Practical guide · Study

Saving money as a student in Denmark

Three free discount apps, a youth travel card, a bicycle with lights, museums at under-27 prices and a tax card set up right. The savings that add up for students, with the official rules behind each one.

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Who this guide is for

You have been in Denmark for a few weeks as an exchange or degree student. The CPR number and MitID have arrived, the first rent is paid, and the prices have sunk in. This guide collects the discounts and free services that students in Denmark actually use, with the official rule behind each one, so you can tell what applies to you.

Words you will meet along the way:

Register the discount apps first

Most student discounts in Denmark are not given at the till on sight of a student card. They are codes in a verification app. The three services only partly overlap, so students register all three. Each takes a few minutes with your student email or your institution's login.

Many places still give a discount when you show a student card, so carry it. Study in Denmark lists Studenterhuset and the Designmuseum among the examples. See Studying in Denmark? Try these money-saving tips.

Public transport: three ways to pay less

Ungdomskort is the big one. It is a monthly pass for people in education, with a fixed price for unlimited travel in the fare area between your home and your institution, plus youth prices on the rest of the public network in Denmark. You qualify if you are 16 to 19, in upper secondary education, or a student on a higher education programme approved for SU. You apply at ungdomskort.dk with MitID, and the card is delivered digitally in the Rejsebillet app or as a physical card. See Ungdomskort (borger.dk) and Ungdomskort (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen).

DSB Ung is for train trips across the country. You count as young if you are 16 to 25, or a student on an SU-approved programme at any age. Orange tickets bought in advance are up to 75 percent cheaper than a standard ticket, and the young price is lower again. Bring your student card or ID on the train. See Ung (DSB) and DSB Orange.

The Rejsekort app replaces the plastic card. The physical Rejsekort is being phased out during 2026, and from 29 May 2026 an Ungdomskort can no longer be loaded on a plastic Rejsekort. In the app you check in and out with your phone. The customer type Ung, 18 to 25, gives the youth price on the same trips. See Rejsekort app and Apps for the journey (Din Offentlige Transport).

A bicycle, and the one rule that costs 700 kr.

Study in Denmark's own figure is that almost half of students cycle to their institution. A used bicycle from DBA, a second-hand shop or a departing student is the single cheapest way to get around, and it needs no monthly pass.

One rule matters from October on, when it is dark before lectures end. A bicycle must have a white or yellow front light and a red rear light, fixed to the bicycle, visible from 300 metres, switched on from sunset to sunrise and in poor visibility. Riding without them costs a fine of 700 kr. Reflectors are required too. See Rådet for Sikker Trafik, the Danish Road Safety Council, under cykellygter.

Culture at under-27 prices

Danish museums price by age rather than by student status, and the threshold is usually 27.

Two more things are free or nearly so:

Food and drink

Study in Denmark's advice is plain: discount supermarkets, a madpakke from home, and planning. See Studying in Denmark? Try these money-saving tips.

Student jobs and tax

If you take a student job, set up your tax card before the first payday or the employer withholds 55 percent.

Free services you already have

Sources

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