Costs of study, student income, and study behaviour in Denmark.

3. Student expenditure

3.1. Living Expenses

3.2. Housing/accommodation

3.4. Student/ trade union

3.5. Books, computers etc.

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3. Student expenditure

The Danish State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme, as we know it today, stems from a radical reform of the support system carried through in the late 1980s. The debate previous to the reform had focused on the necessity of creating an economic support system corresponding to a so called realistic student budget. Despite this fact, a student budget has never been compiled.

The reasons may be several. An important one is that even though it was a political statement at the time of the reform ( the system should be based on a realistic student budget), the scheme is today presented as a substantial basic income as a supplement towards covering living costs. Another reason is that students are seen to differ only in very few respects from the remainder of the population within their age group.

Tuition in higher education at Danish public and most private institutions is free. As described in chapter 2, this educational level consists exclusively of public institutions. Tuition-, entrance examination-, course examination and administration fees and other education-related charges, are therefore non-existent items at higher education institutions in Denmark.

3.1. Living Expenses

In 1995 the national Consumer Agency of Denmark presented a budget for possible use by students. This budget is shown in table 1. It should be stressed that the amounts in question are based on information from general surveys on expenditure connected with living in Denmark today (1995). It is also based on the assumption that the individual has access to a regular income as part of the labour force. The Agency is aware that this basis could well make the amounts budgeted somewhat too high for students.

The budget distinguishes between the expenditure of men, women and people living as couples. When relevant, it also makes a distinction between expenditure from goods bought in discount-shops and ordinary shops. The budget presupposes that the individual lives independently from their parents.

Table 1. Budget for 18-29 year old people. Annual amounts 1995

Source: The national Consumer Agency of Denmark, 1995. "Family-budgets"

The budget does not estimate the costs of housing, insurances, trade or student union membership, books etc., as these categories of expenditure differ too much. In the following sections we will therefore discuss these items further.

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3.2. Housing/accommodation

There are no comprehensive statistics available on the housing condition of students in Denmark and their housing expenditure.

A study (University of Copenhagen, 1997) on the access to the housing market for newly enrolled students in 1994 (See Appendix D) in the eastern parts of Denmark, shows the following distribution by type of accommodation:

Table 2. Newly enrolled students in higher education in eastern Denmark in 1994, distribution by type of accommodation and enrolment-age

1) Accommodation in student halls and youth housing units is reserved exclusively for young people below 31 years of age.

2) 4 per cent was living in rented rooms in private homes.

Source: Rapport om unge uddannelsessøgendes adgang til boligmarkedet, Københavns Universitets studieadministration, Centralindstillingsudvalget og Ungdomsboligrådet, 1997

In 1994, only 12 per cent of the newly enrolled students were living with their parents, and only 15 per cent in student residence halls or in youth housing units. The remaining 73 per cent of the students have found their accommodation within the private housing market. This distribution does not necessarily reflect the needs and preferences of the students.

The typical enrolment age for students in higher education in Denmark was 23 years in 1994. Many students have therefore established themselves within the private housing market prior to enrolment.

The survey from the University of Copenhagen (Anthony, S. & Elbrus, J., 1997 - See Appendix B) shows that just 11 per cent of the students enrolled at this university live at student halls. 77 per cent of the students have their own flat, and 6 per cent live in rented rooms in private homes. The remaining 6 per cent live at their parents’ place.

Expenditure on housing is variable depending mainly on type, age, quality and size of the accommodation.

In the Greater Copenhagen area the rents for accommodation in the students residence halls and in youth housing units for 1997, varies as follows:

Table 3. Rents for accommodation in students halls and youth housing units in the Greater Copenhagen area 1997

Source: Centralindstillingsudvalget i København

For students living in their own flat, the annual expenditure on housing is generally around DKK 30.000. If they live with a partner, or together with others (in a commune) the costs and household expenses will, of course, be considerably cheaper for the individual.

The prices for private lodgings are often out of proportion to both the rents at student halls and independent apartments, taking the size and quality into consideration. Typically the rent will be between DKK 18.-30.000 annually.

3.4. Student/ trade union

Membership of a student union is voluntary in Denmark. Students who do join one of the unions, however, pay only a modest fee of approximately DKK 150 - 200 annually. Students may also join their future trade union, as these in general have a student-section. A student membership of the trade union is somewhat more expensive (approx. DKK 600 per annum), but the expenditure is in part compensated for, by the opportunity of taking out greatly reduced insurances, including life insurance.

Regarding health insurance, all Danish citizens are covered by a collective public health insurance, which is not paid for separately by the individual, but indirectly through taxation.

3.5. Books, computers etc.

Students at Danish higher education have to finance their books and other study related goods themselves. Book expenditure for university-studies is estimated to be approximately DKK

2 - 3.000 annually. There are however, large differences in expenditure. Medical students, may have book expenses between DKK 5.000 and 10.000, Law students and Economics students DKK 4 - 5.000 and Humanities’ students just some DKK 1.000 . The level of expenditure depends on the students’ possibility of recycling books, photocopies etc. (Note: At some courses books are reprinted each year, which makes it impossible for students to buy books cheaply from older students).

Higher education institutions that expect their students to hand in papers produced with the assistance of computers, will typically provide the students with computer-access.

One of the findings in the survey on user satisfaction (1997 - See Appendix C) was that 82 per cent of those responding in higher education had computer access at their private disposal.

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