In order to receive unemployment benefits when you graduate, you must change your status to graduate no later than 14 days after recieving your last grade. You can do this by filling in the form Skift medlemsstatus fra studerende til nyuddannet (change membership status from student to graduate). If you forget this, you will not be able to receive unemployment benefits until you are able to fulfill an income critea, which is a minumum of DKK 254.328 (2023) within a year, after being a member for 1 year.
Wait to change status until your know the date when you will receive your last grade
If you know that, you will be finished within the next month, but do not know the exact date yet, wait to change your status, until you know the exact date where you will recieve your last grade and finish your studies.
If there is more than 1 month untill you graduate, you have to extend your free student membership. You do that by filling in the form Forlængelse af gratis studiemedlemskab (Extension of free student membership).
You also have to apply for unemployment benefits
It is not enough just to change status to get unemployment benefits (dagpenge) as a new graduate. You also have to register as unemployed at jobnet.dk on day 1 after finishing your studies. This is the day you start earning your right to unemployment benefits, when you have been a student member for at least one year. So please remember:
- To register as unemployed at jobnet.dk
- To apply for benefits by filling in the form Ledighedserklæring (statement of unemployment).
Read more about unemployment and benefits.
You are a new graduate when you get your last grade
There are several ways you can finish your studies:
- An oral exam where you defend your thesis or bachelor project and receive your last grade
- A thesis or bachelor project where you recieve your last grade and finish your studies or when your supervisor and examiner have signed a pre-approval.
It is a requirement that all grades have been awarded and all student activities have stopped. Student activities include participating in tutorials, exams or defending a thesis etc.
If you have a student job
You can keep your student job if you work part-time. In this case, you can apply for supplementary unemployment benefits. You can do this by stating that you will continue in a part-time job, when you fill out the ledighedserklæring (statement of unemployment).
If, on the other hand, you are considering quitting your student job, it is important that you resign and do so before you finish your studies. You will get a quarantine of 3 weeks, if you quit the job after completing your education. This means that you cannot get unemployment benefits for 3 weeks. Therefore, please contact us in advance, if you are considering quitting your student job.
Become a member as a bachelor and secure your unemployment benefits
You can change your status from student to a new graduate, based on a completed bachelor degree. This ensures that you earn the right to receive unemployment benefits, if you discontinue your master's studies before graduating. This way of securing your right to unemployment benefits, will be valid for two years.
You have to pay for your membership
When you are no longer a student, you will have to pay for the membership at Akademikernes A-kasse. This is the case from the first day after you have recieved your last grade. Therefore, it is important that you let us know if you postpone the completion of your studies. This way, you avoid receiving a membership fee invoice.
Approximately 14 days before the payment deadline, you will receive a letter by mail with payment information. We recommend you sign up for Betalingsservice (automatic payment), but you can only do so after paying manually the first time. You pay in advance for one quarter at a time.
Language requirement for graduates
All graduates must possess a level of Danish equal to Dansk 2 in order to receive unemployment benefits. You have met the language requirement if you have completed a degree taught in Danish. See also this list of how to meet the language requirement.
If this is not the case, you can also meet the requirements by having at least 600 hours of employment before applying for unemployment benefits.
The 600 hours have to be distributed over 12 months within the last 24 months before you register as unemployed. It does not have to be in 12 consecutive months.
You can include paid hours that are outside your membership period, but the hours must be reported to SKAT. You can use working hours from another EEA country, but at least 150 of the paid hours must come from subsequent work in Denmark. The requirement of 600 hours (tilknytningskravet) must be met again in the event of a new right to unemployment benefit as a graduate.
