, the test must not be more than 8 months old.
  - Proof of vaccination and it has been at least 14 days since your first shot, you do not have to get tested to go to campus.
  You must present either a PCR-test (taken in the throat) or an antigen test (taken in the nose) for COVID-19. You can get tested at one of the local test centres.
  As a supplement, you can take a self-swab under supervision at VIA. If you take a self-swab under supervision on campus, you give consent to VIA handling the personal information given in connection with the test. You can read more about VIA’s handling of personal information in connection with self-testing under supervision here. See the locations and opening hours for VIA's on-campus test centres here.
  Get tested in good time before your classes or exams, as there may be waiting time for both testing and result - so get tested the day before you plan on going to campus.
  If you, for medicinal reasons or due to physical or mental disabilities are not able to get tested for COVID-19, please declare this when prompted.
• If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone infected, you are under no circumstances allowed to go to campus. Follow authority guidelines for isolation, test etc.
• If your exam is with preparation time, bring your own writing tools and paper.
• If you are showing slides to censor or teacher, place the slides on the table in front of them, so that they are able to read the content.
• Bring your own water bottle, if you need water during the exam.
• Near the exam room there will be dedicated waiting areas. On the exam day there will be signs indicating these areas.
• Wash your hands or sanitize your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub immediately upon arrival on campus. There will be alcohol-based hand rub in the waiting area.
• Avoid hugs, hand shakes and other types of close contact.
• Keep a distance of at least one meter from everyone else - including your fellow students.
• Only stay in the waiting area assigned for your exam.
• Do not move around the furniture in the waiting area. It is arranged according to the instructions of the health authorities
• Limit contact with door handles, handrails and other contact points as much as possible.
• Hallways must be kept clear with no loitering.
• Keep right on stairs and hallways.
• If you feel ill on the day of the exam, stay home and contact your own physician and get a medical certificate. 

After the exam:

As campus is open for the public again, family and friends who want to celebrate your exam/graduation are now allowed to do so. However, be aware that there are still some limitations i.e. ban on larger assemblies. This means that some campuses allow family and friends indoors for celebrations and some do not. Local reopening groups determine whether campuses are open for visitors in connection with exams and graduations. Ask your local campus which rules apply.

When entering campus, a valid corona pasport is required. Read more in the "Access to campus" tab.

If you have an oral exam, it will be conducted in Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

The choice of programme will be made by your study programme – based on which is most suitable for your exam and in some cases based on which programmes have been used for online teaching.

When you receive information about your exam, you will be informed about choice of programme. It is important that you read the instructions below for the relevant programme before your exam.

An online oral exam follows the same general exam rules as an ordinary oral exam, but there are some extra procedures that must be followed.

Requirements to your equipment

It will be taken into account that this is an extraordinary situation, but it is your responsibility that you can participate with the equipment you are using when you have an online oral exam.

In order to conduct the exam satisfactory the examiners must be able to both hear and see you. We strongly recommend using a computer for the best experience, but using a smartphone is also an option.

You will therefore need to have:

• A computer with a webcam/external webcam or a smartphone with a camera
• A steady internet connection

We also recommend using headphones or a headset for the best possible sound quality (but this is not essential).

Information about your online exam

Together with a timetable for your exam you will receive information about which programme will be used for your exam and a link for the exam. This information will be sent to you by either Student Services or your teacher.

Following the technical instructions that you find on this page, you will be asked to use you VIAid. This is the same as you use to log on to Itslearning and other VIA systems.

Exam using Zoom

You will receive a link to the exam.

For further information on installing and participating in an exam in Zoom read this guide (pdf): Participate in a Zoom exam

The Zoom version used in VIA is different from the free version. It is in compliance the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Therefore it is a safe system and not as the free version where there is no control over which data is collected.

Exam using Microsoft Teams

You will receive a link to the exam.

For further information participating in an exam in Microsoft Teams read this guide (pdf): Participate in a Microsoft Teams exam

The exam

Get ready early on the day of your exam to make sure you are ready and with the relevant programme open when the exam begins.

Please note:

• There can be delays in the oral exams, so you might not be allowed access into the exam at the scheduled time. As long as you have access to the waiting room/lobby you just wait until being let in.
• You must be able to identify yourself by showing a passport, driving license or other identification with a recognisable picture of you, e.g. your VIA Student card (if you have a digital student card to a “print screen” photo that you can share)
• Make sure you are sitting in a quiet room with good lighting. Avoid sitting in front of a window as it influences the light.
• If you are going to use a Power Point or something similar at the examination you must follow the instructions given from your study programme concerning presentations at the exam.
• Ordinary oral exams are open to the public, which means you that can normally invite friends or other people to watch the exam.
• Oral exams online are closed to the public in order to avoid cheating. You must therefore be alone in the room you are sitting in during the exam (except group exams – see below). The examiners can ask you to show them the room by webcam to ensure you are alone.
• Audio-visual recording of the exam is not permitted unless it is a part of the examination itself. If that is the case, VIA will do the recording (Executive order on examination regulations)
• When you and the examiners have all joined the meeting, the exam will be conducted as an ordinary oral exam.
• When the exam is completed, the examiner will let you out of the meeting again. Please make sure, that you follow the technical instructions on how to prepare yourself to regain access into the exam immediately after the exam. When the assessment is done you will again get access to the exam meeting in order to get feedback and grading.

Technical problems during the exam

If the exam is interrupted due to technical issues and the connection is not quickly restored, you must call the examiner from your phone. You must always be the one to make the call, even if the problems are not at your end - and you must do it without unnecessary delay.

You will get the phone number along with the link to the online exam.

The examiners will decide whether the exam is be continued, discontinued or postponed – and you will be told before you hang up the phone, what is going to happen next.

If the exam cannot be completed

We have meticulously prepared this period with online exams and are sure, that you will do the same. However, sometimes unexpected things can happen in relation with online exams, as is the case with exams held at VIA. If an exam can not be completed online, the outcome depends on whether the reason for the discontinuation of the exam is due to you or VIA – just as is the case in all other exams.

If you cannot complete the exam due to technical issues with your equipment or the internet connection is failing at your end, you will have used one exam attempt, just as you would if you were delayed going to an oral exam because the bus was delayed or your bike had a flat tyre.

That said, it is an extraordinary situation and it will be taken into consideration if you would end up needing to ask for a dispensation for a fourth attempt.

In the case of technical problems during the exam, VIA University College will try the best to complete the exam anyway – by trying the backup system etc. As long as you make sure before the exam that your equipment is working, you have a good internet connection, and you have read the instructions, you will have prepared sufficiently with regards to the practical part of your exam.

The IT department and Study Service will also provide backup for the examinators in case of the need for support, so we will do our best to ensure that your exam will run smoothly.

In case the exam cannot be completed due to other factors than those, that you are responsible of, ie. factors that VIA is responsible of, a new exam will be offered as soon as possible in order to repair the situation. In that case, the interrupted attempt to do the exam will not count as one of your three exam attempts.

Online group exam

If an oral group exam takes place online, it is up to the group to decide whether the members are together in one room during the exam or are sitting at separate locations. The decision should be based on what makes practical sense, while considering health and technical issues.

The following conditions apply to online group exams:

If the group decides to be together in the same room during the exam, the group must ensure that censor and examiner are able to see all group members during the entire exam, also when they are not speaking. If the group is participating via multiple devices in the same room, there is a high risk of technical challenges with sound, e.g. resonance, echo etc.

For that reason, VIA recommends that group members are only together in the same room if the group members:

• Agree that it is a sound idea health-wise
• Are all able to be seen through a web cam in a single device
• All agree that the equipment used for the exam, is suited for the purpose

On-campus group exam

If you are in self-isolation after having been in contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus, you are not allowed to go to campus. Therefore you could be prevented from participating at an exam even though you are not ill. This also applies if you have no symptoms, but have tested positive. In these cases you may participate online if circumstances allow.

If one or more members of a group are unable to attend an on-campus exam, the study programme will decide how to proceed. This could mean that the person unable to attend (but not sick), have to participate via an online connection and the rest of the group on-campus. The study programme may also decide that all members of the group are to take the exam online, even though only one member is unable to attend. It can be necessary to make this decision with very short notice. Therefore, it is important that all members in a group are prepared to take an exam online, even though the exam is planned to take place on campus.

If one or more group members are unable to attend because they are sick, the study programme will decide how to proceed. The preferred proceeding is that the remaining members must take the exam without the sick group member. The individual who has been ill, must take the exam at a later point. Therefore, it is important that all group members are prepared to go through with the exam even if one or more members get sick.

The rules for exam cheating continue to apply even though your exams are online.

What is exam cheating?

The exam is a test where you prove your individual qualifications within the framework and conditions set by VIA for that exam.

If you at an exam - intentionally or unintentionally – do something that gives you better terms than required, you are cheating.

When submitting a written assignment, you must confirm in WISEflow by a statement of faith and promise that the assignment has been completed without undue assistance.

Wrongful assistance could consist of:

• That you have used unauthorized aids or provided yourself or another student with improper assistance in answering the assignment
• That you have published the work of others as your own in the assignment
• That you have used your own, previously assessed work without a source reference in the assignment answer

In WISEflow, all task responses are automatically checked for plagiarism. The plagiarism check compares the exam answer with all open sources available over the Internet, ie. all websites, articles and projects that are online.

It is plagiarism when, in a written assignment, you try to give the impression that you are the author of an idea, text, set-up or the like, even if the author is actually another. Therefore, to avoid suspicion of plagiarism, it is extremely important that quotes, sources and references are clearly marked in the assignment.

About plagiarism

Plagiarism is when imitating or directly copying someone else's texts, without stating the source and pointing out that this is a quote or summary re-work.

About using your own, previously handed in assignments

You can use extracts from your own assignments according to these guidelines:

• You can quote snippets (relatively brief) in line with all other sources - and using the usual source citation criteria.
• You can work with similar issues as in previous assignments - just seen from the new perspective that the current module requires.
• You can include previously used theories, but the theories must be elucidated in a new context.
• You can use empirics that you used in a previous task, but it is expected to be done in a different - and typically broader - perspective.

Helping someone gain an unfair advantage at the exam is also cheating. Therefore, always think about it if in an exam situation you hand out your own answer to a fellow student.

The penalties for exam cheating range from being expelled from the exam, losing a trial and receiving a warning to permanently being expelled from VIA. The penalty depends on an overall assessment of the seriousness of the offense.

Other examples of actions, which are all considered cheating and may ultimately result in permanent expulsion from VIA:

Cooperation

If the test form requires the preparation of an individual examination answer, you must prepare the answer yourself. Therefore, you must not cooperate with your fellow students or others during the exam. Of course, do not let others work out parts of your assignment.

Counterfeiting of data

If you have to collect empirical data as part of an exam answer, it will be considered cheating if you make up data or manipulate data

Prior knowledge of the assignment

If you are familiar with the exam assignment in advance and you still attend the exam, you are committing exam cheating. You should immediately contact the Study Service of your education, which will offer you a new exam as soon as possible.

Avoid being reported to the police

Falsifying documents or making false statements is a punishable offence. This goes for medical certificates, documentation of travels and declarations of faith and laws. If it is found that you have submitted false documents to VIA in connection with the corona situation, it will be reported to the police. In addition, cheating on an exam will be punished according to the general VIA guidelines in which sanctions range from expulsion from the exam in question, losing an attempt and a warning to permanent expulsion from VIA. The sanction depends on an evaluation of the seriousness of the offence.

If you need technical assistance prior to participation in an exam, please write to VIAservice on viaservice@via.dk. You will then be contacted within 2 working days.

If it is an acute situation, please call +45 8955 1212 - open Monday to Friday 7.30 AM to 3.30 PM.

Please contact Student Services with questions regarding other issues related to your exam. You can find contact information on VIA Studynet on your programme's page/exam.