Starting out as a student can require deep pockets. You need to stay academically up to date, have a place to live, socialize – and make everything else in your life fit financially within a student budget. Below, we've gathered a couple of good tips to ensure that your semester start doesn't drain your bank account.
1. get your study books as e-books - or buy them used
Study books are expensive, and the curriculum can make any bank account seem empty. Luckily, there are many places, both virtually and physically, where used study books can be bought cheaply. You can find them on Facebook through study specific groups, DBA (a Danish online marketplace), or in stores that specifically offer discounts for students.
In addition, Academicbooks.dk also provides various options for students, from price matching on study books and whole curriculum lists to a 10% student discount on all books. As opposed to Saxo.com, the good thing about Academicbooks.dk is that their Website is also in English and thus easy for international students to navigate.
2. Get a study relevant job – and even SU!
As a foreign student in Denmark, you are actually entitled to apply for the state education grant known as “SU”, as long as you can secure a job somewhere. This makes it very relevant for you to be on the lookout for one. A lot of jobs require some knowledge of the Danish language though, so it could be a good idea to look into a few Danish classes too. Even just trying to speak Danish will not only make you more popular with local Danes but also increase their trust towards you. Many Danes find accents exciting), and there are also job opportunities that require foreign language skills.
Luckily, we have quite a compilation of potentially relevant work-study jobs for you to check out here.
In addition, the following jobs are among the most common ones for internationals if you're not necessarily concerned about their relevance to your studies:
- Cashier (gas station, etc.)
- Tutor (help children and young people with their homework)
- Waiter/waitress (restaurant, café, inn, etc.)
- Bartender (bar, nightclub, café, etc.)
- Courier (for delivery services like Wolt, Just Eat, Foodora etc.)
- Cleaning assistant
However, a job relevant to your studies undoubtedly provides the best experience, leaves a significant mark on your resume, and might even help secure a job after completing your education.
Study jobs aren't just readily available, but you can be sure that you won't get a study job if you're not proactive. In other words, you need to start looking for job postings and send out a lot of job applications - it's just a matter of getting started.
3. Swap the café for the Student House or your own food club
When studies begin, books need to be attended to - but so do friends. With studies often comes a network that you'd like to spend time with, and it's easy to fall into the expensive trap of meeting up at a café.
Instead, you can gather at your Student House where you can often get both cheap coffee and affordable drinks, while also having a chance to bump into study buddies you haven't seen in a while.
In addition to meeting over a warm café latte at the Student House, you can also gather your best friends from your study and replace café visits with your own food club. For instance, you can take turns inviting each other for dinner every week. Decide on a maximum amount the host can spend on groceries - and you can even cook together! It's incredibly nice to get together for homemade food, and it costs a fraction of what a café visit adds up to.
4. Remember the bicycle!
If you live in the same city where you study, it can be a significant advantage to opt for a bicycle instead of the bus. It frees up space in your budget – even if you only use the bike a couple of times a week. A so-called “Rejsekort” (travel card, which you can order) or single tickets can quickly consume a significant portion of your budget, so it's worth to consider skipping the bus.
With a bicycle, you're not dependent on whether the train is on time or if your bus shows up. Like the used books, there are usually many places in the Danish university cities, where you can buy a cheap bike. So, just hop on your two-wheeled steed and enjoy a free workout.
