Overview

Velkommen til Danmark!

Looking to experience ‘hygge” or at least learn what it means? It’s time to head to Denmark! Immerse yourself in a culture and with people who have been defined as some of the happiest in the world. As an exchange student in Denmark, you will experience what it’s like to attend high school with your Danish peers and receive the gift of cultural immersion, allowing you to gain a new perspective during your academic adventure abroad.

Program at a Glance:

  • Host family accommodation provides full language and cultural immersion.
  • No previous Danish language experience required – beginners welcome!
  • You can choose between trimester, semester or academic year lengths.
  • A straightforward online application process
  • Start dates in spring or fall.
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Program Details
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*Video courtesy of The Official YouTube channel of Denmark.dk

Program Dates

Application Deadline: March 15th

  • Trimester: August – November
  • Semester: August – January
  • Academic Year: August – June

You’ll know your exact arrival and departure dates after being placed in a host family and in a school! Program dates vary depending on region and school placement.

Arrival and Departure 

All students are required to book flights on their own. An airport transfer upon arrival is included in the cost of the program. Your exact arrival and departure dates will be provided after you’re placed in a host family and school, as well as the exact timeframes you should arrive/depart, so that you can start to search for possible flights. We require prior approval of a proposed itinerary before you purchase any flights.

 

Inclusions

Packaged into the Price:

  • Airport pickup upon arrival
  • Host family accommodation and 3 meals per day
  • Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
  • Full-Day Arrival Orientation (Conducted by the Danish Staff after arrival)
  • Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program for use on college applications.

Payment Details

  • $1,500 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply
  • $5,000 Commitment Payment  due 14 days after acceptance
  • Remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to your start date. If your program starts within 16 weeks of acceptance, the remaining program balance payment will be due at the same time as the commitment payment. 

Academic Info

So, what about credits? 

Your host school abroad will not provide high school credit. All credit must be granted through your home school in the U.S. or Canada. All U.S./Canadian schools have different policies. 

In Denmark, there is no guarantee your host school will provide you an official transcript. If your school will not, some host schools will provide documentation, letters, and any other materials you require upon request. You must have good behavior, attendance, and performance in order for the school to fulfill this request.  

Then, you should take this documentation back to your home school as proof of your participation in the program. Your home school is responsible for awarding you credit for this program or not.  

Before You Go Abroad

You should meet with your US high school before you leave and share the general curriculum guidelines for Denmark with your guidance counselor and/or teachers.  

Because the curriculum will vary by school, there is no guarantee you’ll take any specific classes, it is important that you arrange the required classes required for your graduation, such as U.S. History, before or after your time abroad.  

You will be provided information about the general curriculum for your age level in Denmark, but you will not know your course schedule until after you arrive in country and start attending school.  

Once You’re Abroad

Please keep in mind that the grading system in other countries is different than the US. Most host schools will not grant grades or transcripts as it is too difficult to evaluate your work due to the language barrier. If your host school is able to award you grades, they won’t be an exact match to what you would get in the US.

Support and Services: 

  • Visa Assistance in applying for the visa ahead of arrival, including visa paperwork and extensive directions and support.
  • Extensive pre-departure advice and support from your US-based program manager. They will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in Denmark.
  • Support from in-country staff upon arrival to Denmark.
  • Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave.
  • 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.

Additional Expenses to Budget For:

Denmark is known to be a costly country; please note that your money will not go as far as it will in the U.S.

  • Airfare to/from Denmark
  • Welcome Camp in a European city (optional – $800)
  • Weekend excursions (optional trips offered within Europe)
  • All school supplies, notebooks, pens, calculator etc.
  • Local transportation (about 50 Euro/month)
    • Please note in Denmark public transportation costs tend to be more than other Scandinavian countries. It is quite common to travel everywhere by bus or train (though some students can go by bike to school!). Students staying longer than a trimester will be eligible for a Danish social security card, which once acquired will enable them to buy transportation tickets with a student price.
  • Pocket money
  • Lunch at school if not packed from home
  • Personal hygiene articles (deodorant, tampons, perfume, shampoo)
  • Specialty food items
    • If there is something you want or enjoy that your host family does not typically buy. Students with intolerances have to buy (for example): gluten-free items, lactose intolerance milk, vegan options etc. if this is not part of their host family’s diet.
  • Optional School Trips
    • Students aged 16-17 are placed in the second year of Gymnasium. Each spring there is a school-sponsored “study trip” that costs $500-800 USD depending on the destination.

Eligibility

In researching a study abroad program, you have already shown you are a leader and open-minded in your academic pursuits. These are just a few of the traits that our exchange students possess. You’re motivated to immerse yourself in another culture and flexible enough to live outside your comfort zone. You should also:

  • Be between 15 and 18 years of age (at the time of travel)
  • Be from the United States or Canada
  • Possess a high school cumulative GPA of at least 2.75/4.0
  • Be in great mental* and physical health
  • Have a genuine interest in becoming a part of your host family and community
  • Be willing to learn the Danish language
  • Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before departure

*What does it mean to be in good mental health?

Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition, may not be accepted. Each student will be addressed on a case-by-case basis and ultimately it is the in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Eating disorders
  • Chronic debilitating migraines
  • Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.

Please note that students who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD will not be guaranteed any academic accommodations plans by the host school abroad.