Aarhus University

Overview

Aarhus University (AU) is not only the largest research-intensive university in Denmark but is also the second oldest higher education institution in the country. Founded in 1928, it is now a member of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, the Coimbra Group, the Utrecht Network, and the European University Association.

AU has a rich heritage of research and scholarship. Notable graduates include the inventor of C++, Bjarne Stroustrup; the Crown Prince Federick of Denmark; and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Moreover, it is also the alma mater of Jens Christian Skou who is a Nobel Laureate for Chemistry as well as Dale T. Mortensen and Trygve Haavelmo who both separately won Nobel Prizes for their works on economics.

Today, it operates five faculties. These are the faculties of Natural Sciences, Arts, Technical Sciences, Health, and Business and Social Sciences. The faculties are further organized into five academic focus areas, namely the (1) Technical Sciences Institutions, (2) Natural Sciences Department, (3) Arts, (4) Aarhus BSS consisting of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Aarhus School of Business, and (5) Health.

The university also houses major research centers. These include the Center for the Theory of Interactive Computation, Center for DNA Nanotechnology, and the prestigious Center for Research in Econometric Analysis of Time Series. The latter is regarded as one of the best econometric research centers in the world.

The university is also famous for housing MINDlab, which is an interdisciplinary brain research institution. The lab pursues its research with a collaborative spirit. Neuroscientists, biologists, statisticians, and psychologists come together to understand the brain, its physical and social development, and its disorders. Moreover, the institution serves as the home of the iNANO center, an interdisciplinary research institute of nanoscience.

Aside from its top-notch research centers, Aarhus University also offers academic resources and support for its faculty and students through their other facilities. For instance, the AU Library helps them find the right literature, provides spaces for workgroups, offers printing services, and it has a unique reference management tool available for easy reference tracking and storage.

While AU may be known for its high academic standards, it also has a great reputation for providing a great student quality of life. Amenities and offerings include Friday Bars that sell drinks and cheap beer. It also has its Students’ House that serves as a meeting place for local and international students. Here, students can get access to cultural and social activities such as language classes, road trips, and parties.

AU’s Dale’s Café also serves as a gathering space where international students can meet the university’s Ph.D. students. It is named after Nobel Laureate Dale T. Mortensen and offers an informal lounge offering students sandwiches, coffee, and a wide range of beers.