High School in Denmark

Velkommen til Danmark!

Looking to experience ‘hygge”… Or at least learn what it means? It’s time to head to Denmark! Immerse yourself in a culture and with people who have been defined as some of the happiest in the world. As an exchange student in Denmark, you will experience what it’s like to attend high school with your Danish peers and receive the gift of cultural immersion, allowing you to gain a new perspective during your academic adventure abroad.

Program at a Glance:

• Host family accommodation provides full language and cultural immersion
• No previous Danish language experience required – beginners welcome!
• You can choose between trimester, semester or academic year lengths
• A straightforward online application process
• Start dates in spring or fall

So, what about credits? 

Neither Greenheart Travel nor the host school abroad provides high school credit. All credit must be granted through your home school in the U.S. or Canada. All U.S./Canadian schools have different policies. Here’s a blog post to read more about how some alumni have transferred credits.  

In Denmark, we cannot guarantee your host school will provide you an official transcript. If your school will not, some host schools will provide documentation, letters, and any other materials you require upon request. You must have good behavior, attendance, and performance in order for the school to fulfill this request.  

Then, you should take this documentation back to your home school as proof of your participation in the program. Your home school is responsible for awarding you credit for this program or not.  

Before You Go Abroad

You should meet with your US high school before you leave and share the general curriculum guidelines for Denmark with your guidance counselor and/or teachers.  

Because the curriculum will vary by school and we cannot guarantee you’ll take any specific classes, it is important that you arrange the required classes required for your graduation, such as U.S. History, before or after your time abroad.  

Greenheart Travel will be able to provide information about the general curriculum for your age level in Denmark , but you will not know your course schedule until after you arrive in country and start attending school.  

Once You’re Abroad

Please keep in mind that the grading system in other countries is different than the US. Most host schools will not grant grades or transcripts as it is too difficult to evaluate your work due to the language barrier. If your host school is able to award you grades, they won’t be an exact match to what you would get in the US.

What to know about attending a Danish high school:

• The typical school year in Denmark starts in mid-August and goes until late June.
• In most cases you will go to school five days a week; Monday-Friday.
• School hours vary across Denmark but are generally from 8AM – 3 PM. Some schools have class until 4PM.
• During the school year there is an autumn break, usually in the middle of October. Students also have free time around Christmas, New Year, and Easter. Students stay with their host families during these vacations.
• During the school day there are 5 minutes breaks between each class and lunch is 30 minutes.
• The majority of High School Abroad students, ages 16-18, are enrolled in Gymnasium 2.
• Younger students (ages 15-16) are placed in Folkeskole Secondary levels 9-10.
• Most students bring their own lunch to school. Lunch can also be purchased at school.

Compulsory education in Denmark, “Folkeskole”, covers both primary (grades 1-6) and secondary education (grades 7-9/10).  Subjects include: Danish, English, German, History, Social Studies, Mathematics, Geography, Biology, Physics/Chemistry and Physical Education.

After Folkeskole there are several educational opportunities:

• Gymnasium is for students from ages 16-19. Most exchange students are placed in Gymnasium 2 in which they will take several mandatory courses including:  Danish, English, History, Religion, a second foreign language, Math, Physics, Physical Education, etc. There are also 2-3 optional courses.
• Higher Preparatory Examination Schools
• Higher Technical Examination Schools that focus on Mathematics and Engineering. You can substitute one or two of them. This means, that instead of Latin or French, you can take part in a lower grade in German, where they teach more grammar.

*Please note that exchange students do not have a choice of schools.

Activities and Excursions

The Gymnasium will often arrange monthly parties, which provide their students opportunities to socialize with each other outside of class. Sports and other activities are offered outside of school at private and local youth clubs.

In Denmark, the exact dates of your program will depend on the region and school you are placed in. You’ll know your exact arrival and departure dates after being placed in a host family and in a school!

Spring 2022 Dates

Apply early and save! Apply by May 28, 2021 and save $300 off a trimester program and $500 off a semester or academic year program. This discount will be applied to your final program balance, not the deposit. 

Final Deadline to Apply: September 15th, 2021 

• Trimester school dates: January – April 2022
• Semester school dates: January – July 2, 2022

Fall 2022 Dates

Apply early and save! Apply by December 3, 2021 and save $300 off a trimester program and $500 off a semester or academic year program. This discount will be applied to your final program balance, not the deposit. 

Final Deadline to Apply: March 15th, 2022

• Trimester: August 2022 – November 2022
• Semester: August 2022 – December 2022
• Academic Year: August 2022 – June 2023

Arrival and Departure 

All students are required to book flights on their own. An airport transfer upon arrival is included in the cost of the program. We will provide your exact arrival and departure dates after you’re placed in a host family and school, as well as the exact timeframes you should arrive/depart, so that you can start to search for possible flights. We require prior approval of a proposed itinerary before you purchase any flights.

Nervous about flying on your own? We recommend students and parents sitting down together to review the following resources:

• How to navigate an international airport blog
• Flying internationally video
• Webinar with tips on flying internationally

For many Greenheart Travel students their first time flying is across the world to start their exchange program! You can read our alumni experiences on our blog, such as Emily’s or Madison’s blogs on their experiences flying to Japan or Rachel’s tips on what you actually need to know about flying.

• Academic Trimester: $10,690
• Academic Semester: $12,340
• Academic Year: $14,690

Packaged into the Price:

• Airport pickup upon arrival
• Host family accommodation and 3 meals per day
• Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
• Full-Day Arrival Orientation (Conducted by the Danish Staff, 4 weeks after arrival)
• Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program for use on college applications.
• Access to Greenheart Travel Facebook groups to connect with alumni and others on your start date ahead of your program.
• Greenheart Atlas Program 
• Greenheart Travel T-shirt & Reusable “No Plastic Please” Canvas Tote Bag

Our Support and Services: 

• Visa Assistance in applying for the visa ahead of arrival, including visa paperwork and extensive directions and support.
• Extensive pre-departure advice and support from Allison and Jess, your US-based program coordinators! They will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in Denmark.
• Support and counseling services from in-country staff upon arrival to Denmark.
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave
• 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.
• Opportunity to apply for a Greenheart Grant to give back to your community at home or abroad

Additional Expenses to Budget For:

Denmark is known to be a costly country; please note that your money will not go as far as it will in the U.S.

• Airfare to/from Denmark
• Welcome Camp in London (optional – $550)
• Weekend excursions (optional trips offered within Europe)
• All school supplies, notebooks, pens, calculator etc.
• Local transportation
  • Please note in Denmark public transportation costs tend to be more than other Scandinavian countries. It is quite common to travel everywhere by bus or train (though some students can go by bike to school!). Students staying longer than a trimester will be eligible for a Danish social security card, which once acquired will enable them to buy transportation tickets with a student price.
• Pocket money
• Lunch at school if not packed from home
• Personal hygiene articles (deodorant, tampons, perfume, shampoo)
• Specialty food items
  • If there is something you want or enjoy that your host family does not typically buy. Students with intolerances have to buy (for example): gluten-free items, lactose intolerance milk, vegan options etc. if this is not part of their host family’s diet.
• Optional School Trips
  • Students aged 16-17 are placed in the second year of Gymnasium. Each spring there is a school-sponsored “study trip” that costs $500-800 USD depending on the destination.

Payment Details

• $1,500 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply
• $5,000 Commitment Payment  due 14 days after acceptance
• Remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to your start date. If your program starts within 16 weeks of acceptance, the remaining program balance payment will be due at the same time as the commitment payment. 

Worried about the program fee?

Our goal is to help make travel accessible to everyone and we are here to help when you are deciding if this experience is financially do-able. Each year we offer scholarships for high school study abroad students! We also have a guide to fundraising your program fee, and many high school students fundraise in their hometown ahead of their program.

We also offer discounts for applying early (plus there are many other benefits to applying early!) for each start date and for US families that have hosted an exchange student with Greenheart Exchange.

Please inquire here if you have questions about the program fee, scholarships, or fundraising for your program.

As a High School in Denmark participant, we will support you and welcome you to the program in a variety of orientation activities.

These include:

• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave with the Greenheart Travel staff
• Greenheart Travel Atlas Program will provide pre-departure activities to complete ahead of arrival, on program, and for reflection after returning home.
• Full-Day Arrival Orientation (Conducted by the Danish Staff, 4 weeks after arrival)
• Local coordinators will meet you personally after arrival in your host family placement

2-Day Optional Welcome Camp (Extra Cost ~$550 USD)

For those who are interested, there is an option to buy a 2-Day Welcome Camp in a major European city for an extra cost. This is a fun introduction to Europe with other exchange students, usually held in either London or Paris depending on the semester.

Your Greenheart Travel Program Manager will ask you during the interview if you would like to participate. If you decide to, the $550 fee will be added to the remaining balance payment (due 16 weeks prior to departure).

In researching a study abroad program, you have already shown you are a leader and open-minded in your academic pursuits. These are just a few of the traits that our exchange students possess. You’re motivated to immerse yourself in another culture and flexible enough to live outside your comfort zone. You should also:

• Be between 15 and 18 years of age (at the time of travel)
• Be from the United States or Canada
• Possess a high school cumulative GPA of at least 2.75/4.0
• Be in great mental* and physical health
• Have a genuine interest in becoming a part of your host family and community
• Be willing to learn the Danish language

*What does it mean to be in good mental health?

Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, we may not be able to accept students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition. Each student will be addressed on a case by case basis and ultimately it is Greenheart Travel’s in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Chronic debilitating migraines
• Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.

Please note that students who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD will not be guaranteed any academic accommodations plans by the host school abroad.

The best way to learn about a new culture and language is to be fully immersed in it which is why all Greenheart Travel high school abroad students live with local host families. All of our host families are volunteers and will treat you as a member of their family. By being a part of your family’s daily life, you will learn to live and speak like a local.

Prospective host families undergo a rigorous screening process. Participants can rest assured that only suitable host families will be selected. In fact, many of our current host families have hosted students in the past, showing what an impactful experience it was.

In order to qualify as a host family, the prospective hosts must:

• Successfully pass a criminal background check
• Undergo and pass an in-person interview with program staff
• Agree to and pass a home inspection
• We will connect you with your host family prior to your arrival in your host country. By e-mailing and speaking with them before arriving, it will help break the ice when you finally meet in person. It will also show that you are as excited to live with them as they are to host you!

We will connect you with your host family prior to your arrival in your host country. By e-mailing and speaking with them before arriving, it will help break the ice when you finally meet in person. It will also show that you are as excited to live with them as they are to host you!

Host families have many reasons why they want to welcome you! Our host families are volunteers, meaning they don’t receive compensation for housing and feeding students during their program. Many host families love the experience of cultural exchange – they learn just as much about your country as you do theirs. Many are also former exchange students and want to return the favor, or they have children who have gone or will go to study in the U.S. Having an exchange student exposes their children to new languages and cultures.

A Greenheart Traveler being welcomed to Denmark!

Greenheart Travel – USA

Greenheart Travel will support you before, during, and after your program. From the very first question you have, all the way to when you get home, you’ll be working with either Jessica or Allison to coordinate everything for your successful program.

Allison

Jessica

Greenheart Travel’s Partner – Denmark

Once you arrive in Denmark the program staff there will be there to support you on the ground for your entire program. Your Local Coordinator will be your main point of contact if you need anything and they will do their best to support you and make sure you are having a great program. Here are some of our local coordinators in Denmark!

Gitte

Gitte has been working with exchange since 2011 where her daughter went for a year abroad to the US as an exchange student. In her words, “this means I also know what it is like being a parent missing your loved one for a longer period.” She has hosted students several times and has had students from Holland, India, and Thailand living in her home as an exchange student.

Anne

Anne studied in a U.S. high school for a year in 2019-2010, and ever since has worked with exchange students coming to Denmark! When she’s not helping students adjust to life in Denmark, she studies communication at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus.

Celina

Celina decided to become a local coordinator after going on an exchange to the U.S. in 2011 and hosting an exchange student in 2013. Besides helping guide Greenheart students through the cultural exchange process, she is studying to become a doctor.

We’re so excited to meet you!

Greenheart Travel has been working with high schoolers for many years, and there are advantages of applying for this program through us:

• 33 years of experience with cultural exchange programs
• Friendly, responsive, and professional support from your program manager, Allison.
• Connect with alumni and others on the program via our Greenheart Travel only Facebook forums, before you even leave!
• We try and make our program fees as inclusive as we can. We include things like medical insurance and flights so you don’t run into any hidden fees down the line.
• Greenheart Atlas Program. The Greenheart Travel Atlas is a cultural training interactive guidebook alongside five videos where you will find three main topics covered: Personal/Professional Development, Cultural Understanding, & Environmental Awareness.
• Our alumni recommend us! GoOverseas.com Reviews // GoAbroad.com Reviews
• Hands-on support and personal attention every step of the way
• 24/7 emergency phone number to reach a staff member at any time
• Pre-departure “Culture Shock and Adjustment” Webinar before you leave
• Discounts for future Greenheart Travel programs
• We are a non-profit, mission-based organization
• Continued support throughout your time abroad

We also have some unique offerings to our Greenheart Travel students and alumni!

Greenheart Global Impact Grants (GIGs)

Greenheart GIG Grants are funds awarded to Greenheart Travel participants to use for community development projects in their host or home country. A GIG is the opportunity to create, improve, or maintain an impactful, community-focused project abroad or at home. Grant funds could be applied to supporting women’s cooperatives, schools, community centers, or health clinics, for example. Grant winners will be featured on our website, social media, and blog. You can see our past winners on our blog here.

Greenheart Alumni Program

We created the Greenheart Travel Alumni Program to provide resources and a community to support alumni in their advancement as global leaders, and a way to celebrate and reward our participants for being ambitious, inspiring catalysts of cultural exchange!

Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference

Each May Greenheart offers full-ride scholarships to around 10 teen alumni to attend our annual conference in Chicago. You can see more about what Jr. GGLC is and what you could do at the conference here.

Committing to studying abroad can feel daunting, but we are here every step of the way to make the application process as simple as possible! Below are the various steps you’ll need to take to be accepted on a high school abroad program.

Have questions or want to talk to one of the program coordinators? Set up a time to have a phone call below.