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Copenhagen & Berlin
Copenhagen, Denmark Berlin, Germany

First Year Abroad in Copenhagen & Berlin

Dates

-

12 weeks

Costs

$20,800 See Full Breakdown

Credit

12 - 13 semester hours

18 - 19.5 quarter hours

Application Deadline

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Overview

Start your first year of college in two of Europe’s most dynamic capitals: Copenhagen and Berlin. Choose from a wide range of intro courses and combine with daily cultural experiences for a unique 12-week experience abroad!

Immerse yourself in the Scandinavian way of life with bike culture, sustainability, and a thriving arts scene. Explore historic castles, experience hygge, and connect with the city’s welcoming locals! In Berlin, you will experience the bustling epicenter of art, history, and innovation. Discover the city’s rich history, from the Berlin Wall to world-class museums and a diverse culinary scene.

Spending your first semester of college traveling across Europe will provide you with the global perspective and intercultural skills you simply can’t get in a U.S classroom. Gain the confidence and maturity that will make a difference on campus and set yourself up for success! 

Unique Experiences

Cultural Immersion

Explore Copenhagen and Berlin, two cities filled with vibrant neighborhoods, world-class museums, and a rich tapestry of music, food, and traditions

College Credits

Stay on track with your 4-year graduation requirements and earn up to 13 credits per semester

Lifelong Skills and Friendships

Jump right into independence, far away from home, and bond with other U.S. and international students

Destination & Activities
  • High school students on a canal boat tour in Copenhagen
  • berlin-cathedral-sky

The Destination

Copenhagen is a metropolitan city that claims the title of the “Safest City in the World.” It attracts history buffs, designers, foodies, and those seeking a greener way of life. The city dates to the age of the Vikings and has a rich, royal history. While studying in Denmark, you will have the opportunity to explore numerous museums, castles, and the palace of Queen Margrethe, who has reigned in Denmark for over 50 years. You can also experience the green transformation firsthand by swimming in the city’s clean harbor pools or picking up a bike. During your stay, you can rent a bike to cruise over 240 miles of bike lanes in the city.

Located in the heart of the Kreuzberg district, CIEE Berlin offers students easy access to a large public market hall, dozens of restaurants and cafés, and Tempelhof Field – the largest urban green space in the world! Local staff will help you learn to navigate Berlin’s extensive public transportation system, so that you can explore the diversity of Berlin’s various neighborhoods. See firsthand how Berlin’s rich and varied past shapes its present and propels it into an innovative and sustainable future.    

Excursions & Activities

copenhagen group touring Helsingor

Copenhagen

  • Take a train across the iconic Öresund Bridge to Malmö and Lund in Sweden. Originally a part of Denmark, Lund is home to the towering Lund Cathedral and Lund University, one of the oldest universities in Scandinavia.   
  • Visit the original home of Hans Christian Andersen in Odense, or at one of many UNESCO world heritage sites in the country, including the white chalk cliffs of Stevns Klint.
  • See the beautiful Christiansborg palace, brightly colored townhouses that line Nyhavn canal, the famous Little Mermaid statue, and the oldest and second oldest amusement parks in the world: Bakken and Tivoli in Copenhagen.
berlin nuremburg student excursion

Berlin

  • Learn about the Peaceful Revolution and the grassroots movement that contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall in Leipzig 
  • Explore the prominence in both contemporary media and shipping industries in Hamburg 
  • Dive into German history to explore the city’s role as a medieval metropolis and site of the Nazi Party’s Rally Grounds in Nuremberg  
  • See the splendor of Potsdam’s palaces 
  • Visit the Berlin Wall Memorial, Olympic Stadium, and Teufelsberg – a former Cold War spy station now used as one of Europe’s largest street art galleries 

Please note this list of activities is based on past programs and subject to change at CIEE's discretion to both adapt to local circumstances and participant feedback. Our goal when revising itineraries is always to enhance your experience. Every activity is designed to provide you with a deep immersion in your topic, local culture and sights. 

Housing

Housing & Meals

Housing

Copenhagen

Homestays: Live with a Danish host family, with or without another CIEE student, and immerse yourself in the city’s language and culture. Each student has an individual room. 

Residence Halls: Most students will stay in a dorm room at a residence hall. The residence hall is comprised mostly of other international, local students, and young professionals. Each dorm room comes equipped with a kitchenette and an attached bathroom, with single and double bedrooms. There are also shared common spaces; each floor has a large communal kitchen and there are multiple lounge and hangout areas as well as study areas. 

Berlin

Homestays: Live with a German host family, with or without another CIEE student, and immerse yourself in the city’s language and culture. Each student has an individual room. 

Residence Hall: Most students live in an on-campus residence hall with a mix of CIEE students, local university students, and resident assistants. Students live in double, triple, or quad rooms with ensuite bathrooms and shower facilities. Lounges and kitchens allow students to meet over meals, cultural activities, study groups, and special events. They are shared spaces, with students enjoying the benefits but also the responsibility of taking care of them. Larger common areas are on the ground floor and inner courtyards offer comfortable spaces to work and relax.   

Housing is on a first-come, first-served basis. If we cannot accommodate your first housing choice, we’ll let you know before you arrive. 

Meals

Copenhagen

Host families: Students living with host families have breakfast and dinner at their homes. Students are responsible for lunch, either preparing them at home or eating in one of many restaurants and cafés throughout the city. 

Residence Hall: No meals provided. Students prepare their own meals in the residence hall’s shared kitchen facilities or eat in one of many restaurants and cafés throughout the city. 

Berlin

Host families: Students living with host families have breakfast and dinner at their homes. Students are responsible for lunch, either preparing them at home or eating in one of many restaurants and cafés throughout the city. 

Residence Hall: No meals provided. Students prepare their own meals in their own kitchenette or the residence hall’s shared kitchen facilities or eat in one of many restaurants and cafés throughout the city.

copenhagen housing basecamp south single student window

Copenhagen Residence Hall

Berlin

Berlin Residence Hall

Academics

Academics

First Year Abroad offers foundational college courses taught by CIEE local instructors to start your four-year college degree. We combine rigorous intro-level academic courses with unforgettable experiences outside the classroom to create a curriculum fostering academic, intercultural, and professional skills that help you succeed in college and the world beyond.

Our curriculum includes general education courses from major disciplines that offer you college credits to stay on track. Choose lecture and lab courses from the Arts and Humanities, World Language, Natural and Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Social Sciences, as well as courses specifically designed to help you develop organizational, writing and study skills to thrive in college. 

GPA

2.7 minimum high school GPA

Language Requirements

There are no specific language requirements for this program.

Additional Requirements

  • You must be 18 years or older at the time of program departure. 
  • You must be a recent high school graduate (no more than 18 months post-high school graduation). 
  • You must be in your first year of college, having completed no more than one semester of college post-high school graduation

For more information, refer to the detailed Program Essential Eligibility Criteria.

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Requirements

All students take four courses per semester (or two courses per block) 

Program Credit

12-13 U.S. semester/18-19.5 quarter credits

Course Credit

CIEE courses: typically, 3 U.S. semester credits; 45 contact hours 

Language courses:  4 U.S. semester credits; 60 contact hours for Beginning Language levels and Intermediate Japanese; 3 semester credits; 45 contact hours for all other language instruction

Lab courses: 4 U.S. semester credits; 60 contact hours 

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Academic Culture

CIEE First Year Abroad students are assisted by a comprehensive academic support system to develop the tools and skills necessary for successful undergraduate studies while abroad and with the transition to attending college in the U.S. These services are provided by CIEE in partnership with Dean College, the Academic Home and School of Record for FYA. These academic support services may include one-on-one, group, or online advising and tutoring.  

CIEE academic staff support students with resources and guidance on academic norms, study habits, and success strategies for first year students studying abroad. Tutors are trained and experienced educators with expertise in their subject areas. They provide assistance with core course concepts, study strategies, academic writing, research, and time management.  

Together, academic support staff and tutoring provide the resources and guidance needed to achieve academic success and make the most of your study abroad experience.

Class Format

Block Courses (Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, London, Paris, Rome, and Sydney): Take two courses per six-week block for two blocks. You can even take one block in one location and do your second block in another! Block courses are 3 or 4 U.S. credits, contain requisite contact hours and content, and count for the same credit as if they were spread out over a traditional semester. This allows for more intense study of fewer subjects at once. Completing two blocks will give you 12-13 U.S. semester credits to keep you on track to graduate within four years.  

Semester Courses (Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Kyoto, Monteverde, Prague, Rabat, and Seville): The 12-week semester for 12 - 13 U.S. credits allows immersion in four courses at once, including labs or language classes. At this pace, you have ample time to dive deeply into course content while still experiencing your new home culture. It also allows you to study multiple subjects at once. Most colleges offer 12-15 week semesters, so this format is setting you up for a familiar course structure back home.  

Embedded Intercultural Components: Courses have built-in co-curricular and other academic content tailored to your study abroad location. Museums, galleries, visits to local monuments, guest speakers by local experts, and other academic activities bring your studies and the local culture together in exciting ways.  

Experiential Learning: Highly trained local instructors guide you to discovery in small classes that emphasize active learning. Short lectures are enhanced with activities that foster inquiry, like: creative projects, collaborative problem-solving, case study analyses, panel discussions, visits to local sites, conversations with peers, and reflecting on these experiences. Activities are built to impart knowledge and gain critical skills: academic, social, and emotional.  

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Our academics include a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusions, including in course design, instructor training, and course content.  Emphasis is placed on hearing and considering diverse perspectives on important issues. This also includes comparing how local and home cultures approach key topics. All students are equal partners in creating a community of inquiry and all learning styles are accommodated. Support is offered to those who learn at different rates.  

Grading

The U.S. grading scale of A-F is used. Students are graded on the basis of attendance, class participation, homework, project work, presentations, and mid-term and final examinations. Learning outcomes assessment is continuous through personal reflections, evaluation feedback, self-assessment, and requirements as set out in course syllabi. 

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Language of Instruction

English 

Individual courses may have additional prerequisites; for CIEE courses, these are listed in the syllabi below. Students are responsible for having their own course approval conversations with their advisors.

Courses

Course Information

In the Fall semester, the courses below will be listed as available in Blocks II & III, rather than Blocks I & II.  This is because the First Year Abroad program runs during the final two blocks of the Fall semester which is otherwise split into three blocks on CIEE’s Academic Calendar. 

For information about how these courses will be transferred back to Dean College, please refer to the course equivalency chart.

Start and end locations may vary: While we strive to adhere to the advertised sequence, we may have to swap the starting and ending location of this program to ensure the best possible student experience.

Copenhagen

FYA Block I:

  • Art History I
  • General Psychology
  • Introduction to Composition I
  • Introduction to Political Science
  • Principles of Microeconomics
  • Quantitative Reasoning

Berlin

FYA Block II:

  • Contemporary Social Issues
  • Environmental Science (Lab Course)
  • Introduction to Business
  • Introduction to Mass Communications
  • Introductory Statistics
  • World History II

Note: This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to change as a result of ongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be canceled due to insufficient enrollment.
"(GI)" denotes courses that originated at CIEE's Global Institutes and that are offered at multiple CIEE sites.

Dates & Fees

Dates & Fees

You get more for every dollar when you study abroad with CIEE, because our high-quality programs include everything from excursions to insurance. There are no hidden charges, and no disappointing surprises when you arrive

Program

Application Due

Start Date

End Date

Fees & Housing
Program Spring 2025 12 weeks Start Date End Date Fees & Housing $20,800

To help you budget, keep in mind that students are responsible for the cost of international airfare, local transportation, books and supplies, visas, and personal expenses. In addition, you will pay your CIEE program fee (fee varies by location) and Dean College tuition and fees ($2,900 total for all locations) directly to Dean College.

Federal financial aid and state aid (Massachusetts residents only) is available through Dean College. Students applying for need-based financial aid from Dean College must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) using the FAFSA School Code for Dean College: 002144.

Program Fees

CIEE offers the most student support of any provider in its program fee, including an airport greeting, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and CIEE iNext travel protection with benefits.

Program Fee = $20,800*

Total Fees = $20,800

Estimated Costs

Students are responsible and manage costs related to travel, meals, books, and personal expenses. Below are estimates for consideration.

*CIEE Fees: $17,900; Dean College Fees: $2,900

What's Included

Tuition

Housing

Pre-departure Advising

Advising before you depart to set goals and answer questions

Optional on-site airport meet-and-greet

Orientation

Introduction to your program plus practical information about living in your host city

On-site Staff

Full-time program leadership and support in your city

Cultural and/or Co-curricular Activities

Excursions and/or Study Tours

Travel Protection

CIEE iNext travel protection

24/7 emergency on-site support

Get Started Steps

Get Started

Here’s what you need to do to take the next steps:

1

Start a CIEE FYA Application
You’re one step closer to an amazing study abroad experience! You need to apply and be accepted by both CIEE and Dean College to join FYA. Don’t worry! We’ll help you through the process!

Apply Now

2

Complete the Dean College FYA Application
You will receive an email with a unique link to your personalized Dean College application after completing your CIEE FYA application.

3

Contact Us
Send us an email if you still have questions or need information about applying to the FYA program.

Email Us

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