Denmark is becoming a very attractive study destination for international students. As statistics show, Danish universities welcomed an increased number between 2015 and 2016, but the growth continued further on. In 2017, regarding the official statistics, 10,986 overseas students were seeking a degree in the country.
The quality of higher education along with relatively small tuition fees and many scholarships available add to the attractiveness of Denmark as a study destination. Danish universities offer more than 700 degree programs totally in English. Furthermore, the country has a lot of beautiful sights starting from its capital city to wonderful sceneries of its islands.
Tuition fees
Currently, the Danish universities charge no tuition fees for their EU/EEA and Switzerland students. Also, if you’re studying in Denmark as part of an exchange program you carry no tuition. Additionally, you don’t need to pay for tuition fees in the following circumstances:
- You have a permanent residence permit
- You have a temporary residence permit which can be upgraded to a permanent one
- If your parent holds a non-EU/EEA residence permit because of the employment
All other categories of foreign students in Denmark are charged tuition fees which range between 6,000 to 16,000 euros. Also, they pay a fee for their application.
Scholarship and Grants
Another reason why Denmark is such an attractive study destination is that it has many scholarships on offer. The country has established many partnerships with foreign organizations for the purpose of mutual exchange in higher education. Below are some of them
Nordplus
The Nordplus is a mobility program for international students studying in one of the Baltic countries. In other words, a student in any of these countries can seek freely, his degree in another Baltic country.
Erasmus
The Erasmus is the EU mobility program, part of which is Denmark too. Under this program, the EU/EEA/Switzerland students can study abroad in Denmark for a period of time between 2 months up to 12 months.
Erasmus Mundus/Joint Master Degree
This scholarship scheme is open to EU/EA/Switzerland and non-EU/EEA/Switzerland students willing to pursue a Master’s degree in Denmark. The Master’s program can be offered by the Danish university and another European university jointly.
Fulbright Commission
This scholarship program delivers financial support for US postgraduate scholars wanting to study in Denmark. The Fulbright scholarship extends for an academic year of study or research and it covers all tuition fees at a value between $8,000 and $21,000.
The Danish Government Scholarships under the Cultural Agreements
Besides the aforementioned scholarship programs, there are a number of scholarships directly funded by the Danish government. The Danish Government Scholarships under the Cultural Agreements offers scholarships for exchange students who want to pursue a program in Danish language or in any study field related to Denmark like architecture, design, environmental studies etc. These sorts of scholarships are offered for long-term studies and short-term for summer language courses. Long-term scholarships are offered to students of Brazil, China, Egypt, Japan, Russia and South Korea, whereas short-term scholarships are offered to students of 35 EU countries, in addition to the long-term eligible countries. The annual deadline to apply for this kind of scholarships is May 1st.
Danish Government Scholarships
Universities in Denmark receive a limited number of scholarships for international students. Being so, they’re competitive bursaries. In order to be eligible for these scholarships a student generally must
- Be a citizen of a country rather than EU/EEA/Switzerland
- Enrolled in a full-degree program
- Have a temporary residence permit in Denmark
Since there’s a small number of direct government-funded scholarships for international students in Denmark we suggest you contact your university by email or if possible in person to see if they award these scholarships.
Student loans in Denmark
In addition to many scholarships available to students in Denmark, theirs is also a student loan scheme. Unfortunately, only home students and EU/EEA/Switzerland are eligible to apply for these grants. But there are specific circumstances at which the Denmark institutions can make an exemption. For example, if one has been living and working for a long time in Denmark then he may be able to pursue a student loan. Or the standard criteria can be taken down if the applicant is a refugee.
Living cost in Denmark
Besides the tuition fees, international students need to take care of many living expenses that studying abroad carries. If you’re a foreign student soon to land a Danish university a general picture of what it may cost to live in Denmark can help you manage your staying there.
In contrast to tuition fees, the living expenses in Denmark are actually higher compared to most places in Europe. To easily tackle this issue you need to take into consideration many factors that count on the price tag of living in Denmark. For example, the city or the location within the city may play an important role in the total cost of living expenses. As you may expect, living in the Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, life is much more expensive than in other cities.
Or it may depend on the type of transportation you choose. Denmark has a highly developed system of biking infrastructure so by taking a bike you can save a lot of money you would be spending on travel expenses. Besides money, it will save you more time and surely is healthy and fun. But if for whatever reason sometimes you can’t ride a bike, you can seek a proper travel ticket for the public transport. For example, you can get a Reisekort which is a type of travelling card. The Reisekort charges you with a payment only when you board a public transportation. You can load whatever money you want on it and use them when you travel.
Another way you can save a lot of money for yourself is by cooking in your own. Restaurants in Denmark are quite expensive. For example, a meal for a single person in an inexpensive restaurant will cost you on average 110 Kr (14.7 euros), while for two persons in a mid-restaurant it will cost on average 500 Kr (67 euros).
A good resource to trace these expenses is the Numbeo site.
Below are prices of some of the most elementary expenses you need to take care of
Water (1.5 liter) – 8.21 Kr (1.10 Euro)
Milk (1 liter) – 7.22 Kr (0.97 Euro)
Eggs (12) – 22.55 Kr (3.02 Euro)
Rice (1 kg) – 13.44 Kr (1.80 Euro)
Tomato (1 kg) – 20.08 Kr (2.70 Euro)
Potato (1 kg) – 10.81 Kr (1.45 Euro)
Onion (1 kg) – 9.13 Kr (1.23 Euro)
Banana (1 kg) – 16.04 Kr (2.15 Euro)
One-way ticket (Local Transport) – 24 Kr (3.22 Euro)
Taxi (Start) – 40 Kr (5.37 Euro)
Taxi (1 Km) – 15.55 Kr (2.09 Euro)