Further education in Denmark

Whether you are interested in a research-oriented programme or an applied programme, you will have plenty of options in Denmark.

Danish higher education institutions offer a range of opportunities for not only Danish but international students. More than 600 programmes are taught in English - all internationally recognised and of high quality.

Denmark offers a wide variety of further education - they can be divided into three main types:

• The classical bachelor and masters education at university (duration: 3 years and 180 ECTS for bachelor and 2 years and 120 ECTS for master)

• The bachelor education with internship (professionsbachelor) at university colleges (professionshøjskole) and business academies (erhvervskademi) (duration: 3½ years and 210 ECTS)

• The AP Degree education at business academies (duration: 2 - 2½ years and 120 ECTS)

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science website gives an overview of further education in Denmark (please note: some information is only available in Danish): https://ufm.dk/uddannelse/videregaende-uddannelse/overblik-over-det-videregaende-uddannelsessystem

Bachelor and Master Education at University

They are similar to universities worldwide: students attend lectures, work on assignments in teams by debating and discussing various topics and work on their written assignments. In their third year, they write a bachelor assignment during a semester and sit an exam. Some students will start looking for jobs and begin working, while others study further to acquire their master’s degree. Many students have a part-time job in their free time to earn extra income. It is quite common for them to work in cafés, restaurants and shops in the evenings and at weekends. Some students find jobs as (studentmedhjælper) - these positions are often relevant to their studies. With varied working experiences, students have a bigger chance of finding their first job after graduating as they get the hands-on knowledge of working in actual businesses, where they get to understand cultures at workplaces and establish networks within their fields.

Bachelor Education with an internship

Internships cover a large variety of studies which prepare students for their future professions. Here are just some examples: schoolteacher, kindergarten teacher, nurse, designer, and social worker. Unlike university education, students do not only attend lectures and get given assignments but also take part in real working environments that are relevant to their studies during their unpaid internship (praktik). This way, students can practice the theories they have been taught, and their bachelor assignment is related to their internship workplace. Professionshøjskolen Absalon is one of them, and they have seven campuses across Sealand. Besides programmes taught in Danish, they also offer programmes in English: https://phabsalon.dk/english/. In Jutland, you can find programmes offered by VIA University Colleges: https://en.via.dk/.

"Education is the most powerful weapon." - Nelson Mandela

AP Degree Education

AP Degree education is a further short-term education offered by business academies. Internships are also part of the programme, usually taken during their third semester. Students are allowed to take a so-called top-up bachelor education (professionsbachelor) which takes one and a half years after finishing their AP Degree programme. If they do so, they will have had two internships. The working experiences they gain through internships can be of great help in finding a job after their studies.

Tuition fee and admission

Thanks mainly to the taxpayers in Denmark, education is free from grade 0 in elementary school to the master’s degree programme. Students over the age of 18 even receive financial support (SU) from the state. There are two ways to apply for admission:

Quota 1 (Deadline: usually 5th July every year) - fulfilling the requirements regarding your academic performance, i.e. high school exam grades

Quota 2 (deadline: usually 15th March every year) - by other criteria such as relevant (working) experiences, specific test, application intention letter, interview, etc.

This unique admission culture and the 100% free education system here in Denmark makes it possible for everyone to study, regardless of what background you come from. President Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon”. In Denmark, everyone has the opportunity of receiving this powerful weapon that can change their life.