{"id":188086,"date":"2026-02-24T06:19:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/sweet-spot-faerrest-falder-fra-ved-5-10-timers-studiejob-om-ugen\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T10:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:42:15","slug":"for-student-jobs-five-to-ten-hours-a-week-hits-the-sweet-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/for-student-jobs-five-to-ten-hours-a-week-hits-the-sweet-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"For student jobs, five to ten hours a week hits the sweet spot"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Life as a student is not just about books, lectures, and exams. For many students, paid work is also a part of their daily routine.<\/p>\n<p>But striking the right balance can be difficult. A student job can coexist with a degree programme \u2014 but it can also take up so much time that the risk of dropping out increases.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.dk\/samling\/20251\/almdel\/ufu\/spm\/41\/svar\/2198779\/3129313.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new statement<\/a> from the Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund offers an indication of what that balance looks like in practice.<\/p>\n<p>The ministry has calculated the annual dropout rate among students in higher education and broken down the figures according to how many hours students work per week.<\/p>\n<p>The dropout rate is lowest among students who work between five and ten hours a week. In this group, 9.8 per cent drop out. For comparison, the dropout rate is 13.6 per cent among students with no paid work, and it is 17.3 per cent among those working 20\u201325 hours per week. For students working more than 30 hours a week, the dropout rate is 30 per cent.<\/p>\n<p><em>The article continues below the graphic<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"visualisation\/27663716\"><script src=https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js><\/script><noscript><img src=https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/27663716\/thumbnail width=\"100%\" alt=\"chart visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<h3>Students with disabilities<\/h3>\n<p>Christina Egelund stresses that it is not possible, based on these numbers alone, to conclude that working hours are the sole cause of dropout. Many factors can influence both how much students work and their risk of dropping out, including academic preparedness, motivation, and social background.<\/p>\n<p>And that point is important, says Bella Marckmann, senior consultant in the unit for higher education at the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For some students, having a job is simply a necessity if they don\u2019t have substantial savings<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Bella Marckmann, senior consultant in the unit for higher education at the Danish Evaluation Institute<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbYou need to be aware that there may be a <em>selection effect<\/em> at play. There may be students who do not have a job, but who nevertheless have a greater risk of dropping out of their studies,\u00ab she says, and continues:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis could, for example, be students with a disability or other challenges that mean they need to spend more time studying and do not have the energy for a job on the side.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>This said, it does make good sense that a high number of working hours may be linked to a higher dropout rate, according to Bella Marckmann.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf you work a lot, there is competition for your time. It can become difficult to prioritise your studies to the extent you should, and in the worst case, that can lead to dropping out,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Social imbalance<\/h3>\n<p>Student jobs also cover many different types of work, says Bella Marckmann.<\/p>\n<p>There is a big difference between whether the job is relevant to your studies or not, and in how much energy it demands. A degree-relevant job may take up a lot of time, but it can increase motivation and give students a sense that their studies are useful.<\/p>\n<p>Bella Marckmann reckons that, for this reason and with all else being equal, there is a stronger link between a non-degree-relevant job and the risk of dropout than there is with a degree-relevant job.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis is not something that I have data on, but it would be my hypothesis,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>This is the reason why there is also a social and financial imbalance in the relationship between student jobs and the risk of dropping out of your degree.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It is in the first years that you need to find your routines and properly settle into your studies. After the first year, you can find a great study-relevant job<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Bella Marckmann, senior consultant in the unit for higher education at the Danish Evaluation Institute<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbIn Copenhagen, the supply of student housing that is affordable on the Danish government SU student grant has not increased. So for some students, having a job is simply a necessity if they don\u2019t have substantial savings. And that group does not have the option of waiting for the perfect study-relevant job. They need to just take what they can get to a greater extent,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>If students are forced to work many hours from the very start of their studies, this in itself can make the transition to student life more difficult, Bella Marckmann thinks.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf from the outset you have to work 15\u201320 hours a week while also learning how to be a student and perhaps moving to a new city, this can further increase the likelihood of dropping out,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Prioritise the beginning of your studies<\/h3>\n<p>If Bella Marckmann were to offer specific advice to students attempting to find a balance between study and work, it would not be about finding an optimal number of hours, but about prioritisation and timing.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf you can, try to prioritise your studies at the beginning of your study programme. And try to plan any work so that it does not constantly clash with teaching, group work, and exam periods,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/you-should-ask-for-more-pay-on-your-student-job\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>You should ask for more pay on your student job<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Group work, and attendance are, according to Bella Marckmann, an important part of getting off to a good start on many programmes. You therefore quickly run the risk of getting disconnected if your job often means that you do not show up.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt is in the first years that you need to find your routine and properly settle into your studies. After the first year, you can then find a great\u00a0degree-relevant job, once you have learned how to be a student,\u00ab says Bella Marckmann.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was first written in Danish and published on 16 February. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em><br \/>\n<!-- end of module 1 --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fewer hours in a student job may reduce the risk of dropping out of university. But other factors also play a role, says expert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":182482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3792],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-188086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-life","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>For student jobs, five to ten hours a week hits the sweet spot \u2014 University Post<\/title>\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\/for-student-jobs-five-to-ten-hours-a-week-hits-the-sweet-spot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For student jobs, five to ten hours a week hits the sweet spot \u2014 University Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fewer hours in a student job may reduce the risk of dropping out of university. 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12:17:59","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1709,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-768x513.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":513,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-1280x854.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":854,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-1536x1025.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1025,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-2048x1367.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1367,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-290x194.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":194,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-990x661.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":661}},"style":"extended","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"Bella Marckmann from the Danish Evaluation Institute says that new students should focus on their studies during the first year, before then trying to find a good student job. The photo was taken at the 2025 matriculation ceremony."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Balance","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>Life as a student is not just about books, lectures, and exams. For many students, paid work is also a part of their daily routine.<\/p>\n<p>But striking the right balance can be difficult. A student job can coexist with a degree programme \u2014 but it can also take up so much time that the risk of dropping out increases.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.dk\/samling\/20251\/almdel\/ufu\/spm\/41\/svar\/2198779\/3129313.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new statement<\/a> from the Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund offers an indication of what that balance looks like in practice.<\/p>\n<p>The ministry has calculated the annual dropout rate among students in higher education and broken down the figures according to how many hours students work per week.<\/p>\n<p>The dropout rate is lowest among students who work between five and ten hours a week. In this group, 9.8 per cent drop out. For comparison, the dropout rate is 13.6 per cent among students with no paid work, and it is 17.3 per cent among those working 20\u201325 hours per week. For students working more than 30 hours a week, the dropout rate is 30 per cent.<\/p>\n<p><em>The article continues below the graphic<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"flourish-embed flourish-chart\" data-src=\"visualisation\/27663716\"><script src=https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js><\/script><noscript><img src=https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/visualisation\/27663716\/thumbnail width=\"100%\" alt=\"chart visualization\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<h3>Students with disabilities<\/h3>\n<p>Christina Egelund stresses that it is not possible, based on these numbers alone, to conclude that working hours are the sole cause of dropout. Many factors can influence both how much students work and their risk of dropping out, including academic preparedness, motivation, and social background.<\/p>\n<p>And that point is important, says Bella Marckmann, senior consultant in the unit for higher education at the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA).<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For some students, having a job is simply a necessity if they don\u2019t have substantial savings<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Bella Marckmann, senior consultant in the unit for higher education at the Danish Evaluation Institute<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbYou need to be aware that there may be a <em>selection effect<\/em> at play. There may be students who do not have a job, but who nevertheless have a greater risk of dropping out of their studies,\u00ab she says, and continues:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis could, for example, be students with a disability or other challenges that mean they need to spend more time studying and do not have the energy for a job on the side.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>This said, it does make good sense that a high number of working hours may be linked to a higher dropout rate, according to Bella Marckmann.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf you work a lot, there is competition for your time. It can become difficult to prioritise your studies to the extent you should, and in the worst case, that can lead to dropping out,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Social imbalance<\/h3>\n<p>Student jobs also cover many different types of work, says Bella Marckmann.<\/p>\n<p>There is a big difference between whether the job is relevant to your studies or not, and in how much energy it demands. A degree-relevant job may take up a lot of time, but it can increase motivation and give students a sense that their studies are useful.<\/p>\n<p>Bella Marckmann reckons that, for this reason and with all else being equal, there is a stronger link between a non-degree-relevant job and the risk of dropout than there is with a degree-relevant job.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThis is not something that I have data on, but it would be my hypothesis,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>This is the reason why there is also a social and financial imbalance in the relationship between student jobs and the risk of dropping out of your degree.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It is in the first years that you need to find your routines and properly settle into your studies. After the first year, you can find a great study-relevant job<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Bella Marckmann, senior consultant in the unit for higher education at the Danish Evaluation Institute<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u00bbIn Copenhagen, the supply of student housing that is affordable on the Danish government SU student grant has not increased. So for some students, having a job is simply a necessity if they don\u2019t have substantial savings. And that group does not have the option of waiting for the perfect study-relevant job. They need to just take what they can get to a greater extent,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>If students are forced to work many hours from the very start of their studies, this in itself can make the transition to student life more difficult, Bella Marckmann thinks.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf from the outset you have to work 15\u201320 hours a week while also learning how to be a student and perhaps moving to a new city, this can further increase the likelihood of dropping out,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Prioritise the beginning of your studies<\/h3>\n<p>If Bella Marckmann were to offer specific advice to students attempting to find a balance between study and work, it would not be about finding an optimal number of hours, but about prioritisation and timing.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf you can, try to prioritise your studies at the beginning of your study programme. And try to plan any work so that it does not constantly clash with teaching, group work, and exam periods,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/you-should-ask-for-more-pay-on-your-student-job\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>You should ask for more pay on your student job<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Group work, and attendance are, according to Bella Marckmann, an important part of getting off to a good start on many programmes. You therefore quickly run the risk of getting disconnected if your job often means that you do not show up.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt is in the first years that you need to find your routine and properly settle into your studies. After the first year, you can then find a great\u00a0degree-relevant job, once you have learned how to be a student,\u00ab says Bella Marckmann.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was first written in Danish and published on 16 February. 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":3792,"name":"Student life","slug":"student-life","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3792,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":160,"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":11487,"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\/immatrikulation2025genregenrefotostuderendestudielivstudiestart2-1280x854.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188086","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\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188086"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188103,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188086\/revisions\/188103"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/182482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}