\u00bbThe university is the highest educational institution we have. It doesn\u2019t make sense to base an academic study abroad on chance.\u00ab<\/p>\n
He acknowledges that grades don\u2019t necessarily provide a complete picture of a student\u2019s effort. But it is, nevertheless, the metric that the university uses itself:<\/p>\n
The university is the highest educational institution we have. It doesn\u2019t make sense to base an academic study abroad on chance.<\/p>\n
Villum Graglia, political science student<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u00bbWhen grades are no longer used to allocate the most coveted placements, the university undermines its own meritocratic practice,\u00ab says Villum Graglia.<\/p>\n
Deputy Director Rie Snekkerup disagrees:<\/p>\n
\u00bbThe academic development that can come from an exchange should be accessible to everyone. Just like students can access courses at the university regardless of their grades, so we also want exchange placements to be an opportunity that is open to all.\u00ab<\/p>\n
Grades still matter, however:<\/p>\n
\u00bbWe believe everyone should have access to the universities we have agreements with. Some partners require a minimum GPA of 7, so if you fall below that, you can\u2019t apply. But we don\u2019t aim for certain agreements to be reserved for specific groups \u2014 they should be for everyone,\u00ab writes the Deputy Director for Education.<\/p>\n
Grades are not the same as diligence<\/h3>\n
Critics have also pointed out that the lottery system puts those who have worked hard for high grades on the same footing as those who have put in less effort.<\/p>\n
Villum Graglia notes that an exchange stay at a prestigious top university can be a valuable addition to a student\u2019s CV. And if demand exceeds supply, he argues, it makes sense to allocate places based on academic performance.<\/p>\n
\u00bbNot everyone starts out from the same point in life \u2014 I realise that \u2014 but once we\u2019re admitted to the country\u2019s highest educational institution, we have to assume that we all have the same opportunities. And then it should be our academic achievements that count,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n
Rie Snekkerup doesn\u2019t agree:<\/p>\n
\u00bbI don\u2019t believe a lower GPA is an indication that someone isn\u2019t working hard. You can be focused and put in a huge effort and still not get top grades. It might also be different academic strengths or life circumstances that mean you can\u2019t put in as many hours. Diligence and commitment don\u2019t only show up in your grades.\u00ab<\/p>\n
She adds that exchange can in fact be a significant academic boost:<\/p>\n
\u00bbWe see students develop academically during exchange, and many with lower GPAs flourish. In many places, there is continuous assessment, mid-term assignments, and attendance requirements \u2014 a teaching format that really suits some students,\u00ab she writes.<\/p>\n
Preferences shift over time<\/h3>\n
Rie Snekkerup, can you understand that some students see the new system as unfair?<\/em><\/p>\n\u00bbI understand that viewpoint. We are used to grades functioning as a kind of currency. But I also hope people can see this in a broader perspective. Being on exchange opens up numerous opportunities to evolve academically and personally, and those should also be accessible to your fellow students.\u00ab<\/p>\n
She adds that UCPH is not the only university adopting this approach. The University of Amsterdam has used a lottery system for three years. Utrecht University also uses it, and the University of Helsinki and ETH Zurich are switching to a lottery system at the same time as UCPH.<\/p>\n
The system is being introduced as a pilot project and will initially run for a few years. UCPH will monitor applications and assess whether the new model affects patterns:<\/p>\n
\u00bbTen years ago, the US was extremely popular. Now, students primarily apply to universities in Europe. No matter how we allocate placements, we see shifts over time in where students want to go,\u00ab she writes.<\/p>\n
This article was first written in Danish and published on 2 October. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em>
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Lottery to decide who goes abroad from University of Copenhagen \u2014 not everyone\u2019s happy \u2014 University Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Random selection has been introduced for exchange placements to promote equality and diversity \u2014 but the move has stirred up opposition\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/lottery-to-decide-who-goes-abroad-from-university-of-copenhagen-not-everyones-happy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lottery to decide who goes abroad from University of Copenhagen \u2014 not everyone\u2019s happy \u2014 University Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Random selection has been introduced for exchange placements to promote equality and diversity \u2014 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science student Villum Graglia believes that exchange placements should be allocated based on grade point average: \u00bbIt should be our academic performance that counts\u00ab."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Study abroad","text":"This is a story about what will follow","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>When students from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) apply to go abroad under an exchange programme this coming November, it will no longer be their grade point average that determines whether they end up in their dream destination. For the first time, UCPH will allocate exchange placements by lottery.<\/p>\n<p>This is confirmed by Rie Snekkerup, Deputy Director for Education at UCPH:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe could see that on certain exchange agreements there were very high grade requirements. Study abroad should be an academic opportunity that is open to a wide range of students. It was never the intention that you had to get top grades to be able to go abroad,\u00ab she writes in a written response to questions from the University Post.<\/p>\n<p>Popular universities like the University of Melbourne, University of Edinburgh, University of Bologna, and University of Madrid have been so popular that students with lower averages were effectively excluded. All that is about to change.<\/p>\n<p>Students can still apply to up to five universities, but will now be entered into a lottery for placements.<\/p>\n<h3>Criticism: Lottery undermines academic standards<\/h3>\n<p>Not everyone is thrilled with the change however. Villum Graglia, a third-semester political science student at UCPH, recently wrote on the Danish news site <em>Berlingske<\/em> that the lottery undermines university principles of rewarding academic excellence and perseverance. Speaking to the University Post, he expands on his criticism:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe university is the highest educational institution we have. It doesn\u2019t make sense to base an academic study abroad on chance.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>He acknowledges that grades don\u2019t necessarily provide a complete picture of a student\u2019s effort. But it is, nevertheless, the metric that the university uses itself:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The university is the highest educational institution we have. It doesn\u2019t make sense to base an academic study abroad on chance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Villum Graglia, political science student<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbWhen grades are no longer used to allocate the most coveted placements, the university undermines its own meritocratic practice,\u00ab says Villum Graglia.<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Director Rie Snekkerup disagrees:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe academic development that can come from an exchange should be accessible to everyone. Just like students can access courses at the university regardless of their grades, so we also want exchange placements to be an opportunity that is open to all.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>Grades still matter, however:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe believe everyone should have access to the universities we have agreements with. Some partners require a minimum GPA of 7, so if you fall below that, you can\u2019t apply. But we don\u2019t aim for certain agreements to be reserved for specific groups \u2014 they should be for everyone,\u00ab writes the Deputy Director for Education.<\/p>\n<h3>Grades are not the same as diligence<\/h3>\n<p>Critics have also pointed out that the lottery system puts those who have worked hard for high grades on the same footing as those who have put in less effort.<\/p>\n<p>Villum Graglia notes that an exchange stay at a prestigious top university can be a valuable addition to a student\u2019s CV. And if demand exceeds supply, he argues, it makes sense to allocate places based on academic performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbNot everyone starts out from the same point in life \u2014 I realise that \u2014 but once we\u2019re admitted to the country\u2019s highest educational institution, we have to assume that we all have the same opportunities. And then it should be our academic achievements that count,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>Rie Snekkerup doesn\u2019t agree:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI don\u2019t believe a lower GPA is an indication that someone isn\u2019t working hard. You can be focused and put in a huge effort and still not get top grades. It might also be different academic strengths or life circumstances that mean you can\u2019t put in as many hours. Diligence and commitment don\u2019t only show up in your grades.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>She adds that exchange can in fact be a significant academic boost:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe see students develop academically during exchange, and many with lower GPAs flourish. In many places, there is continuous assessment, mid-term assignments, and attendance requirements \u2014 a teaching format that really suits some students,\u00ab she writes.<\/p>\n<h3>Preferences shift over time<\/h3>\n<p><em>Rie Snekkerup, can you understand that some students see the new system as unfair?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI understand that viewpoint. We are used to grades functioning as a kind of currency. But I also hope people can see this in a broader perspective. Being on exchange opens up numerous opportunities to evolve academically and personally, and those should also be accessible to your fellow students.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>She adds that UCPH is not the only university adopting this approach. The University of Amsterdam has used a lottery system for three years. Utrecht University also uses it, and the University of Helsinki and ETH Zurich are switching to a lottery system at the same time as UCPH.<\/p>\n<p>The system is being introduced as a pilot project and will initially run for a few years. UCPH will monitor applications and assess whether the new model affects patterns:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbTen years ago, the US was extremely popular. Now, students primarily apply to universities in Europe. No matter how we allocate placements, we see shifts over time in where students want to go,\u00ab she writes.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was first written in Danish and published on 2 October. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and top University of Copenhagen stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":42,"name":"Education","slug":"education","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":42,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":661,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11485,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/villumgraglia-1-1280x873.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/109"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182017"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182019,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182017\/revisions\/182019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}