Information for new students

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 your 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.

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

VIA's campuses are starting to reopen 12 April 2021, but some teaching and exams are still online.

Go here to learn more about VIA's contingency plan for coronavirus, the newest updates, teaching, study start, practical matters and much more - Information about coronavirus

If you want to know more about what it has been like to be an international student at VIA watch this Q&A video in which a panel of four current international students share their experiences on the restrictions in Denmark, student- and social life during the pandemic.

If you are worried about study start or feeling overwhelmed go to our chat where student counsellors are ready to help you - find the chat here!

Once you have accepted your offered study place in NemStudie, you are ready to become a student at VIA. Congratulations! We look forward to welcoming you.

We will welcome you with an e-mail sent to the e-mail address you used when applying at optagelse.dk or nemStudie. In this e-mail you will find your VIA ID, an autogenerated sequence of numbers and an instruction to complete VIA Start (start.via.dk).

It is important that you complete VIA Start, as this will give you access to VIA’s IT systems and services, such as Studynet and VIAmail, where you will find important information about your study start. More on how to complete VIA Start in the ‘Get access to VIA’s IT-systems and services’ below.

Note: It may take as much as eight days from confirming your study place until you receive your welcome e-mail.

To get access to VIA’s IT-systems, you have to complete VIA Start (start.via.dk). You log on to VIA Start with the VIA ID you received in your welcome e-mail as username and your CPR-number as password the first time you log on.

During the process, you have to upload a picture for your student card, confirm that you have read the IT regulations, change your password and consider whether you want to allow VIA to send text messages to your phone.

Once you have completed VIA Start, you will have access to VIA’s IT-systems and services within 24 hours. You will e.g. have access to Studynet, Itslearning (VIA’s digital platform for teaching), OneDrive, download of the Office suite and much more. Read more about which systems and services you have access to at Studynet.

In need of further assistance?

If you need help getting access to VIA’s IT-systems, you are more than welcome to contact VIA’s IT department. Send an e-mail to viaservice@via.dk or call at +45 87 55 12 12. Opening hours are Monday-Friday 7.30 am to 3.30 pm.

Studynet is VIA’s primary communication channel to you as a student. Here you will find general information on e.g. exams, student counselling, international opportunities, study administrative rules, IT, canteens, libraries, facilities on campus and much more. Your study programme and campus will also post news here.

Study start, schedule etc.

The programmes at VIA have different dates of study start – most are around 1 September and 1 February.

See when to start at your programme 2021/2022 (pdf)

All relevant information regarding your future programme can be found at Studynet. This goes for time schedule, introduction programme, books etc. Note, these pieces of information are not available anywhere else than Studynet. They will not be sent by e-mail or otherwise distributed. So, do not forget to log on to Studynet before study start.

The address for Studynet is: https://studienet.via.dk/sites/en

How to log on to Studynet

Log on with your VIAmail address and the password you chose in VIA Start. Your VIAmail is your VIA ID + @via.dk. Example: 123456@via.dk

Once you are logged on, go to the “Study Material” tab in the menu and then choose “New student information” in the menu to the left. Studynet is updated several times before study start, so make sure to stay up-to-date.

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.

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

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, 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. 

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. 

Frequently asked questions about SPS

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.

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.

In the current situation with coronavirus, many students experience difficulties in structuring their everyday life and staying motivated, when sitting at home alone without the option of getting together with fellow students and teachers.

If you have specific questions related to your study programme, please contact the study counsellor at your programme.

If you need help or guidance in relation to your mental well-being, our student counsellors are ready to help you on our chat counselling platform Monday to Friday from 9-12 AM.

The chat will remain open throughout February and March.

Find the chat here!