How to not be defeated by University of Copenhagen's intranet, KU-net

This article was first published 17 August 2018. It has been updated 21 June 2019. KU has since renewed the design in 2022. 

You might be familiar with online Danish citizen services such as borger.dk and NemID – and you did manage to apply for university online, after all. But greater IT challenges lie ahead.

Most students agree that the intranet of the University of Copenhagen is tougher to get your head around than complex scientific theory

Kunet.dk is your new intranet hub where you can access all the necessary information related to your studies over your career as a student. #Easy you might think. You are a digital native, a keyboard-trained millenial, and used to hunting for information and navigating websites.

But, dear millenial of the internet generation, it is now time to level up.

Most students agree that the University of Copenhagen intranet is tougher to get your head around than complex scientific theory. With more than 2TB of data (corresponding to 20 million A4 sides) the intranet is a convoluted mess of information.

Challenge accepted? Well, there is no way around it anyway.

The home page – stay updated

This is the gateway to almost every portal you will use on a daily basis. It is a good idea to stay updated every day.

On the home page you will find important messages which are both relevant to your studies and faculty and those targeting the entire university. As you progress along in your studies, it could prove quite catastrophic to miss one of these messages, as they could be related to enrollment deadlines for classes or exams.

The home page is also where you will find posts about student events and important and not-so-important news.

KUmail – information in your inbox

Your KUmail is one of the most important communication tools during your studies and you can easily access it from the home page. With an aesthetic that looks like it was inspired by the early days of email, you use this tool to communicate with student administration and professors. All official emails from the university will be sent to your KUmail.

The three letters and three numbers that form your email address will also become your university identity – this swedish number plate, which it is also called unofficially, will follow you until the end of your master’s. So learn it off by heart straight away.

Check your mail often, as people often forget to do that between work emails and personal emails. Alternatively, you could set it up on your smartphone and get copies sent to your private email address. These guides can be found on KUnet – type ‘KUmail’ into the search field.

Search box – navigate your way through the site

KUnet is packed with information, making it tough to work out what info lies under which heading. That’s where the search box comes in handy.

If you’re completely lost, it could also help to jump over to Google in order to find the result. Sometimes the information you’re looking for isn’t on KUnet at all but on the university’s website, ku.dk or ku.dk/english. Remember: you can’t ‘google’ information from KUnet.

Timetable – keep up with changes

The University of Copenhagen has made it easy for you.

With a few clicks, you can download your personal timetable to your smartphone calendar. Tutorials and lectures are directly plotted in between your coffee dates and football matches, and it will also add the location and professor names.

If there are changes to the timetable, it will also be adjusted on your smartphone. Now there is no excuse for missing a rescheduled lecture. The timetable can also be found in the new app on KUnet’s home page.

Absalon – your online classroom

Absalon is the digital platform for your different subjects. With an intuitive design, this is where you will find course material, syllabuses, information about your courses – and you can communicate with teaching staff and students.

You will end up using Absalon a lot over the course of your studies, when you are studying at home or if you need to check up on missed lectures. All professors use the portal in a different way, some use it more than others, which can be confusing, but you will figure it out.

If you are extra curious, you can check out your Absalon groups already. Study plans and overviews may already be uploaded by your professors.

Your study information page is essential

Your ‘study information’ page is your guide to your upcoming study life. This is where you will find all the information about your program and the future possibilities and choices that are related to your studies. You can access it via ‘my portals’ and under the name of your program.

This is where you will find information about exchange places, electives and internships. This is also where you can access information about career guidance, criteria for your bachelor thesis and many deadlines and procedures and perhaps most importantly of all, the contact information of all relevant entities at the University of Copenhagen.

Self-service – results and enrollment

You’ll first become familiar with self-service when ordering your student card. Get it done fast, so you can get discounts – and enter campus after closing hours.

The new app condenses many of the digital platforms into one handy mobile version

However self-service also contains a lot of other important elements. This is where, with shaky fingers, you click your way to your first exam results. Just click on ‘Enrolment, courses & exams’ and your grades will appear under ‘Grade results’.

It is also where you find all the information that is registered about you by the University of Copenhagen, and also where you enroll and unenroll from courses, projects and exams. But don’t get confused by that – during your bachelor you are automatically allocated courses and exams.

Digital exam – this is where you submit

After you’ve slogged through the workload and put the final full stop down on your written exam, you submit it via digital exam. It is fast and easy, but don’t wait until the last minute – imagine if the wifi cuts out or there are technical issues and you don’t submit in time.

The printer – the eternal struggle

You might wind up with an old-school professor who prefers to mark your assignments and exams by hand. This is why you need to be on top of your game with the printer – and that is easier said than done.

Don’t wait until the last minute – KUnet’s guides for hooking up the printer to your computer are long and complicated. Give yourself some time and drink a cup of coffee before testing your patience.

At South Campus there is a new system, where you can print online (webprint.ku.dk) and your computer doesn’t have to be set up to print. It’s clever but also confusing as new ways often are.

Or, if you really struggle with technical stuff, take a shortcut and head over to IT support. They’ll know what to do.

MyUCPH app

KUnet’s latest update is made for smartphones, but you can also download the official, internationally titled ‘My UCPH’ app which condenses many of the digital platforms into one handy mobile version, including your personal timetable, information about libraries and a lot of other content. You can find the app in Google Play or the App Store.

Ready to go?

Perhaps this guide has helped you, or maybe you are just more confused. But get a head start and click on ‘studiestart’ under your study information page (which unfortunately seems to be all in Danish) This is where you can access good advice on whatever you need – from the digital and social to the academic.

Good luck!