About International People’s College

International People’s College (IPC) is a Danish Folk High School located in the beautiful seaside town of Helsingør, made famous in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet where it is called by its English name Elsinore. Unlike other Danish Folk High Schools, International People’s College is an international school with students from the entire world. Its focus is not on Denmark and Danish traditions, but rather on Global Studies and the world.

If you looking for the perfect combo of globetrotting and enlightenment, IPC is the perfect match for you! Maybe you have finished high school and still don’t know what to study in college? Or you have finished college and are not quite ready to dive into the work world? Maybe you simply  need a break from your work life to get new knowledge and re–evaluate what you wish to do? At our Folk High School you can dive into nearly 40 different subjects and classes and gain new skills, nurture your personal growth, and find fresh goals.

Meet the World at International People’s College

International People’s College was founded in the wake of World War l by Peter Manniche with the belief that world peace is created through understanding. If people from around the world got to know each other better they would discover that they held in common their basic human goodness. With this knowledge people could love and help each other. Nearly a century later this same idea drives us and is the basis of the work of our Folk High School in Denmark. By bringing people together from different cultures to study, socialize and live together we strive to create tolerant global citizens. Difference enriches our lives and expands our horizons. It helps us see the world in a new and inspiring light. International People’s College is a melting pot where you may discover your best friend is from a place you barely knew of!

Read more about the history of International People’s College here and our core values here.

Global Studies & Active Global Citizens

Our Folk High School promotes diversity and a global approach to understanding the world. For International People’s College world peace is not a half-baked dream but a real process, putting into practice the truism that the world is what we make it to be. Many of the courses offered work with notions of global citizenship and a sense of shared responsibility. Courses like Environmental Studies will give you knowledge about the some of the major environmental challenges that the worlds is facing today and how we can actively support a more sustainable way of living on this planet. The class Conflict Resolution will provide real tools for defusing problems and promoting accord (read more about the subjects and classes here).

“A teacher at IPC told me: “If you don’t turn knowledge into actions, it’s wasted knowledge”.  At International Development Class I’m getting real tools to start my own Thrift Store in Vietnam.”

(Ly, Vietnam, Autumn Term 2017)

Personal Growth

Students at International People’s College focus on what interests them. Classes are intended to guide and further the development of all who attend the school. This means that students can work for their intellectual, spiritual and physical progress in ways that feel right for them while being supported by knowledgeable people who care. At International People’s College your assumptions will be challenged and you will re–examine what you know or thought you knew. You will grow as a human being!

An Official United Nations Peace Messenger

In 1988 International People’s College had the great honour and privilege of being appointed an official United Nations Peace Messenger by then Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. We try, everyday, to honour this tribute by encouraging peaceful co-existence at the school and beyond. We bring people from around the world together to live, love and learn. For almost 100 years International People’s College has followed this formula.

“Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.” 

(John Lennon)