Study in Denmark: Application Process

The entry requirements and application process vary depending on institution and program. However, there are a few commonalities which will be covered here:

Entrance qualifications

Undergraduate programs

For admission to a Bachelor’s degree program, you will need certificates of prior educational qualifications, complete with original stamps and signatures.

Qualifications from other countries are usually eligible. To improve your application, you might want to assess how your educational qualifications correspond to Danish ones at https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency.

You can obtain detailed information about entrance qualifications, potential credit transfers and additional tests from the individual institution's admissions office.

Postgraduate programs

To embark on a Master’s program in Denmark, a Bachelor’s that is relevant to your chosen subject matter and worth the same number of credits as a Danish degree (180 ECTS) is required.

For admission to a PhD, you usually need to have a recognized Master’s or the equivalent in ECTS. In some cases, a longer four-year PhD program is offered to students who have a Bachelor’s degree plus one year of postgraduate study.

Proof of language proficiency

Many programs in Danish universities are taught in English and require a high standard of English.

Applicants to undergraduate and postgraduate programs taught in English must prove their English proficiency comparable to ‘English B’ in the Danish upper secondary school system as a minimum. 'English A' - one level higher than 'English B' - is required for some programs.

International language tests TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge ESOL (CAE) are often used to prove English proficiency.

If you wish to undertake your degree in Danish, you will need to prove your proficiency in Danish by taking the ‘Danish as a Foreign Language’ test (Studieprøven i dansk som andetsprog) or ‘Danish Test 2’ (Danskprøve 2). You may need to pass ‘Danish Test 3’ (Danskprøve 3) for some programs.

How to apply

Undergraduate programs

For those applying to study a Bachelor’s degree starting at the beginning of the academic year (August/September), the deadline for admissions is 15 March.

A few institutions have the option for students to commence their studies halfway through the year at the start of the spring semester (January/February), in which case the deadline for applications is 1 September.

Applications are submitted to the national admission website rather than to individual institutions. Application forms can be found online here, and can be submitted from 1 February for the 15 March deadline. Responses to applications are received by 28 July.

Postgraduate programs

Deadlines for applications to postgraduate study vary because programs are run by individual institutions. It is recommended that you contact your chosen institution directly for details.