Denmark Universities and Colleges

Overview

Overview of Higher Education in Denmark

Denmark has set a national goal of enabling half of its younger population to gain a higher education. Currently, about 41 percent of the Danish population pursues higher education. To help meet its goal, Denmark has a variety of types of institutions that provide educational programs that range from two-year vocational programs through post-graduate doctoral studies.

Admission to Denmark's higher education institutions requires completion of one of four upper secondary school leaving examinations. Depending on the institution and program, students may need to meet specific course prerequisites, take entrance examinations, achieve minimum grades and/or provide a portfolio of work. There is no tuition charged to Danish and EU citizens at any level of higher education.

The Danish Ministry of Education is responsible for oversight of higher education and the Accreditation Council within the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is responsible for accrediting higher education institutions including private schools that offer state grants.

Types of Schools and Degrees

Higher education in Denmark is provided by four different types of schools:

• Research universities - twelve universities confer research-based bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.
• University-level institutions - offer more narrowly-focused programs such as architecture, design and the arts and confer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.
• University colleges - offer professional bachelor's degree programs that take from three to four years to complete and include practical experience.
• Academies of professional higher education - offer two-year degree vocation programs resulting in an Academy Professional degree.

All of the bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs conform to the Bologna Agreement's structure which standardizes degrees across Europe.

International Students

International students can apply to study in Denmark directly to an institution or through an exchange program. Courses are usually taught in Danish but there are also many programs available in English, especially at the master's and doctoral levels. About five and a half percent of higher education students have come from outside of Denmark in recent years.

The largest higher education institution in Denmark is the University of Copenhagen which attracts many international students to its 100 or so departments and research centers. Attended by about 37,000 students including approximately 5,500 international students, it is the highest ranked university in Scandinavia.

Each institution in Denmark is responsible for admitting students based on its own requirements for a given program. All programs require a high proficiency in English and programs taught in Danish will necessitate students pass a Danish language exam.

International students from outside the EU pay tuition that typically ranges from 6000 to 16,000 euros a year. No tuition is paid by doctoral students who instead receive a salary from the university; their programs including teaching courses along with conducting research, taking courses and preparing their thesis.

Those who want to learn more about options for studying in Denmark can go to the official government Study in Denmark website.

About Denmark

Denmark is the southernmost Scandinavian country, bordered by ocean on all sides except the south which is bordered by Germany. It also includes two major islands, one on which the capital of Copenhagen is located. Its population of over five million primarily speaks the official Danish language although a large proportion of the population also speaks English.

Although a member of the European Union, it maintains own currency, the Danish krone. The capital of Copenhagen is the most visited city in the Scandinavian countries and has been recognized as having one of the highest qualities of life. Denmark tied for first place with Australia, Finland and New Zealand on UN's Education Index in 2006. It also received a first place ranking by Forbes magazine as having the best business climate.

Resources

Study in Denmark

Danish Ministry of Education