General Terms and Conditions

International People’s College (IPC) is an independent, non-profit, non-government institution. IPC offers non-formal residential education for adults; IPC keeps within the law concerning the Danish  Folk High School (more info at http://www.hojskolerne.dk/the-danish-folk-high-school) under the jurisdiction of the Danish Ministry of Culture.

Visa and Residence Permit issues are dealt with by the Danish Immigration Service (SIRI) as well as the Danish diplomatic missions abroad. Citizens of certain countries are allowed to stay in Denmark for 90 days without a visa. Residence registration of European citizens– staying more than 90 days – is also taken care of by the Danish Immigration Service. Registration for the purpose of Health insurance and CPR number is taken care of by the local authorities in Helsingør.

The IPC office will guide students in all of the above processes. IPC reserves the right to change starting dates, course curriculums and programs due to unforeseen circumstances.

1. Eligibility

All students must be at least 17½ years old when the course begins. There is no upper age limit. There are no other formal requirements for a stay at IPC other than a fair command of English, the motivation to learn as well as the understanding of the Folk High School educational format.

2. School Fee, Application Fee, Student Residence Permit Processing Fee

The IPC School Fee covers the tuition (educational program, class materials and some excursions), accommodation at IPC including bed linen as well as meals.
Dates and prices of the upcoming terms can be found on the IPC website.

The Administration Fee for courses of 12 weeks and beyond amounts to 1500 DKK. It is non-refundable and must be paid together with the School Fee.

The Student Residence Permit Processing Fee of 2490 DKK (2024) is applicable to all applicants from outside EU/EEA/Switzerland. IPC transfers this amount directly to the Danish Immigration Service on your behalf in order to start your Student Residence Permit application procedure; this fee is non-refundable except under very special circumstances decided by the Danish Immigration Service.

3. Accommodation, Meals

IPC provides single and double rooms, most of which are organized in small units sharing one bathroom (a shower and a toilet). Only a limited number of single rooms are available for an extra cost of 300 DKK per week, which will be added to the School Fee if you indicate a preference for a single room in your application form.

IPC has a non-smoking policy except at designated outdoor smoking areas.

We serve three meals per day (only brunch and dinner for weekends) with an option for a vegetarian or vegan diet. Other dietary requirements should be noted in the application

4. Application, Enrollment & Registration

All applicatons must be submitted through www.ipc.dk/apply

IPC will process your application once we have received it. Allow for up to three months for the processing of your application.

No later than 3 months after receiving your application, we will inform you whatever we can enroll you or not.

If we can enroll you, we will send you an Acceptance Letter with instructions on how to pay the School Fee together with all other applicable fees as described above.

When IPC receives your FULL payment, we will issue an Enrollment Letter and will guide you through the procedure of acquiring a Student Residence Permit (for applicants from outside the EU – count on several months for processing) or an EU Residence Document (for applicants from the EU/EEA/Switzerland – acquired after arrival at IPC). You are responsible for any residence-related expenses.

Please note that the Danish Authorities will only register you for a stay longer than 93 days.

5. Cancellation

“Cancellation” refers to a withdrawal made before the start of the term/course.
Cancellation must be in writing and received by the school at least eight weeks before the start of the term for you to receive a full refund of the school fee, less an administration fee of 1500 DKK for long courses and 500 DKK for short courses.

Late Cancellation
“Late Cancellation” refers to cancellations made less than eight weeks before the start of the course.

• For Long Courses: Late cancellation will, in addition to the administration fee of 1500 DKK, incur payment for the first four weeks of the course school fees.
• For Short Courses (1-3 Weeks): Late cancellation will incur payment for 50% of the course. After the course has started there is no refund available.

Any student having been denied a Visa or Residence permit – or who has not yet received these – prior to the start of the course, may request a complete refund of all school fees excluding visa fees and administration fees.

6. Termination

“Termination” refers to leaving the term once it has begun.

If you wish to leave before the term ends the rules of the Danish Folk High Schools state that, you must pay for the time you have been a student plus an additional four weeks from the day of departure.

School fees from students terminating their stay or never arriving on campus holding a Student Residence Permit endorsed by IPC can only be refunded if:

• Proof of arrival to their home country has been received by the school, and if;
• The Student Residence Permit is cancelled at the local Danish Diplomatic Mission and a copy of the cancellation letter is sent to the school, and if;
• The school has reliable bank information to safely transfer the fees

The applying student hereby agrees that in case school fees cannot be refunded within a 5 year time span due to the above mentioned reasons the fees can be used for scholarships for needing future students primarily from developing countries. The fees will then be transferred to Friends of IPC – an independent support association raising and administrating scholarship funds https://ipc.dk/about/ipc-community/friends-of-ipc/

7. Medical Insurance and Coverage

All students staying at IPC for less than 93 days are advised to take out personal insurance for medical and dental care, valid for their entire stay at IPC. Students from EU/EEA/Switzerland do not need personal insurance, but must bring their European Health Insurance Card.

All students staying at IPC for more than 93 days are advised to take out personal insurance for medical and dental care, valid for the first 6 weeks of their stay at IPC. Students from EU/EEA/Switzerland do not need personal insurance for the first 6 weeks of their stay, but must bring their European Health Insurance Card.

8. Theft insurance

The College’s theft insurance does not cover privately owned articles and the college takes no responsibility for lost/stolen articles.

9. Attendance, Absence, Timetable

By enrolling at the International People’s College, you commit yourself to attending a minimum of 28 lessons per week. One lesson equals 45 minutes of learning. Two thirds (2/3) of the cost of your stay at IPC are funded by the Danish Ministry of Culture and your physical presence in classes and active participation in organized activities are the main preconditions for having the status of a Folk High School student.

Any absence in class should be agreed with your teacher beforehand. If you fail to attend classes without any reasonable excuse, you may jeopardize your stay at IPC.

Being a student at a folk high school is a fulltime job, and you are not allowed to study elsewhere when studying at IPC. If you cannot attend mandatory activities at IPC due to other educational obligations, we are not allowed to uphold your state support from the Danish state.

You are expected to take an active part in the shared household duties (washing up, cleaning), contact group activities (life stories sessions, contact group meals), all morning or evening fellowships as well as planned excursions and cultural programs.

During the term, you are only allowed to travel if this does not affect your attendance in class. Permission for a leave can be granted by the management in case of serious illness in your family or thoroughly documented activities important for your future education or working life.

There are no exams, test, marks or diplomas at IPC. At the end of your stay, you will receive a certificate documenting your stay at IPC. The certificate is not recognized as a formal education diploma and it serves mainly as a reference.

You compose your timetable after your arrival at IPC during the introduction week. You must attend a minimum of 28 lessons per week distributed over the five days of a working week. You will receive detailed instructions as how to choose your classes during your first days at IPC.

It is important to notice that classes offered may change from term to term according to the teachers and students at IPC. In general, all classes listed on the website will be on offer, but sometimes classes are replaced and therefore you cannot rely on one certain class as a motivation to come to IPC. You should be interested in IPC as a whole if you apply. Furthermore, you need to have basic English language skills to participate in classes.

10. Guests

Guests are welcome at IPC (Thursday to Sunday); however, the school cannot guarantee overnight accommodation due to limited rooms available. Prior to the visit, all guests must register and pay at the IPC reception with name and the expected arrival and departure date in order to fulfill the fire safety regulations. The price for staying is 200 DKK per night incl. bedlinen and meals. (2023)

Guests are welcome from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Having guests does not excuse students from attending classes and other mandatory obligations. Guests are the responsibility of the host student.

11. Rules of Conduct, Expulsion

There are a few elementary rules of conduct (community guidelines) that all students must follow. Breaking these rules will lead to a warning or expulsion.

We expect all IPC students to respect Danish law at all times.

Attendance in class for a minimum of 28 lessons per week is mandatory.

No drugs are allowed on campus. If you use and/or sell illegal substances such as hash/marijuana or other drugs on the premises of IPC, you will be expelled. Use of medication should be informed to the school administration prior to arrival at IPC.

Excessive use of alcohol that leads to unacceptable behavior will lead to expulsion.

We do not accept aggressive behavior, verbal and physical violence and as such, it will result in expulsion from the school.

12. Data Protection

Personal information and data related to current or future applicants and students are confidential and will not be shared with a third party. Exempt from that rule are authorities such as Immigration Services, health authorities and the Municipality in Helsingør to the extent that interchange of such information is necessary to establish residence permits and/or health care. Please read our policy on protection of personal data.

Who, when, where, how, why, what – We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked the most often. Maybe this Folk High School FAQ will help you out! If not, do not hesitate to contact us.