Aarhus named this year's best university city for international students

Aarhus is the best university city of the year for international students. That’s the conclusion of the European student organisation Erasmus Student Network (ESN), which recently awarded Aarhus the title Erasmus Destination of the Year 2025.

Every year, ESN ranks the best university city for international students from over 500 cities across 44 European countries where ESN is present. It is the European exchange students who select the nominees. 

Aarhus nominated for 'Erasmus Destination of the Year'

Aarhus was up against Tallinn in Estonia, Riga in Latvia and Łódź and Wrocław in Poland. 

It is the close collaboration between Studenterhus Aarhus, ESN Aarhus and Aarhus University that has particularly impressed the judging panel, Studenterhus Aarhus explains in a press release. The international department of Studenterhus Aarhus constitutes the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) in Aarhus.

“The award is given to cities where cooperation between students, universities and local organisations creates an ideal setting for international mobility,” writes Studenterhus Aarhus, which also addresses specific elements:

“Aarhus is highlighted for its inclusive and dynamic environment, a vibrant culture scene and strong institutional support for international students and mobility programmes,” it reads. 

In a post on Instagram, Aarhus University pays tribute to Studenterhus Aarhus and ESN Aarhus after receiving the award. 

“Together, the hard-working volunteers from ESN Aarhus and Studenterhus Aarhus have done it. They managed to win the title for Erasmus Destination of the Year 2025. We couldn't be happier, because we believe in what we do and the amazing place that Aarhus is,” the Instagram-post reads. 

International network 

ESN is an international network aimed at supporting exchange students in Europe by, among other things, ensuring that international students feel welcomed in their host countries. 

The organisation created the Erasmus Destination of the Year award in 2022 with the help of the European Commission, and, since then, Thessaloniki in Greece, Ghent in Belgium and Porto in Portugal have received it. Now, Aarhus has joined that list. 

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Cecillia Jensen.