Denmark

⇑Universities

In Denmark you can choose from five types of higher education institutions:

• universities (universiteter) – general and specialised, research-based, teaching at all levels up to the doctorate,
• university colleges (professionshøjskoler) – professional bachelor's programmes, e.g. for future teachers, nurses and engineers,
• business academies (erhvervsakademier) – shorter, practical programmes and applied degrees,
• maritime education institutions – training for the shipping industry,
• arts institutions – art, architecture, design and music.

There is plenty on offer in English: according to the European Commission's portal, more than 500 programmes are taught entirely in English.

Universities in Denmark – profiles

⇑Study system

The Danish system follows the Bologna model:

• Bachelor at a university – 180 ECTS, i.e. 3 years,
• professional bachelor (professionsbachelor) – 180, 210 or 240 ECTS, i.e. 3–4 years,
• business academy programmes (erhvervsakademiuddannelser) – shorter practical degrees,
• Master (kandidat) – 120 ECTS, i.e. 2 years,
• Doctorate – 3 years.

The academic year starts in August or September.

Denmark – bachelor's programmes
Denmark – integrated (single-cycle) programmes
Denmark – master's programmes
Denmark – doctoral programmes

⇑Admission

For bachelor's programmes you apply centrally through optagelse.dk, and each institution then assesses the applicants itself. You can apply for up to 8 programmes at once. After submitting your application, you print and sign the signature page for each programme and send it to the institution.

Places are divided into two quotas:

• kvote 1 – based on your secondary school grade average,
• kvote 2 – based on criteria set and published by the institution (e.g. a test or an interview).

Deadlines (example: University of Copenhagen, 2026 admission): the portal opens on 1 February. With a school leaving certificate from outside Denmark, you apply by 15 March, 12:00 noon – whether you are applying in kvote 1 or kvote 2. If your grades can be converted to the Danish scale, you are considered in both quotas. The 5 July, 12:00 noon deadline is for applicants with a Danish school leaving certificate in kvote 1; for you it is only the last date to send in outstanding documents, e.g. from supplementary courses. Offers come out on 28 July, and you must accept your place by 2 August.

For a master's programme you apply directly to the university – each one sets its own deadlines.

If you are from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, remember that after admission you still need a residence permit, which normally takes about two months to process – so apply early and reply to your offer quickly (see: Residence and formalities).

⇑Entrance exams

There is no national entrance exam. In kvote 1 only your grades count; in kvote 2 the institution may hold its own test or interview. Arts institutions hold aptitude tests.

Many programmes have specific subject requirements – certain secondary school subjects at a given level (in the Danish system A, B or C). The best way to find out whether the subjects on your school leaving certificate meet them is to ask the institution you are applying to.

⇑Language

All programmes require good English. The standard is the Danish “English B” level:

• IELTS – at least 6.5,
• TOEFL – 79–93 points in the internet-based test,
• or the Cambridge CAE certificate.

Some programmes require the higher “English A” level: IELTS at least 7.0, TOEFL iBT 94–101 points or Cambridge CPE.

For programmes taught in Danish you usually have to pass the Danish as a second language exam (Studieprøven i dansk som andetsprog). International students can learn Danish for free, so you could start with a bachelor's in English and switch to a Danish-taught master's later.

⇑Residence and formalities

EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a visa. If you stay longer than 3 months, you have two things to sort out:

• EU residence document – you submit form OD1A online to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI), and then go in person to one of its offices within 30 days. You must be admitted to a programme in Denmark and have enough money to support yourself. There is no fee,
• CPR number – your Danish personal identification number. You get it from the municipality where you live by showing your EU residence document and ID. You must already have an address in Denmark, and you must report a move to the municipality within 5 days.

Without a CPR number most things in Denmark are difficult, so don't put it off. Practical information for newcomers is collected on lifeindenmark.dk.

Students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland need a residence permit for higher education from SIRI. You create a case order ID, pay the fee (DKK 3,060 in 2026) and submit form ST1 – your institution fills in part 1, you fill in part 2. Within 14 days of applying online you must have your biometrics (photo and fingerprints) taken at a Danish mission abroad or at a SIRI office. Processing normally takes 2 months. You must show that you can support yourself: DKK 7,426 a month (2026), and at most DKK 89,112 for studies longer than a year – for example with a recent bank statement in your own name or scholarship documentation. According to SIRI, tuition already paid for the first semester is also accepted as proof of funds. Once you have your permit and an address, you get a CPR number in the same way as described above.

Health insurance: if you are from the EU/EEA or Switzerland, bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to start with. Once you are registered with a CPR number, you get the yellow Danish health insurance card, which gives you access to public healthcare – for students from outside the EU/EEA it is valid as soon as you have registered.

⇑Tuition fees

Studying in Denmark is free for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland, including programmes taught in English. Exchange students also study for free.

Students from outside the EU/EEA usually pay €6,000–16,000 a year (DKK 45,000–120,000) for a bachelor's or master's programme. The institution will tell you the exact amount.

⇑Accommodation and living costs

Denmark is not a cheap country. According to Study in Europe, students usually spend €1,000–1,700 a month, depending on the city and their lifestyle. Study in Denmark breaks down a monthly budget like this:

• accommodation – DKK 3,000–6,500, usually including bills,
• food – DKK 2,000–3,500,
• books and materials – DKK 400–650,
• transport – DKK 300, phone – DKK 250, insurance – around DKK 300,
• other expenses – around DKK 2,000.

As a rough guide: €1 is about DKK 7.5.

Start looking for accommodation several months before you arrive. In the big cities it is very hard to find a room in August and September, and Study in Denmark advises against arriving without confirmed housing. As soon as you are admitted, contact your institution – it will help you get a place in a student residence (kollegium) or point you to local options.

⇑Scholarships

Danish Government Scholarships are only for students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland – ask the institution you are applying to whether it offers them. For students from the EU/EEA there are other options:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Denmark as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Nordplus – if you study at a university in a Nordic or Baltic country and want to go to another one,
• SU – the Danish state education grant. EU citizens can apply for equal status with Danish students, usually through work: you must work at least 10–12 hours a week, without a break, for at least 10 weeks, and keep working for as long as you receive SU. The work must be genuine, not symbolic.

You will find the SU conditions and the application for equal status on su.dk.

⇑Working while studying

EU/EEA and Swiss citizens can work in Denmark without any permit and with no limit on hours.

Students from outside the EU/EEA on a state-approved programme may work 90 hours a month from September to May and full time in June, July and August; the right to work comes with your residence permit. If you apply for a programme that is not state-approved, you get no right to work (for applications submitted on or after 2 May 2025). Working more than you are allowed counts as illegal work.

Start with your institution's careers service. Guides on finding a student job, writing an application and doing well in an interview are on workindenmark.dk. Learning Danish is worth it – it greatly improves your chances of finding work both during and after your studies. For EU students, working enough hours can also open the way to the SU grant.

Denmark – why work there?
How to find a job abroad?

⇑Useful links

• Study in Europe – Denmark – the official country profile on the European Commission's portal,
• Study in Denmark – the official portal for international students: institutions, admission, costs, housing,
• Study in Denmark programme search – programmes taught in English,
• optagelse.dk – the central admission system for bachelor's programmes,
• SU – the Danish state education grant,
• New to Denmark (SIRI) – EU residence document,
• SIRI – residence permit for higher education – residence permits for students from outside the EU/EEA,
• Life in Denmark – CPR number and formalities after arrival,
• ENIC-NARIC – recognition of qualifications in Europe,
• Eurodesk – free information on studying, traineeships and volunteering in Europe.