What Are Danish Government Scholarships?
Based on Section 19(6) of the Danish Act on Universities, Danish higher education institutions can award scholarships to highly qualified non-EU/EEA students. These aren't handed out broadly — each participating university receives a limited annual allocation, and competition is serious. The scholarship exists because Denmark wants to attract outstanding international talent and charges non-EU/EEA students substantial tuition fees to fund its higher education system.
The scholarship can be a full tuition waiver, partial tuition waiver, a monthly living grant, or a combination of both. What you actually get depends entirely on which university and faculty admits you. A scholarship at CBS comes with DKK 8,000 per month plus tuition. A scholarship at DTU may be tuition only, with no stipend at all. A scholarship at SDU includes both tuition and DKK 6,090 per month. Don't assume any uniform package — read the specific university's offer carefully.
This is probably the most important thing to understand upfront: there is no central portal. The Danish Government Scholarship is not one program with a single application. Each university manages its own allocation, sets its own criteria, has its own deadline, and makes its own decisions. Your job is to get admitted to a university that offers the scholarship — and to make your application strong enough that the scholarship committee takes notice. Some universities consider all applicants automatically; others require a separate statement or form.
Who Can Apply?
- Non-EU/EEA citizens enrolled or applying for full-degree programs at participating Danish universities
- Swiss citizens — explicitly eligible despite not being in the EU or EEA
- Applicants to full Master's or Bachelor's degree programs (not exchange or short programs)
- EU/EEA citizens (including Norwegians, Icelanders, and Liechtensteiners)
- Students who qualify for SU (Danish State Educational Support) — regardless of citizenship
- Students at artistic higher education institutions (music academies, etc.)
If you already qualify for SU — Denmark's state educational support, typically accessible through a Danish spouse, long-term Danish residency, or similar ties — you are excluded from the government scholarship entirely, regardless of your citizenship. This catches some applicants by surprise. SU eligibility is a disqualifier, not just a separate option.
Is It Really "Fully Funded"?
Scholarship aggregator sites frequently label this program "fully funded." That is often misleading and depends heavily on which university awards you the scholarship. There is no single standard package.
No monthly stipend. Tuition waiver only. Living costs (DKK 8,000–12,000/month in Copenhagen) are entirely your responsibility.
The most complete package — but only ~25 students per year across all CBS graduate programs. Extremely competitive.
Full package but limited to specific programs. Requires an online interview. Fewer applicants than Copenhagen-based universities.
Even with a DKK 8,000/month stipend, living costs in Copenhagen are high. Rent alone averages DKK 6,000–8,500/month for a single room. The stipend helps — significantly — but it rarely covers everything without careful budgeting. Outside Copenhagen (Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg), costs are lower and the stipend goes further.
Participating Universities
Seven institutions are actively known to participate. Each manages its own scholarship process, award count, and deadline.
- Deadline: January 15
- Awards: Very limited; precise number not published
- Key note: Requires a separate personal statement. Research experience weighs heavily in the selection.
- Awards: Faculty-specific — approximately 2–3 at Social Sciences
- Process: No separate application; automatic consideration with admission
- Key note: GPA is the dominant factor. Faculty of Science recipients had ≥98% average in 2025.
- Deadline: January 15 (autumn) / September 15 (spring)
- Awards: 1–2 per Master's program
- Key note: Automatic consideration; no separate statement usually required. Very few awards per program.
- Deadline: January 15 (autumn) / October 15 (spring)
- Awards: ~25/year across all graduate programs
- Key note: Requires separate personal statement. Best package available, but extremely competitive.
- Deadline: February 1 / March 15
- Awards: Specific programs only
- Key note: Includes an online interview round. Living costs in Sønderborg/Vejle are lower than Copenhagen.
- Awards: Specific allocations not publicly listed
- Key note: Contact the International Office directly to confirm which programs include scholarship consideration and current deadlines.
- Awards: Limited; smaller university with focused tech programs
- Key note: Strong programs in computer science, digital design, and data science. Check ITU's admissions pages for current scholarship details.
The Reality of the Competition
The numbers are unambiguous. UCPH Faculty of Science scholarship recipients in 2025 had undergraduate GPAs at or above 98% — meaning near-perfect academic records from their home institutions. At Aarhus, 1–2 scholarships exist per Master's program, drawn from a pool of dozens of admitted non-EU applicants, all of whom met the program's admission standard. CBS awards roughly 25 scholarships across all its graduate programs combined — in a school that admits several hundred international students each year.
This is genuinely very competitive. But the important practical detail is this: at most universities, the scholarship application is bundled with your regular university application. You're not paying a separate fee, writing an entirely different set of materials, or going through a separate portal. You apply to the university and automatically receive consideration. The marginal cost of "applying for the scholarship" is often just a stronger personal statement or a more focused motivation letter.
What Makes a Strong Application?
The primary differentiator is academic record — consistently, across every participating university. Beyond that, the weight of other factors varies by institution.
The primary signal everywhere. A top GPA from a well-regarded institution is the baseline requirement — scholarship recipients consistently sit at the very top of their admitted cohort.
Differentiates candidates at CBS and DTU especially. A generic motivation letter won't cut it. The statement should demonstrate intellectual clarity about why this program, why Denmark, and what you'll bring to it.
Matters significantly at DTU, less so at CBS. If you're applying to a research-intensive Master's program, documented lab work, publications, or thesis research strengthens your case considerably.
Must meet or exceed the minimum thresholds: IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 83. Scholarship candidates typically score well above minimums — a 7.5 IELTS or 100+ TOEFL is more realistic for competitive applicants.
A clear, credible connection between your academic background, your chosen program, and your stated goals. Committees notice when an applicant's history and plans form a logical arc — and when they don't.
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Everything you need to apply, in one place.