The university will maintain its position as an attractive university, and will continue to admit students with good academic prerequisites who are motivated to immerse themselves in and engage in their degree programme and student life at the university.
Choosing what to study is a complex life choice with many different motives at stake. The choice is a difficult, individual decision requiring an overview of the opportunities available, knowledge and insight into degree programmes and student life, as well as easy access to qualified help and guidance. At Aarhus University, we acknowledge this difficult decision and want to support our future students throughout their decision process with relevant and targeted recruitment efforts. The university must be a trustworthy sparring partner and bases its contact with students on the Principles for student guidance with particular emphasis on respect, openness and trust.
Student recruitment must promote a good match between applicant and degree programme, and provide a fully informed basis to attract qualified and motivated students who are able to complete the programme within the prescribed study period and without unnecessary drop-outs. This takes place in close collaboration between the central and faculty administrations and teaching staff and student representatives. Specifically, recruitment efforts are coordinated and developed in the cross-disciplinary Recruitment group for national recruitment. The group contributes to joint recruitment events such as StudyInfo, Study trials and U-days, and has helped to develop Guidelines for good recruitment to ensure coherence and consistency in recruitment.
Recruitment of students must increase knowledge about AU, generate interest in the degree programmes and help integrate new students through a good orientation programme that builds on their upper-secondary academic experience. Potential students need to be aware of their options and have a clear understanding of the degree programme's academic and social content, as well as the expectations on them to make reflective choices. Young people look for role models and mirror themselves in like-minded people when they seek knowledge about education. Students and teaching staff are therefore involved as role models and ambassadors for the university. Examples include The Mobile University (Det Rullende Universitet), where students teach upper secondary students for a day, the voluntary network for students Chat with our students (Spørg en AU’er) or the documentary series The Study Tour (Studierejsen).
The same principles applied for national recruitment are also applied for recruitment of international Bachelor’s and Master’s students. Qualified and informed study choices for international students are ensured through close collaboration between AU administrative units and the academic environments. There is strong strategic focus on involving current international students in "peer-to-peer" dialogue with potential new students.
Student recruitment at Aarhus University thus includes national and international Bachelor's and Master’s degree students for the university's campuses in Aarhus, Emdrup, Herning and Viborg.
