Tuition fees in Denmark

If you hold a passport from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you usually pay nothing for higher education in Denmark. Everyone else pays tuition, and the official range for a full degree is EUR 6,000 to 16,000 a year (DKK 45,000 to 120,000, or USD 8,000 to 21,000). Your exact fee is set by the institution and the programme, so the only number that counts is the one on their page.

Who studies free of charge

Higher education in Denmark is free of charge for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland. That is the official wording, and it covers you if you are in an exchange programme too. It also covers students who, under EU law, are entitled to the same status as Danish citizens.

There is a second group that studies free. According to Study in Denmark, it applies if, at the time you apply, you:

• have permanent residence in Denmark, or
• have temporary residence with the possibility of obtaining permanent residence, or
• hold a residence permit as the accompanying child of a foreign national who has a residence permit on the basis of employment and similar grounds (section 9 a and 9 m of the Aliens Act).

If you are a convention refugee or a protected person under the Aliens Act, or a relative of one, the official advice is to contact the institution directly for guidance on payment. Do not guess your status from a forum post. The institution decides, based on the documents you send.

What everyone else pays

All other students pay tuition fees. For a full degree, Study in Denmark gives the range as EUR 6,000 to 16,000 a year. That is a range, not a price list. The fee depends on the institution and on the programme, and some listed fees sit outside it.

Here is the spread across a few institutions, as listed in the Study in Denmark register for non-EU/EEA/Swiss students. Treat it as a rough map, not a quote.

Institution	City	Listed fee per year
University of Copenhagen	Copenhagen	EUR 2,400 to 8,700
Aarhus University	Aarhus	EUR 4,000 to 16,300
University of Southern Denmark	Odense	EUR 4,250 to 17,300
Technical University of Denmark	Lyngby	EUR 7,500
Copenhagen Business School	Frederiksberg	EUR 6,500 to 8,000
Roskilde University	Roskilde	EUR 5,000 to 8,000
Royal Danish Academy (Architecture, Design and Conservation)	Copenhagen	EUR 9,000 to 11,000
VIA University College	Aarhus	EUR 7,642 to 8,312

Notice how wide the gaps are. A design academy can cost more than a research university, and one university can list a low figure for one programme and a high one for another. Each programme page shows its own fee, so check there first. When you have a shortlist, use find a programme to compare them side by side, then confirm the figure with the institution itself. They make the decision on payment, not a central office.

The costs that sit around the fee

Tuition is rarely the biggest number over a whole degree. Living costs usually are, and they run every month whether you are in class or not. Our guide to cost of living breaks that down properly, so budget for it before you commit.

Then there are the smaller lines:

• Books and supplies. Study in Denmark's rough budget is DKK 400 to 650 a month.
• Insurance. Public healthcare is available once you are registered, but the register also recommends private liability, accident and home contents cover.
• Programme extras. Some programmes charge for excursions, equipment or placements. Ask the programme directly.
• Residence permit. Students from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland pay a fee when applying for a residence permit to study in Denmark. The immigration authorities set that amount, so check their page rather than relying on an old figure.

How to bring the bill down

Danish universities receive a limited number of government scholarships each year for highly qualified full-degree students from countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. The scholarship can be a full or partial tuition fee waiver, a grant towards living costs, or both. The universities themselves select the recipients, so the selection criteria and the deadline live on each institution's admission pages. There is no central application.

Erasmus Mundus joint master's programmes also carry scholarships, and they are open to both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students. These courses are run jointly by a Danish institution and another European university, so contact the individual course for its scholarship and application process.

If you are American and heading for master's or PhD level, Fulbright Denmark offers grants for a full academic year of study or research. If you are enrolled at a Nordic or Baltic institution, Nordplus may let you study in another Nordic or Baltic country as part of your degree.

State educational support (SU) is generally only awarded to Danish residents. Some international students can apply for equal status, and the rules are set out by the Danish Education Support Agency. It is not a tuition waiver, so do not count it against your fee. Start with our scholarships page to see which of these routes fits your situation.

Three things to do before you accept an offer

1. Get the fee in writing. Email the admissions office and ask for the annual fee for your specific programme, in the currency you will pay in. Keep the reply.
2. Check whether you qualify as free. If you think your residence status puts you in the free group, send the documents and let the institution decide. Do not assume.
3. Add up the whole year. Fee, living costs, books, insurance and the residence permit application fee. That total is the number that matters, not the tuition line alone.

Amounts and rules change. The figures here reflect what the official pages state, so treat the institution's own page as the final word and check it close to your application date.

Frequently asked questions

Is university free in Denmark for international students?

Higher education in Denmark is free of charge for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland, and for exchange students. It is also free for some students with a qualifying Danish residence status, such as permanent residence. All other students pay tuition fees.

How much does it cost to study in Denmark as a non-EU student?

Study in Denmark gives the annual range for a full degree as EUR 6,000 to 16,000 (DKK 45,000 to 120,000, or USD 8,000 to 21,000). The exact fee is set by each institution and programme, and some listed fees fall outside that range, so confirm the figure with the institution.

Can I get a scholarship to cover tuition in Denmark?

Danish universities receive a limited number of government scholarships each year for highly qualified full-degree students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. They can be a full or partial tuition waiver and/or a grant towards living costs, and the universities select the recipients themselves. Erasmus Mundus joint master's programmes also offer scholarships.

Do I have to pay extra to apply for a student visa?

Yes. Students from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland are charged a fee when applying for a residence permit to study in Denmark. The immigration authorities set the amount, so check their official page for the current figure.

Sources

• Study in Denmark, Tuition fees and scholarships, Who studies for free; EUR 6,000 to 16,000 range
• Study in Denmark, Scholarships, Government scholarships, Erasmus Mundus, SU
• Study in Denmark, Bank & budget, About 7.5 DKK per euro; books and supplies
• Study in Denmark, Insurance, Recommended private insurance

Last checked: October 2026. Rules and amounts change; confirm them on the official page before you act on them. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.