Be a Part of an Intercultural Exchange
Living in a Homestay arranged by DIS puts you in direct contact with locals, as you will be matched with a host(s) in the greater Copenhagen area who is interested in inviting you into their home.
Homestay Highlights
- An opportunity to contribute to an intercultural exchange, and a chance to engage yourself in local culture and traditions
- Living with a host that is committed to you and your experience provides you with a support network outside of DIS
- You can potentially gain a lasting connection to people in Denmark
- While you will have a home base, your hosts will respect your personal freedom to explore and be social
Who Are the Hosts?
DIS has a diversity of Homestay hosts, including families with children, single parents, couples, LGBTQIA+ households, families of various ethnicities, etc. Your hosts may have young children, grown-up children, or none at all; they may be young, middle-aged, or retired. Prior to your arrival, all hosts have been visited and approved by DIS staff.
Student Profile
This housing option is right for you if, you are willing to:
- Balance spending time with your hosts and hanging out with friends. You will be a real, contributing member of their household, not just a visitor
- Live in a private house or apartment in the metropolitan area
- Commute from home to DIS using the many choices of public transportation available in Copenhagen
- Have your own room or share an adequately-sized room with another DIS student
- Share most dinners with your hosts and prepare your own breakfast and packed lunch
- Share a bathroom with other members of the household
- Share cleaning responsibilities and help with household chores
What this Housing Option Provides
To find out what is included in each housing option, go to Comprehensive Housing and Student Life Inclusions.
Application Information
You will preference your housing choices during the registration process.
As part of your housing application, you must write a letter to your potential hosts. In addition to introducing yourself to a potential host, this letter is also an important tool used to match you with the most compatible Homestay, so be as honest and detailed as possible.
Read more about the DIS Housing Placement Process
I loved living in my home stay. It was very fun having two little siblings, and my host mother was an incredible person to learn about the Danish culture from. Overall, I felt like I could come and go whenever I needed to, and I know they would always be happy to hang out when we had time too!
My host family was AMAZING. They were truly some of the best people I have ever met, and I am hopeful that we stay in contact throughout my life. They were welcoming, generous, and so kind to me from the second I met them. I loved the train ride (even though it was about 50 minutes of transit each way) and being able to be fully immersed in Danish culture.
It was a lot different than I anticipated but I enjoyed everything so far. I was able to connect with my host family pretty easily but they also allowed me to have my alone time/spend time with my friends. I learned a lot about Danish culture from them and I feel like I also shared a lot from my own culture. Overall, I was really happy with how flexible and helpful my family was and it was an extremely invaluable part of my experience abroad.
