Aarhus - Denmark's best place to study 2021

Aarhus is the 2021 winner on Studentum.dk’s annual list of Denmark’s best cities to study in. Find out why right here!

aarhus, winner of best city for students 2021

Are you looking for a place to study that are both ranked top-level with regards to academic excellence and social settings? Or are you looking for a city with easy transportation options and a wide variety of options to remain active? Then look no further. Aarhus is this year’s winner on Studentum.dk’s annual list of Denmark’s best cities to study in, and could very well be the place you are looking for!

On Studentum.dk’s list of Denmark’s best cities to study in, Aarhus snags this year’s top spot. On the basis of high scores on parameters such as ‘Career’, ‘Professionalism’, ‘Social environment’, ‘Student jobs’ and ‘Sports’, the Jutlandian municipality correlates as a great fit with what students weighed heaviest in their preferences of their study place. Read more about why you should choose Aarhus as your next city to study in below.

Facts about Aarhus:

Population: Approximately 350.000

Associations: 8.577

Bars & cafés: 445

Average rent: 115 dkk / sqm

Student jobs per year: 678

Aarhus - The city of smiles

It is no coincidence that Aarhus ranks highest on this year’s list. As Denmark’s 2nd largest city, Aarhus presents a lot of the advantages and opportunities linked to big cities, whilst it remains rooted in the laid back and charming Jutlandian heart and soul.

Out of Aarhus’ 350.000 residents, students represent almost a seventh of the entire population, which adds to the city’s characteristic pulsating nightlife and general trendy and young vibe. So take a stroll along Åboulevarden, and experience the buzz of happy and satisfied people, as a large number of bars, cafés and restaurants serve their customers in urban, yet idyllic surroundings.

This ideal combination leads to Aarhus ranking 2nd highest on both ‘Social environment’ and ‘City life’, and to also rank 2nd highest among Denmark’s 4 largest cities on the ‘Safety’-parameter. This all fosters great natural conditions for a blooming life in the city, which you’ll also experience, should you choose to study here.

No reason to panic - You’ll find a place to live!

A worry you might stumble upon when trying to decide your next place to study, is whether you are able to find a place to live or not. As an attractive city to study in, it might be seemingly difficult to find initially. But Aarhus actually contains a wide variety of great places to live. As long as you start in due time, you are safe to go. 

You’ll quickly learn that there are a lot of dorms centrally located in areas like Ceresbyen, Trøjborg and Frederiksbjerg. These include popular dorms such as Åpark Kollegiet, Kollegierne i Universitetsparken, Grundtvighus Kollegie and Aarhus Sportskollegium.

The square meter price in Aarhus is around 115 dkk/sqm, which makes ‘The city of smiles’ reasonably cheaper than the danish capital, where prices are 157 dkk/sqm. In Aarhus you’ll get the big city life without the economical headaches that normally follow.

So don’t worry! As long as you start in due time, you’ll find a great place to live!

Kickstart your career in Aarhus

Aarhus presents great opportunities for you to follow, when trying to plan your desired career path. Both as a student, and afterwards. Within the last year, approximately 700 student positions were listed in Aarhus, which is around 3 times as many as this year’s average, and which also ranks Aarhus on a 2nd place in the category ‘Student jobs’.

Perhaps the large quantity of student positions are due to local companies’ recognition of Aarhus’ academic excellence, which also is rated 2nd highest on this year’s list. Or perhaps it is due to Aarhus’ great social environment in academic contexts. Both factors are in play when it comes to Aarhus’ ability to produce socially and academically competent people.

But it is not only with regards to student positions that you should consider Aarhus as your preferred academic city. As home of many big as well as smaller companies, Aarhus also could be your future place to work!

Around 23.000 available positions were posted in Aarhus within the last year, which is 2nd highest of all in Denmark. This is also around 3 times as many jobs as the average city on the list. When you graduate in Aarhus, you can expect an estimated salary just above average for danish graduates, however, your average wage increase after 10 years in the city points to 24.30%, which is 3rd  highest on the list. Compile the former with the latter, and Aarhus ranks 3rd in the category ‘Career’.

So do yourself and your career dreams a favor, and kickstart your career in Aarhus!

A wide variety of opportunities to remain active

In Aarhus you’ll find a lot of opportunities to remain active. The city is ranked 4th in the category ‘Sports’, so whether you prefer jogging in one of the many green areas, climbing on climbing walls, having a fresh dip in the ocean, taking your bike for a ride or playing hoops on a court, Aarhus probably has the answer. 

If you are mostly interested in the social aspects of sports, there are many sports associations that can include you, and help you socially integrate. You’ll both find associations for amateurs and for (semi) professionals spread around the city.

You’ll also be able to cheer on one of Aarhus’ many clubs of elite sports. Take a swing by Ceres Park and watch ‘De hvii’e’ defend the Aarhusian pride in football, or perhaps watch the infamous Bakken Bears perform their best moves when trying to outscore their opponents in basketball.

No matter what you choose to do, transport won’t be a problem. With the introduction of ‘Letbanen’, a modern and automated railway train, and a lot of easily accessible biking routes, you’ll get from A to B in no time. The great transportation options make a big impact on this year’s list, where Aarhus ranks 2nd in the category ‘Transport’.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to remain active. Explore your options and consider Aarhus your next study destination!

Your educational opportunities in Aarhus

You’ll find a wide variety of educational institutions in Aarhus. What they all have in common, is their high ranks on quality, academic excellence and social environment. In fact, University of Aarhus takes a place in the global top 100 of universities world wide. Pretty impressive, right?

But University of Aarhus is just one of many options for you. Check out your study options, and get an easy overview with our list of educational institutions in Aarhus right here:


Top 10 student cities in Denmark 2021


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