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Free A-kasse membership for students
Will you soon graduate or have just graduated? See special rule for new graduates.
As a student you can become member of an A-kasse, regardless of whether you have a student job or not.
If you have been a member for at least one year before graduation, you can avoid the normal waiting period of 1 month and receive unemployment benefits ("dagpenge") from the first day, if you don't get a job right after graduation. This means that you will earn DKK 15,081 equivalent to 1 months dagpenge.
As a student, you can get up to 5 years of free membership of an A-kasse. All A-kasser shown on this page offer free student membership.
Conditions for free student membership
- You must follow an education of a duration of at least 1½ year duration (90 ECTS points).
- You had a permanent address in Denmark no later than one day before the start of your education.
- You must be able to take any job with one day notice after graduation.
- The free membership ends when you finish your education or if you end the education.
- Free membership is conditional on your gross income from employment, SU, SVU or similar in 2025 does not exceed DKK 305,421 (= 120.67% of the maximum unemployment benefit) if you have free membership in 2025.
- You may not receive other public support (pension, rehabilitation, cash benefits, etc.)
The first 3 requirements are the same you have to meet to be eligible for Unemployment benefits as a newly graduate.
For non-EU citizens with a study residence permit you will not be able to receive Unemployment benefits after graduation (because you are not allowed to work in Denmark), and therefore you can also not get free Student membership.
REMEMBER when you finish your education, if you have been a free study member, to re-enroll (apply for status change) as a recent graduate within the 14-day deadline. Otherwise you lose the right to unemployment benefits.
When should you sign Up as a student?
Generally we recommend the following:
If you will graduate in less than 6 months you should apply for the membership type for graduates.
There is some difference among the A-kasser how early before graduation you can apply but the most A-kasser will register you as member. It will be free for you until you graduate and you will also have fulfilled the 2-week deadline. Se more about that 2-week deadline under our section for graduates.
If you have more than six months but less than 1 year left before graduation you can apply for free study-membership. And it is a good thing to do, especially if you of some reason have to postpone your study and therefor maybe can ending up to have been member for one year (=earning DKK 15,081).
If you have from 1 year to 5 year left of your study we will recommend you to apply for free study-membership.
How to apply for free study-membership?
Everything is done online. Use links shown below or just click on links/logos around our site, and you will be directed to online application form at the A-kasse's website.
If you are not directed directly to online application form, then at the A-kasse website choose menu often called "Bliv medlem" or "Tilmeld dig her".
If possible choose membership type only for students (in danish "medlem som studerende" or "GRATIS studiemedlemskab"). If not possible to choose, just remember to mention in your application form that you are applying for FREE study-membership.
After have filled out the online application form you will receive mail-confirmation from the A-kasse.
Which A-kasse should you choose?
You can get up to 5 years free membership regardless of which A-kasse you decide to join.
Your rights are laid down in legislation, and the payment of your unemployment benefits (after graduation) is guaranteed by the Danish state, so your choice of A-kasse is not that important.
You can always switch to another A-kasse, both during your studies and when you graduate. When changing A-kasse, you retain accrued seniority.
In the table below you can see the A-kasser/unions we recommend.
| A-kasse | Membership benefits | You get this for free | Recommended for | Has an office in these cities | Members dev. in 2023/ Members as of 01/01/24 | Sign Up online/ Read more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTF A-kasse | few complaints, interdisciplinary, best A-kasse, tools for study techniques, advice regarding student job | Free A-kasse for 5 years | Medium-term higher education | Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, Herning, Kolding and Næstved | 0.7% 136,890 | (ad link) Sign Up online about FTFa |
| Min A-kasse | Free lectures and workshops, free professional photo of yourself, interdisciplinary, access to Online- kurser.dk. | Free A-kasse for 5 years | IT students and sales/marketing | Aalborg, Aarhus, Middelfart, København, Rødovre, Næstved and Valby | -2.6% 79,883 | (ad link) Sign Up online about Min A-kasse |
| DFH A-kasse | Holiday offers, tickets for sports. Interdisciplinary | Free A-kasse and trade union. Note only free help for student jobs if you do not work more than 15 hours/week. | Students with student jobs | Esbjerg, Kolding, Herning, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense, Ringsted, Copenhagen and Hillerød | 6.9% 183,186 | (ad link) Sign Up online about DFH |
| Ase A-kasse | Empower yourself in relation to business and entrepreneurship. Interdisciplinary | Free A-kasse for 5 years Trade Union DKK 74/mdr. Free Union the first 6 months (seen 02/01). | Education aimed at the business world, including entrepreneurship | Copenhagen + meeting places by appointment | 1.0% 135,976 | (ad link) Sign Up online about ASE |
Many students can get both A-kasse and Trade Union for free
You only need A-kasse membership to ensure your right to unemployment benefits (after graduation). And as mentioned before it will be a good idea jo become member of A-kasse at least 1 year before graduation.
However, it can also give some advantages to join a trade union during your studies, especially if membership is free.
If you have a student job, you can e.g. get help with the employment contract and other legal questions about your job. Even if you do not have a student job, union membership can give you a number of member benefits in the form of discounts, free tickets to sporting events etc.
Examples of how you can get both free A-kasse and trade union as a student:
If you are studying on an IT education, regardless of whether it is at a university, university college or business academy, you can get free A-kasse (Min A-kasse) and free trade union (PROSA) and thus also free access to a number of attractive member benefits.
Become a student member of Min A-kasse:
If you are studying sales/marketing at minimum short higher education level (KVU), you can get free A-kasse (Min A-kasse) and free trade union (Business Denmark) and thus also free access to a number of attractive member benefits.
Become a student member of Min A-kasse:
All students can get free A-kasse and trade union through "Det Faglige Hus". Det Faglige Hus provides free help with student jobs, as long as you do not work more than 15 hours/week. In addition, Det Faglige Hus offers a number of member benefits in the form of discounts etc.
Become a student member of "Det Faglige Hus":
If you can't get free student membership
If you do not meet the conditions for obtaining free student membership, you have the option to:
- apply for exemption from paying the part of the contribution that covers the administrative cost to the A-kasse of the total contribution to the A-kasse (this can be done by anyone studying at an SU-eligible education). This means that your contribution to the A-kasse in 2025 will be DKK 396/month.
- sign up for a part-time membership
Apply for part-time insured membership
If you are following an education that entitles you to membership as a newly graduate in an A-kasse, but you are not entitled to a free student membership, a part-time membership may be a solution.
If you become a paying member as a part-time insured person, you only have to pay DKK 4,464 per year in membership fees (price in FTF A-kasse, who accepts all students). The amount is tax deductible. If you are a member for one year before you finish your education, you will not get the normal waiting month. As a graduate you will get DKK 15,081 (DKK 17,295 as a dependent) per month. This means that you actually will have "earned" at least DKK 10,000 by signing up as a part-time insured while you are studying.
Both periods of student membership and as a paying member count towards the required one-year membership.
When you complete your education, you must re-register as a new graduate to be entitled to unemployment benefits. It is important that you change your status from part-time insured to full-time insured to receive full unemployment benefits.
- A-kasse overview (frontpage) →
A-kasse for students in Denmark
You might also be interested in:
⇒Switch to another A-kasse
⇒Cheap Trade union with A-kasse
⇒Find an interdisciplinary A-kasse
