Academic information

When studying at CBS you will most likely encounter a different academic culture than you are used to in your home country.

Guidelines for attendance

As a general rule there is no mandatory attendance for teaching activities at CBS. Class attendance is not recorded and please also be aware that class attendance does not count toward your final grade either. You grades are neither improved by class attendance, nor are your grades reflected by non-attendance. Your grades are based on your exams 100%.

Attend the teaching activities

Although attendance is not mandatory, we recommend that you participate in teaching activities. If you choose, for example, to take a holiday in a teaching or exam period, it is your responsibility to catch up on what you miss. We therefore recommend planning your holiday outside teaching periods. 

It is your responsibility to get what you want out of your programme. We recommend that you prepare for classes and that you participate actively – for your own sake, not for your lecturer’s sake.

Make use of your lecturers

Your lecturers are your sparring partners and inspirators. Many students do not make full use of their lecturers or are perhaps afraid to ask 'silly' questions. Your lecturers are committed to their field, and they would love to have active and inquisitive students. So do speak to them if there is something you do not understand or need sparring for.

Read more about teaching formats at Teaching and working formats

Exam types

As a student at CBS, you can expect to have any of the following exam types:

Oral exams

For most international students oral exam is a new encounter. An oral exam on the basis of a written project is made up of two parts; both are taken into account when your grade is determined:

1. A written project you have turned in before the exam. This could be a synopsis, a case project or a paper, and it can be written individually or in a group.
2. ​An oral exam that can be a defence of the written product, a broader examination in the curriculum or a combination of both. The oral exam can be held either individually or as a group exam.

Group work

Exam aids

To find out which exam aids are allowed during the exam, you check the course description the course catalog for the course in question. Depending on the exam form, students will have access to various exam aids during the exam.

The exam can be with or without exam aids. There are three different types: no aids (closed book), limited aids, all aids (open book).

You can read more about exams at Exams at CBS

CBS grade distribution for the academic year 2023/24:

The calculation is based on the majority of the grades given for ordinary exams (re-takes not included) at all study programmes at Copenhagen Business School during the academic year 2023-24 including grades given for bachelor’s and master’s theses and courses taken at the CBS International Summer University Programme.

Autumn semester

September to December/January

The official start and end dates of our autumn semester are from 1 September until 31 January the following year, both dates included. But you are not expected to be present in Denmark for this exact period.

Spring semester

February to May/June

The official start and end dates of our spring semester are from 1 February until 30 June, both dates included. But you are not expected to be present in Denmark for this exact period.

Here you can see the exact dates for the public holidays.