A PhD in Denmark is usually a paid job, not a study programme with a bill attached. If a faculty or department funds your position, you're employed on the AC agreement and earn a salary. If you fall outside the free groups, you pay a fee of DKK 50,000 a year instead, and someone has to guarantee all three years of it.
The degree itself is a 3-year research project worth 180 ECTS. Here's how the pieces fit together.
What a Danish PhD actually involves
It's a three-year academic research degree built around your own project under supervision. Beyond the research, you take about 30 ECTS of PhD courses, join research networks (including placements abroad), do some teaching, and write a thesis you defend orally.
That mix matters when you're choosing a supervisor. You're not just signing up for a thesis, you're joining a department that expects you to teach, travel and take courses. Ask at interview how the teaching load is distributed across the three years.
All Danish institutions use ECTS credits and follow national rules on degree structures, teacher qualifications and examinations, so the shape of the degree is consistent whichever university you pick. Our PhD level page lists the programmes we have on file.
How you apply
You apply in writing through advertised projects and scholarships. There are two routes: apply for a pre-defined project someone has already advertised, or propose your own research idea to a department that's willing to host it.
The advertised route is the easier one to read, the topic, the supervisor and the funding are all spelled out. The self-proposed route needs you to find a supervisor first, before you write anything formal.Whichever route you take, the head of the relevant PhD school decides who gets enrolled, acting on a recommendation from the faculty's PhD committee. So the person who ultimately says yes isn't the supervisor you've been emailing, keep that in mind when you're waiting.
What goes in the application
- A recognised master's in a relevant subject (this is the normal entry requirement)
- Good English
- Grade transcripts for both your bachelor's and your master's
- A CV
Alongside those, expect to submit a project description if you're proposing your own topic. Check the specific PhD school's page for its own template and deadline, application rounds are set by the institution, not centrally.
Salary, fees and who pays
This is where Denmark differs from most places. If your position is funded by a faculty or department, your salary follows the AC agreement. As listed on the Study in Denmark pages, the average monthly salary for a PhD fellow at the University of Copenhagen is DKK 32,567. Treat that as an illustration of the level, not a promise, your actual figure depends on the institution and the agreement.
If you're outside the free groups, it works differently. You pay a tuition fee of DKK 50,000 a year, which is DKK 150,000 across the three years. The grant provider must guarantee the fee for all three years before you can be enrolled, so a partial funding offer won't get you through the door.
For context on the wider system: higher education is free of charge for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland and for students entitled to the same status as Danish citizens under EU law. Other full-degree students pay fees set by each institution.
Funded PhD positions are advertised like jobs, so it pays to know where they appear. Our scholarships section covers the funding side, and you should check individual department pages too, many advertise positions there first.
The Industrial PhD, and combined master's, PhD routes
An Industrial PhD is a different animal. You're employed by a private company and enrolled at a graduate school at the same time. The company applies to Innovation Fund Denmark on your behalf, you don't submit that application yourself.
That changes the practicalities. You need a company willing to take you on before anything else happens, so the search starts with employers, not universities. It suits people who already have a research-shaped problem in industry and a company interested in solving it.
Some faculties also offer 3+5 or 4+4 programmes, which combine the PhD with the master's rather than requiring you to finish a master's first. These aren't available everywhere, so ask the PhD school directly whether it runs one and what the entry requirements are.
| Route | Who employs you | Key practical point |
|---|---|---|
| Standard funded PhD | Faculty or department | Salary follows the AC agreement |
| Self-funded (outside free groups) | Not applicable | DKK 50,000 a year; grant provider guarantees all three years |
| Industrial PhD | Private company | Company applies to Innovation Fund Denmark on your behalf |
| 3+5 or 4+4 | Varies by faculty | Combines PhD with the master's; only at some faculties |
Choosing where to do it
Our catalogue lists 24 Danish higher education institutions and 422 programmes imported from the Study in Denmark register. That's the pool you're working with, and it's smaller than it sounds once you narrow by field.
Pick by supervisor and department rather than by university name. Read what the PhD school publishes about its research groups, then email a potential supervisor with a short, specific question about their current work. Vague emails get ignored; concrete ones get replies.
You can start from our list of all universities in Denmark, or browse universities by type and location if you already know roughly where you want to be.
The practical bits before you arrive
If you're from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, you'll normally need a residence permit for study before you come. You apply through the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI), and the details are on nyidanmark.dk. SIRI decides on permits, the university doesn't, and neither does your supervisor.
Note that undergraduate applications go through a different system entirely: they're coordinated centrally at www.optagelse.dk with deadlines of 15 March and 5 July at 12 noon (CET), though the institutions assess them. PhD applications don't go through optagelse.dk, they go to the PhD school advertising the position.
One last habit worth forming: fees and deadlines on this site are shown as listed in the Study in Denmark register, and they change. Confirm the fee with the institution before you build a budget around it, and check the PhD school's own page for its application round.
Sources
- Study in Denmark, PhD and research
- Study in Denmark, how to apply
- Study in Denmark, tuition fees and scholarships
- Study in Denmark, residence permits for non-EU/EEA citizens
- Study in Denmark, guarantee for a quality experience
Frequently asked questions
Is a PhD in Denmark paid?
Usually yes. If a faculty or department funds your position, you're employed and your salary follows the AC agreement; the Study in Denmark page gives DKK 32,567 a month as the average for a PhD fellow at the University of Copenhagen. If you're outside the free groups and self-funded, you pay a fee instead.
How much does a PhD cost for non-EU students?
Students outside the free groups pay DKK 50,000 a year, or DKK 150,000 across the three years. The grant provider must guarantee the fee for all three years before enrolment. Confirm the current figure with the institution, as fees are shown as listed in the Study in Denmark register.
What is an Industrial PhD in Denmark?
You're employed by a private company while enrolled at a graduate school. The company applies to Innovation Fund Denmark on your behalf, so you need a willing employer before you can apply. It's a good fit if you have an industry research problem to work on.
Do I need a master's to start a PhD in Denmark?
Normally yes, a recognised master's in a relevant subject, plus good English and transcripts for both your bachelor's and master's degrees. Some faculties run 3+5 or 4+4 programmes that combine the PhD with the master's, so ask the PhD school directly if you don't have a master's yet.