University of Copenhagen facts for kids
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Københavns Universitet
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| Latin: Universitas Hafniensis | |
| Motto | Latin: Coelestem adspicit lucem |
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Motto in English
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It (the eagle) beholds the celestial light |
| Type | Public research university |
| Established | 1 June 1479 |
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Academic affiliation
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IARU LERU EUA Europaeum Universities Denmark |
| Budget | DKK 8.908 bn ($1.338 bn) (2018) |
| Rector | Henrik C. Wegener |
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Academic staff
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5,286 (2019) |
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Administrative staff
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4,119 (2017) |
| Students | 37,493 (2019) |
| Undergraduates | 21,394 (2019) |
| Postgraduates | 16,079 (2019) |
| 3,106 (2016) | |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Urban 94.2 ha (total) |
| Student newspaper | Uniavisen |
| Colors | Maroon and gray |
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The University of Copenhagen (Danish: Københavns Universitet, often called KU) is a public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was started in 1479. This makes it the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University.
The University of Copenhagen has six different main study areas called faculties. Teaching happens at its four main campuses, all located in Copenhagen. The university runs 36 different departments and 122 separate research centres. It also has museums and botanical gardens in and around Copenhagen. The university owns and runs many research stations across Denmark, with two more in Greenland.
Many famous people have been part of the University of Copenhagen. As of October 2022, 10 Nobel laureates and 1 Turing Award winner have been connected to the university. This includes students, graduates, or teachers. Also, one president of the United Nations General Assembly and at least 24 prime ministers of Denmark have studied here.
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A Look Back: University History
The University of Copenhagen was founded on June 1, 1479. It is the oldest university in Denmark. In 1475, King Christian I of Denmark received special permission from Pope Sixtus IV to start a university in Denmark. This permission came after Christian I's wife, Dorothea of Brandenburg, visited Rome.
On October 4, 1478, King Christian I officially created the University of Copenhagen. He set the rules and laws for how the university would work. He chose Peder Albertsen to be the first leader, called the vice chancellor. Peder Albertsen's job was to hire smart scholars for the new university. He set up the first four main study areas: theology (study of religion), law, medicine, and philosophy (study of knowledge and existence).
From the very beginning, the university had royal support. It was also set up to be independent, meaning it had a lot of freedom. It was not controlled by the king and did not have to follow the usual laws for Danish people.
Changes and Growth Over Time
The university closed down around 1531 because of the spread of Protestantism. But it was reopened in 1537 by King Christian III. This happened after the Lutheran Reformation, which changed the main religion in Denmark. The king asked Johannes Bugenhagen to create a new plan for the university, which was finished in 1539.
Between 1675 and 1788, the university started requiring exams for degrees. Theology exams began in 1675, followed by law in 1736. By 1788, all study areas needed an exam to get a degree.
In 1807, the British attack on Copenhagen destroyed most of the university's buildings. However, by 1836, a new main building was opened. Many other buildings were also built until the end of that century. This included the Copenhagen University Library (now part of the Royal Library), the Zoological Museum, the Geological Museum, and the Botanic Garden with greenhouses.
Between 1842 and 1850, the university's study areas were reorganized. In 1842, the Medical Faculty and the Academy of Surgeons joined to form the Faculty of Medical Science. In 1848, the Law Faculty became the Faculty of Jurisprudence and Political Science. In 1850, the Faculty of Mathematics and Science became separate from the Faculty of Philosophy.
The first female student was allowed to enroll at the university in 1877. The university grew very quickly between 1960 and 1980. The number of students went from about 6,000 in 1960 to about 26,000 in 1980. The number of staff also grew a lot. New buildings from this time include the new Zoological Museum, the Hans Christian Ørsted and August Krogh Institutes, the campus on Amager Island, and the Panum Institute.
In 1993, the law departments separated from the Faculty of Social Sciences to form their own Faculty of Law. Also in 1993, a new rule made a Bachelor's degree program required for almost all subjects.
The university continued to grow and change. By 1999, there were over 35,000 students, so the university hired more teachers and staff.
Modern University Structure
In 2003, a new Danish university law changed how universities were run. It removed faculty, staff, and students from the main decision-making process. This created a system where leaders had a lot of power and were chosen by higher levels in the organization.
In 2005, the Center for Health and Society (CSS) opened in central Copenhagen. This brought together the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Institute of Public Health, which had been in different places. In 2006, the university announced plans to move many of its old buildings from the city center. The goal was to bring departments and faculties together on three larger campuses. This would create a more modern student environment with better teaching facilities and save money.
In January 2007, the University of Copenhagen joined with two other universities: the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University and the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Science. These two became new faculties within the University of Copenhagen. In 2012, some of these faculties merged again to form the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Science.
University Campuses
The university has four main campus areas. They are all located in the Capital Region of Denmark (three in Copenhagen and one in Frederiksberg):
- North Campus: This is where most of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences are located.
- City Campus: This campus is home to the Faculty of Social Sciences and the main administration. Parts of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Science are also here.
- South Campus: This campus houses the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Theology, and a small part of the Faculty of Science.
- Frederiksberg Campus: Sections of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences are found here.
Some faculties also use the Taastrup Campus, which is just outside Copenhagen. The Faculty of Science also has facilities in Helsingør, Hørsholm, and Nødebo.
How the University is Organized
The university is managed by a board of 11 members. Six members are from outside the university, two are chosen by the academic staff, one by the administrative staff, and two by the students. The main leaders, like the rector and director, are chosen by this board. The rector then chooses the deans (leaders of faculties) and department heads.
As of 2018[update], the university's budget was about DKK 8.9 billion.
The university is divided into six main faculties and about 100 departments and research centers. It employs about 5,600 academic staff (teachers and researchers) and 4,400 technical and administrative staff.
The six faculties are:
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Faculty of Theology
Around 40,000 students attend the university. This includes about 23,000 undergraduate students (working on their first degree) and 17,000 graduate students (working on advanced degrees). The university has programs for international PhD students and offers about 50 master's programs taught in English. Each year, about 1,700 exchange students come to the university, and 2,000 students go abroad. About 4,000 international students come to earn a degree, and about 3,000 PhD students study there each year.
Student Housing
Most students at the University of Copenhagen live in private dorms (called kollegier in Danish) or apartments in Copenhagen. The university helps manage five dorms, but usually, only students who have studied for at least two years can apply. These are known as the old dormitories: Regensen, Elers' Kollegium, Borchs Kollegium, Hassagers Kollegium, and Valkendorfs Kollegium.
The University of Copenhagen also offers special apartments for visiting researchers and academic staff. These are for those working on projects funded by the Carlsberg Foundation.
The Housing Foundation Copenhagen is a separate group that provides short-term housing. This is mainly for international students, university staff, and guest researchers. Their main office is at South Campus.
University Seal
The university's oldest known seal is from a letter in 1531. It shows Saint Peter holding a key and a book. Around him, it says:
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When the university was reopened by King Christian III in 1537, it got a new seal. This seal showed King Christian III with a crown, sceptre, and a globe. Below him was a crowned coat of arms split in half. One side had the coat of arms of Denmark and the other had the coat of arms of Norway. The text on this seal said:
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The 1537 seal looks very much like the current seal, which was made in 2000. The text is different, and the crowned shield now only shows the coat of arms of Denmark (since 1820). The current seal says:
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Besides the main university seal, each of the university's six faculties also has its own seal.
Global Standing: University Rankings
| University rankings | |
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| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World | 39 |
| CWUR World | 39 |
| QS World | 107 |
| THE World | 114 |
| USNWR Global | 42 |
Universities are often ranked to see how they compare globally. Here's how the University of Copenhagen has been ranked:
- The 2021 CWTS Leiden Ranking placed it as the best university in Denmark and Continental Europe. It was 4th in Europe (after Oxford, UCL, and Cambridge) and 27th in the world.
- The 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (from Shanghai Jiao Tong University) ranked it as the best in Denmark and Scandinavia. It was 7th in Europe and 30th in the world.
- In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2021, the university was ranked first in Denmark and 84th in the world.
- The 2021 QS World University Rankings put it first in Denmark and 76th in the world.
- In the 2021 U.S. News & World Report's Best Global Universities Rankings, it was first in Denmark and 34th in the world.
Working with Other Universities
The University of Copenhagen works with many universities around the world. In January 2006, it joined a group of ten top universities. This group is called the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU). Other universities in this group include:
- Australian National University
- ETH Zürich
- National University of Singapore
- Peking University
- University of California
- University of Cambridge
- University of Oxford
- University of Tokyo
- Yale University
The university also hosts the yearly Aging Research and Drug Discovery conference. This is done in cooperation with Columbia University.
Famous People Who Studied Here
Many people who studied at the University of Copenhagen became famous in their fields. Here are some of them:
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- Tycho Brahe (1546–1601): A Danish astronomer who was the first to scientifically describe supernovas (exploding stars).
- Thomas Bartholin (1616–1680): Discovered the lymphatic system in the human body.
- Ole Rømer (1644–1710): A Danish astronomer who made the first measurements of the speed of light.
- Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754): A famous Danish-Norwegian writer and playwright.
- Hans Christian Ørsted (1777–1851): A Danish physicist and chemist who discovered electromagnetism.
- Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (1779–1850): A poet who wrote the lyrics for Denmark's national anthem.
- Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855): A Danish philosopher, known as the father of existentialism.
- Hans Christian Gram (1853–1938): A Danish bacteriologist who invented Gram staining, a way to identify bacteria.
- Wilhelm Johannsen (1857–1927): A Danish botanist who first used the word gene in its modern sense.
- Niels Ryberg Finsen (1860–1904): Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1903.
- Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger (1867–1928): Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1926.
- S. P. L. Sørensen (1868–1939): A Danish chemist who created the concept of pH.
- August Krogh (1874–1949): Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1920.
- Niels Bohr (1885–1962): A very important physicist who helped develop the atomic model and quantum mechanics. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922.
- Inge Lehmann (1888–1993): A Danish seismologist who discovered the Earth's inner core.
- Henrik Dam (1895–1976): Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1943.
- Piet Hein (1905–1996): A Danish mathematician, inventor, and poet.
- Niels Kaj Jerne (1911–1994): Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984.
- Jens Otto Krag (1914–1978): A prime minister of Denmark.
- Poul Hartling (1914–2000): A prime minister of Denmark and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He won the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of UNHCR in 1981.
- Jens Christian Skou (born 1918): Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1997.
- Aage Bohr (1922–2009): A professor in nuclear physics and son of Niels Bohr. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1975.
- Ben Roy Mottelson (1926–2022): An American-born Danish nuclear physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1975.
- Peter Naur (1928–2016): A computer scientist who won the Turing Award in 2005.
- Poul Schlüter (1929–2021): A prime minister of Denmark.
- Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (born 1930): The 4th President of Iceland.
- Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (born 1943): A prime minister of Denmark.
- Mogens Lykketoft (born 1946): A Danish politician who was the 70th President of the United Nations General Assembly.
- Halldór Ásgrímsson (born 1947): A prime minister of Iceland.
- Lars Løkke Rasmussen (born 1964): A prime minister of Denmark.
- Helle Thorning-Schmidt (born 1966): A prime minister of Denmark.
- Morten Meldal (born 1954): Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022 for his work on Click chemistry.
Images for kids
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Ingeborg Hammer-Jensen
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The oldest surviving lecture plan from the university is from 1537.
See also
In Spanish: Universidad de Copenhague para niños
- Copenhagen School
- Copenhagen (play)
- The University of Copenhagen Symphony Orchestra
- List of Nobel laureates associated with the University of Copenhagen
- List of universities and colleges in Denmark
- List of medieval universities
- Open access in Denmark
