You apply to Danish undergraduate programmes through one national website, optagelse.dk, not to each university directly. You can list up to eight programmes in priority order and you will get at most one offer, at the highest priority you qualify for. The main deadline for applicants with a non-Danish upper secondary qualification, including the IB, is 15 March at 12 noon CET.
Pick your programmes first
Before you touch the application form, work out whether you actually meet the entry requirements. There are three layers: a general requirement, the programme's specific requirements, and a language requirement.
The general requirement is that your qualification sits at the level of a Danish upper secondary school leaving certificate. The specific requirements are usually about which subjects you passed, the marks you got in them and your overall average. For some Professional Bachelor's and Academy Profession programmes, a relevant vocational qualification can be enough.
Study in Denmark and the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science publish a list of foreign qualifications for entry into Danish higher education. Use it as a starting point, but remember the institution makes the final call. Email the admissions office and ask, in plain terms, whether you meet the specific requirements. Do this early.
You can browse English-taught degrees in our programme directory to build your shortlist.
How the application works
Applications to Bachelor's, Professional Bachelor's and Academy Profession programmes are coordinated centrally but assessed locally. That means optagelse.dk collects everything, and each institution decides on its own programmes.
Here is the sequence:
- Create your application on optagelse.dk and list your programmes in priority order.
- Upload your diplomas and other documentation to optagelse.dk.
- For each programme, print the generated signature page, sign it by hand, and send it separately to the institution by post or email. It must not be uploaded to optagelse.dk. If you email it, print it, sign it, scan it and attach it.
- Check the institution's own website for its document deadline and what it wants.
Until 5 July at 12 noon CET you can still edit your priorities, delete applications and upload annexes. Answers go out on 28 July.
Deadlines and quotas
There are two deadlines: 15 March at 12 noon CET and 5 July at 12 noon CET. The site closes at noon sharp, so do not leave it to the morning of.
If your exam finishes in June, you can still apply by 15 March and attach your diploma on optagelse.dk before 5 July at 12 noon.
Where a programme has more applicants than places, admission splits into two quotas:
- Quota 1 ranks applicants by the grade average of their upper secondary qualification, converted to the Danish 7-point scale. The cut-offs are published on 26 July and change from year to year.
- Quota 2 uses criteria that each institution publishes for each programme. Some programmes admit only through quota 2, using tests, interviews or a motivational essay.
If you apply by 15 March and your grades can be converted, you are considered in quota 1 as well, so you only apply once per programme. Some quota 2 programmes want written material attached before the 15 March deadline, and if there is a test or interview you must attend it to stay in the running.
Not admitted? You can tick the stand-by box. Read the consequences first. Once you are offered a place on the stand-by list you cannot be admitted to another programme that year, even if you give up the place. Study in Denmark recommends against it unless that specific programme matters most to you. You must be ready to accept a vacant place until 21 September for a summer start, or 21 February for a winter start.
English language requirements
English-taught programmes require, at minimum, English comparable to Danish upper secondary English B. Some ask for English A, which is one level higher. Native English speakers must document it too.
IELTS, TOEFL and the Cambridge exams are commonly used. As a rough guide based on past requirements, English B is around IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL internet-based 79 to 93, and English A is around IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL internet-based 94 to 101. Each institution sets its own equivalents, so check the programme page.
For Danish-taught programmes you need to prove Danish, usually through the test called Danish as a Foreign Language (Studieprøven i dansk som andetsprog) or Danish Test 2, and some programmes ask for Danish Test 3.
Money, permits and practicalities
Higher education is free of charge for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland. For most other students, tuition runs at roughly EUR 6,000 to 16,000 a year. See our page on tuition fees for how this works in practice, and look at scholarships if you are paying.
Once you are admitted, you apply for a residence permit through SIRI, and your institution's International Office will help you. The permit requires you to show you can support yourself. Our guide to the residence permit walks through the steps.
Your CPR number gives you access to the public healthcare system. Start looking for housing as soon as you have an offer, not in August.
Working during and after your studies
Nordic, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a work permit, and there is no student-specific limit on hours.
If you are from outside those areas and hold a residence permit for a state-approved higher education programme, you get a limited work permit: up to 90 hours a month from September to May, and full-time in June, July and August. Your residence card states what you may do. Working more than your permit allows is illegal work and can affect your permit. Different rules may apply if your programme is not state-approved.
Student jobs are advertised through your institution's career centre and on Workindenmark. You will also need a tax card from SKAT once you have your CPR number, using the form called Application for tax deduction for Faroese, Greenlandic or international students or business apprentice in Denmark (04.062). Your employer then collects the card digitally and deducts tax at source.
After graduating, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a work permit, and Nordic citizens can live and work without a residence or work permit. For everyone else, the right to stay and work depends on your permit. A job-seeking permit after a degree is for up to three years if your student permit application was submitted before 1 October 2026, and up to one year if it was submitted on or after that date. The rules on this and on bringing family changed on 1 October 2026, so read New to Denmark for your own situation.
Learning Danish
Most Danes speak English well, but Danish helps socially and a lot when you look for a job. International students can take Danish courses free of charge, against a deposit of DKK 2,000 that you get back when you pass the final exam or finish a module within the time limit.
Courses are run by a network of private and public language centres, in the daytime or evening, online or in person, and end with a state-approved test aligned with the Common European Framework for Languages. Many students start an English-taught bachelor's and switch to Danish at master's level once their Danish is good enough. Ask your host institution's International Office where to start.
Quick comparison
| Question | What applies |
|---|---|
| Where do I apply for a bachelor's? | optagelse.dk, centrally |
| How many programmes can I list? | Up to 8, in priority order |
| Main deadline for foreign qualifications | 15 March, 12 noon CET |
| Final deadline to edit and upload | 5 July, 12 noon CET |
| When do answers come? | 28 July |
| Tuition for EU/EEA and Swiss students | Free of charge |
| Work limit outside EU/EEA and Switzerland | 90 hours a month Sept to May, full-time in June, July and August |
Any number you cannot find here, such as a specific programme's document deadline or its exact test score, lives on the institution's own website. Check there rather than guessing, and if a rule affects your permit, the authority decides, not this guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many programmes can I apply to in Denmark?
You can list up to eight programmes on optagelse.dk, in priority order. You will receive no more than one offer, at the highest priority you qualify for.
What is the deadline to apply to a Danish bachelor's programme as an international student?
The deadlines are 15 March at 12 noon CET and 5 July at 12 noon CET. Applicants with a non-Danish upper secondary qualification, including the IB, apply by 15 March, and answers are sent on 28 July.
Do I need to pay tuition to study in Denmark?
Higher education is free of charge for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland. For most other students, tuition is roughly EUR 6,000 to 16,000 a year, and each institution sets its own fees.
How many hours can I work while studying in Denmark?
If you are from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland and hold a residence permit for a state-approved higher education programme, you can work up to 90 hours a month from September to May and full-time in June, July and August. Nordic, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a work permit and have no student-specific limit.