International students at UCPH: 2015 statistics

Every year the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) welcomes new students from all over the world. The University Post has received the latest overview of where this year’s new students come from.

The total number of incoming international students has so far been kept a secret despite repeated University Post requests. This is due to the fact that Danish universities in recent years have been forced to balance incoming (International) and (Danish) outgoing numbers, with universities fined if they are off target.

It is a hot potato, so the numbers we have for you are not totals. But here we present an overview of the origins and makeup of the present international student body.

From Canada to New Zealand, this year’s newcomers cover more than 60 nationalities from pretty much all the continents in the globe. To offer an overview of how diverse and multicultural UCPH has become, we have highlighted the countries the new students are from.

You might ask yourself why Denmark is highlighted as well. As it turns out, Danes residing and studying overseas have also decided to take a semester or two back in the motherland getting their yearly dose of rye bread and liquorice.

More girls than guys

University Post has already reported on the gender ratios at UCPH, but we decided to take a closer look into this year’s new international students just to confirm that girls are, in fact, taking over.

With a majority of 62,3 per cent, girls seem to be attracted to Copenhagen’s modern and sophisticated style, and probably Danish guys as well, who knows.

Graph: Lisbeth Waagstein

Top 10 exchange universities

Students come from more than 300 different universities with multiple specialisations. Here’s top 10 universities most of this year’s international students come from.

1. Universität für Bodenkultur Wien/University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences
2. Universität Hohenheim
3. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
4. Haskoli Islands/University of Iceland
5. Beijing International Studies University (BISU)
6. Zhejiang University Hangzhou
7. Universiteit van Amsterdam
8. National University of Singapore
9. University of Leeds
10. Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

Even if from the same university, not all students come to Copenhagen for the same reason. In the chart below it is possible to observe a distribution of this year’s new international students according to their exchange programme. Almost half of the students are part of the Erasmus exchange programme.

Graph: Lisbeth Waagstein

Top 10 countries (international students’ home universities)

Here are the top ten countries of origin, in terms of students’ home universities:
1. Germany 166
1. USA 166
3. England 105
4. Australia 81
5. France 65
6. China 60
7. Canada 48
8. Austria 47
9. Netherlands 39
10. Japan 31

Law the most interesting

Certain programmes at UCPH are getting interest from students all over the world. The courses offered by the faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities seem to be quite popular.

1. Law
2. Political Science
3. Anthropology
4. Psychology
5. Sociology
6. Economics
7. Medicine
8. Film and Media Studies
9. Environmental Management in Europe
10. English

So if you’re nervous about your new studies at UCPH or you’re just feeling a little bit homesick, remember that you’re probably not the only Egyptian or Colombian in the city.

You can find more information on the ku.dk website on this page here.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

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