Study in Denmark: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

Denmark runs two separate admission systems depending on the level of study. Bachelor's programmes are applied for through optagelse.dk, the Coordinated Admission System run by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science's IT and learning agency. An applicant ranks up to eight programmes in order of preference and receives at most one offer, at the highest ranked programme they qualify for. International applicants, meaning those with a non-Danish upper secondary qualification, apply and upload every required document by 15 March at noon CET, regardless of EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship; a later 5 July deadline exists only for Danish applicants who qualify on a Danish upper secondary grade average alone. Master's programmes work differently: there is no shared national portal, and each university runs its own application round on its own website. Across the universities checked for this record, the deadline for a non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss applicant applying for a September start most often falls on 15 January, while EU/EEA/Swiss citizens and applicants who already hold a qualifying Danish residence permit apply later, commonly around 1 March.

Higher education is free for citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and for anyone holding a Danish permanent residence permit or a temporary permit that can lead to one. Everyone else pays tuition, set by each university and, at most institutions, by each programme, billed once or twice a year. Universities researched for this record charge non-EU/EEA/Swiss students from roughly EUR 10,800 a year at the lower end, for programmes in the humanities and social sciences, up to about EUR 17,300 a year for programmes in engineering, science and technology; Copenhagen Business School's master's programmes and Aalborg University's technical programmes sit in a similar range. On top of tuition, a non-refundable application fee applies, usually EUR 150 to 200 depending on the university, generally deducted from the first tuition instalment if the applicant is admitted.

Most bachelor's teaching in Denmark happens in Danish, so the great majority of programmes open to a non-Danish speaker sit at master's level and are taught in English; a smaller number of English-taught bachelor's programmes exist, concentrated in engineering, business, IT and international studies. English test requirements are set by each university rather than nationally, but a Danish upper secondary English B level is the common benchmark, most often shown as an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 or a TOEFL iBT score in the mid to high 80s; Copenhagen Business School's business programmes ask for a higher IELTS 7.0.

A non-EU, non-EEA or non-Swiss student admitted to a full time, state approved programme applies separately for a residence permit for higher educational programmes through SIRI, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration, once tuition for the first semester, or a scholarship that covers it, is confirmed. Students holding this permit can work 90 hours a month during the September to May teaching period and full time in June, July and August, and most bachelor's, master's and PhD graduates of state approved programmes can apply for a further residence permit of up to three years to look for work or start a business once their programme is finished; graduates of part time programmes for working professionals receive 6 months instead.

One thing to check before applying to a Danish business academy or university college, as opposed to a university. A political agreement in 2021 cut the number of English taught programmes in Denmark, and several of these institutions stopped admitting international students to full degrees as a result. UCL University College states on its own site that the Danish government has decided to reduce the number of English language programmes and that it is not allowed to admit new students to its international programmes from 2022 onwards. The universities are not affected in the same way, and some colleges do still admit international students, VIA University College and Business Academy Aarhus among them. If a programme at an academy or college looks open, confirm on that institution's own admission page that it is still taking international applicants before paying for anything.