In order to get unemployment benefits when you graduate, you must change your status from student to graduate no later than 14 days after receiving your last grade.
You do this by filling in the form Skift medlemsstatus fra studerende til nyuddannet (change membership status from student to graduate).
If you do not do this, you will not be able to get unemployment benefits until you are able to fulfill the income critea, which is a minumum of DKK 263,232 (2024) within a year, after being a member for 1 year.
Do not change the status until you know the date when you get your last grade
If you know, you will get your last grade within the next month, but do not know the exact date, you must not change your status until you know the exact date when you get your last grade and finish your studies.
If there is more than 1 month until you graduate, you must extend your free student membership. You do that by filling in the form Forlængelse af gratis studiemedlemskab (Extension of free student membership).
Fill in the form Forlængelse af gratis studiemedlemskab (Extension of free student membership)
You must apply for unemployment benefits
To get unemployment benefits (dagpenge) as a new graduate, it is not enough to change status. You must also 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 l"edighedserklæring" (statement of unemployment).
Fill in the ledighedserklæring (statement of unemployment)
Read more about unemployment and benefits
You are a new graduate, when you receive your last grade
There are several ways you can finish your studies:
- The date you receive your final grade following an oral exam or defending your thesis or bachelor project
- The date where your university/school makes your final grade available online following a written exam
- A thesis or bachelor project where you have received your last grade or the date when your supervisor and examiner have signed a pre-approval (forhåndsgodkendelse).
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, and apply for supplementary unemployment benefits. You 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. If you quit the job after completing your education, you will be quarantined for 3 weeks. 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 is valid for two years.
You must 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.
Sign up for Betalingsservicce via Mit AKA
Language requirement for graduates
All graduates must possess a level of Danish equal to Dansk 2 in order to receive unemployment benefits.
You meet the language requirement if you have completed a degree taught in Danish.
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 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.
