DIS is dedicated to ensuring that students have a platform for discussion and dialogue regarding diversity abroad.
You'll join a community of diverse identities from many backgrounds in a city with progressive values, and there will be many opportunities to learn and grow alongside your peers.
Discover the resources, recommendations, and support we offer to students of all backgrounds and identities.
How DIS provides support
The Care Team
Given the transitions and adjustments you go through while studying abroad, our onsite Care Teams in Stockholm and Copenhagen is here to support you and can help you find resources you need.
Once you’re here, you can make appointments with the Care Team in the Navigate app.
Accommodations
Students who receive religious and/or disability accommodations on their home campus can often receive similar accommodations at DIS.
DIS takes bias incidents and discrimination very seriously, so we developed a tool for you to inform us about bias-related incidents involving you or another DIS student, whether at DIS or in the public.
For semester students, we have affinity groups where you can gather, share stories, and connect with other students. These spaces are a forum to discuss personal experiences of being an underrepresented student, as well as wider social issues related to diversity and identity in Scandinavia.
Led by DIS staff members who are well acquainted with Stockholm and Copenhagen, students gain access to a network of locals who share places, organizations, and community centers that might interest them.
Join a safe space for Black students and students of color
Meet locals who provide insights about being a person of color in Sweden
Go on neighborhood tours and restaurant outings to discover where diverse identities are represented and celebrated
“Students can expect to have a lot of fun, to learn, to maybe come to very sad and realistic realities, but at the same time to discover very beautiful things about being in the space, about Sweden, and about being a minority in Europe.”
– Nyamusi, Community Advisor
LGBTQIA+ and Friends Affinity Group
Join those seeking to explore their sexuality and/or gender identity, or simply want to show up as an ally
Get to know an activist for the RFSL (Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights)
Learn about LGBTQIA+ representation and community in Stockholm
“These groups are much more than activism and community. Because as much as they do empower the community within, I think it finds its way also to empower and educate the people outside the community.”
– Nyamusi, Community Advisor
Students of Color Affinity Group
Join a space for students of color to meet others, form friendships, and gain a support system
Go on a neighborhood tour of Nørrebro (the most ethnically diverse area of Copenhagen)
Take part in board game nights, speed-friending events, zine workshops, and cultural celebrations like Mid-Autumn Festival
“Students may learn something from someone else and teach someone else something too. It’s not just learning about the city, but about getting to know each other and growing together and connecting as a group.”
– Erika, Community Advisor
LGBTQIA+ and Friends Affinity Group
Join a safe, friendly, norm-critical space, run by queer people for people who live beyond hetero norms
Experience the many different queer spaces throughout the city, either through the “Get to know your Gayborhood” tour in the beginning or the visits to the different community houses and community groups in the city
Visit one of the LGBTQIA+ café’s, the historic “Gay House” of Christiania, or join one of the seasonal events out in town, like the Winter Pride in spring or the queer film festival in fall
“Copenhagen has the privilege of being a rather safe city for rainbow people, but that also means that there isn’t just one queer place to go. This group functions both as a place for likeminded students to meet, and as a bridge to all the queer communities and places. No one needs to fear if they are ‘queer enough’ – here there is space for everyone.”
– Devin, Community Advisor
Diverse student perspectives in Scandinavia
Reflections on identity and expression in Stockholm
Shiloh was determined to find a place where they would be accepted in their study abroad journey. Hear their reflections on identity in Sweden.
What is it like being a Black student in Copenhagen?
We sat down with Nala, Keiddrick, and Kayara to discuss their experiences at DIS Copenhagen and hear their candid thoughts on living in Denmark.
Finding queer spaces
Diego (Northwestern University) discusses the progressive norms surrounding gender and sexuality in Sweden.
