University admission in Europe

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).