Information for new students

Congratulations on your study place. We look forward to welcoming you.

Please be aware that once you have confirmed your study place, it may take up to eight days before you hear from us again by email.

If you are starting your studies in February, you will hear from us in the beginning of December. No need to worry, if you do not hear from us right away. Everything is all right and we are currently processing all responses

Health insurance

EU/EEA citizens should bring the blue EU health insurance card. If you have a Danish residence permit and are registered with the municipal civil registration office, you are covered by the Danish health insurance scheme 6-8 weeks after your arrival. We recommend that you arrange for health insurance until then. Note that while Danish health insurance covers any treatment by a general practitioner or hospital, it does not cover medicine, dentistry and medical evacuation to your home country.

Other insurances

In addition to health insurance, it is advisable to make sure you have accident insurance to cover financial consequences of accidents, a third-party liability insurance to cover expenses if you have to pay compensation to a third-party and a home insurance to cover your personal belongings.

Whether you are an exchange student for one term or are taking a full degree at VIA, one of the first things you should do after you are admitted is to start looking for a place to stay. Read more about housing and the options in each of VIA's campus cities here.

It is also a good idea to find out how to get from your place of arrival (e.g. airport or train station) to you place of residence and from there to campus. 

Visa

Residents from the Nordic countries and the EU do not need a visa. However, residents from other countries should check the Danish Immigrations Service’s website, nyidanmark.dk, or with your local Danish embassy or consulate, whether they need one. 

Residence permit

Rules vary depending on home country:

• EU/EEA citizens – Do not need to apply for residence permit, but must instead apply for an EU residence document at SIRI (Agency for International Recruitment and Integration/Styrelsen for International Rekruttering og Integration). They visit some campuses to help new students with the application. At other campuses, you have to apply on your own. Ask your International Coordinator or Student Counsellor for more information.
• Nordic citizens – As a citizen of the Nordics you are allowed to live in Denmark without a residence permit. Go directly to Citizen Services/Borger Service in your local municipality to obtain a CPR number and health insurance card, if you are staying in Denmark for more than 3 months.
• Non-EU/EEA citizens – You have to apply for residence permit and the process can take up to 60 days. As soon as you have paid the tuition fee, VIA will initiate the online application process.

CPR number

A Civil Registration number (CPR) is required to obtain a health insurance card and open a bank account. Go to Lifeindenmark.dk for more information on how to get a CPR number. As with residence permits, some campuses get a visit from Civil Services (Borgerservice), who helps new students obtain a CPR number. Ask your International Coordinator or Student Counsellor for more information. Note that you can only get a CPR number if you are staying in Denmark for more than 3 months.

Make sure to consult public websites on visa, residence permit and CPR number as rules and procedures change continuously.

Students at VIA need to bring their own computer. 

You will need your computer at class and when writing assignments. If you are about to buy a new computer, we recommend that you wait until after you have started your programme. This way, it will be easier for you to make sure that your new computer has the needed capacity to run e.g. study-related software. 

We recommend that you buy a laptop with a long battery life. 

Please note that the technical programmes at VIA may have specific demands regarding hardware. Check your programme's website for more specific information.

Contact your student counsellor or the IT department at your campus if you have questions about hardware or software. 

VIA’s Employability Camp takes place in the weeks just before study start and is a unique opportunity to prepare for your studies, life and future career in Denmark. Join the camp for the best beginning to your new everyday-life in Denmark, get ahead academically, while getting to know your new city and fellow international students.

Read more and sign up here

Why do I need my VIA ID?

You need your VIA ID to log on to Studynet. At Studynet you will find important information about your programme start e.g. meeting times, introduction programmes, your timetable etc.

How do I get my VIA ID?

When you have been admitted to one of VIA's programmes, the next step is to complete VIA Start (start.via.dk). You will receive information from the study administration regarding this.

When you have completed VIA Start, an email will be sent to you with your user name/VIA ID. 

Your user name/VIA ID is autogenerated and consists of a number of digits. 

Your user name/VIA ID is also a part of your VIAmail address followed by @via.dk Example: VIA ID = 123456 – VIA mail address = 123456@via.dk 

Your password is the password which you created at VIA Start.

Besides Studynet your VIA ID gives you access to a number of IT systems and services when you have completed VIA Start. Some of these systems are VIAmail, Itslearning (VIA's digital platform for teaching), OneDrive, download of Office programmes and much more. You can read more about these systems at VIA Studynet and Campus -> IT. 

The programmes at VIA have different dates of study start.

See when to start at your programme 2020/2021 (pdf)

All relevant information regarding your future programme can be found at Studynet. 

Before you begin your programme, you can find important information on Studynet. 

You can read about meeting times, introduction programmes, books, timetable etc. 

In order to find this information you need to log on to Studynet. When you have logged on, click "Study Material" (in the submenu) – "New student information". 

Studynet will be updated with new information several times before your programme start, so please make sure you stay informed. 

How to get access to Studynet

Log onto Studynet with your VIAmail address and the password which you created at VIA Start. The address for Studynet is: https://studienet.via.dk/sites/en  

What is Studynet?

Studynet is VIA’s primary communication channel for students. This is where you will find general information on exams, study guides, IT, the canteen, library, facilities on campus and much more.

Your educational programme and campus will also share relevant news for students on Studynet.

In order to gain access to your VIAmail, you need to log onto http://post.via.dk with your VIAmail address and the password which you created at VIA Start. 

You can also see your VIAmail and calendar at the front page of VIA Studynet.

If you need help to gain access to VIA's IT systems or if you have any questions regarding the above, you are welcome to contact us. 

Send an email to viaservice@via.dk or in urgent cases please call +45 87 55 12 12. 

You can contact us Monday to Friday from 07:30 a.m. until 03:30 p.m.

Normally, you must be a Danish citizen to be entitled to SU (State Educational Grant). In some cases, international students are eligible for SU if you fulfil specific conditions.

Read more about SU for foreign citizens.

If you are a Danish citizen, you can read about SU here.

You can apply for SU one month before you begin your programme at the earliest.

Contact information for VIA's SU offices

Special educational assistance (Danish acronym SPS) is support intended to ensure that students suffering from a physical or mental disabilities are able to get an education on an equal footing with other students at VIA University College. 

In order to apply for SPS, please contact the SPS-responsible at your campus and ask for a meeting.

Find contact information for VIA's SPS counsellors here.

The digital student card

If you would like a digital student card, just order it online. It’s free.

Order a digital student card through ISIC here. 

The physical VIAcard

As a VIA student, you can supplement your digital student card with a physical VIAcard. Use it to gain access to your campus and for printing/copying.

You can order a VIAcard here. Ordering a VIAcard is free.

You can read more about the VIAcard on Studynet. Click on “Campus” and then “Service centre”.

Student discount

VIA collaborates with ISIC, which means that, if you order a digital student card as described above, you will always have an internationally recognised discount card/student ID on hand. The card gives you easy access to both online and local student discounts with your smartphone.