Funding

Business academies, university colleges, and universities are state-funded, self-governing institutions.

Public funding of higher education institutions has four main components:

• A basic grant that is independent of the development in full-time equivalent number of students;

• An activity grant that depends on the full-time equivalent number of students;

• A result grant that depends on the graduates’ average time of study and the graduates’ average employment rate after completion of their education programme;

• A quality grant that consists of the funding that was not implemented as result grants.

All higher education institutions receive the four types of grants. By far, the largest part for all institutions is activity grants awarded as taximeter funding per full-time equivalent student based on the number of passed examinations.

The taximeter rates vary depending on the field of study and are determined on the annual Finance Act. Typically, natural science, technological science, and health science receive the highest taximeter rate and social studies and the humanities receive the lowest taximeter rate.

Financial autonomy and control

The higher education institutions receive a lump sum, which they have autonomy to spend according to their priorities in accordance with the objectives stipulated for the education institutions.

The higher education institutions are covered by the Act on the accountancy of the state etc. and the Ministry of Finance’s economic administrative guidance, which stipulate regulations regarding the institutions’ economic administration.

The higher education institutions submit an annual report, accounting data, and auditor’s records to the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science.

Fees within public higher education

There are no tuition fees within higher education for Danish students and EU/EEA students. International students, defined as students from outside EU/EEA, pay tuition fees to the higher education institutions. The institutions do not receive taximeter funding for international students that pay tuition fees.

The fees for international students are set by the individual higher education institution and information about the tuition fee amounts and potential application fees are available at the individual institution’s website. The overall principle is that the fees match the expenditures.

Financial support for learners’ families

There is no financial support for learners’ families.

Financial support for learners

Grants

Financial support for learners in the form of state grants is provided by the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme. The grants are available to all Danish and EU/EEA students, who fulfil the following criteria:

• The student must be enrolled in and attend a recognised education programme;

• The student must be active at his or her education programme;

• The student must apply for state grants in ‘minSU’ and apply again if he or she changes education programme;

• The student must be 18 years old if he or she attend an upper secondary education programme;

• The student’s income must not exceed a defined amount in the month where the student receives the grant. In 2024, students in higher education must not have an income that exceeds DKK 19,056 (EUR 2,554) to be eligible for state grants;

• The student does not receive other public benefits intended to cover his or her living costs;

• The student must be a Danish citizen or have the status of a Danish citizen;

• The student and the education programme fulfil the conditions that relates to the type of education programme that the student is applying for state grants to.

Generally, international students, defined as students from outside EU/EEA, are not eligible for grants. International students must fulfil some special conditions to be placed on an equal footing with Danish citizens and thus be eligible for grants.

The grant amount depends on whether the student is living with his or her parents or independently. For students living with their parents, the grant amount depends on the parental income, while the grant amount is the same for all students, who live independently. The grant amounts for 2024 appear from the table below.

Grant amounts for 2024

All grants are subject to taxation. The payable amount depends on the individual circumstances.

Students in higher education may also obtain discount on public transportation by applying for a public transportation pass known as ‘Ungdomskort’. Student in higher education may obtain the transportation pass if:

• They attend a higher education programme approved for state grants;

• They do not receive a transport subsidy under other schemes;

• The education programme is organised as full-time education.

Loans

Financial support for learners in the form of government subsidised loans is also provided by the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme. The Danish Parliament determines the interest rate of the loans. Students must be 18 years old to take out a state study loan.

The students must start paying back state study loans no later than one year after the end of the year in which they graduate or give up their studies. The loan must be repaid within 7-15 years.

Three different loan types exist, which appear from the table below.

State study loan amounts for 2024

All students that receive state grants are eligible for state study loans. Students who are providers are eligible for a supplementary loan to their state study loans. Students who have exhausted their state education grants can take out a completion loan within the last 12 or 24 months of their education programme.

Private education

A few private education programmes have been assessed by the Danish Accreditation Institution as higher education programmes in accordance with the Danish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning. The institutions offering the private education programmes charge tuition fees from the students and do not receive public funding.

The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science has approved a few of the private education programmes for state grants. This means that students attending these programmes can receive financial support by the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme.

A list of the private education programmes approved for state grants are available at the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science’s website.

References

Bibliography

Danish Accreditation Institution, 2020: Level Assessment. [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen), 2024a: Approved private education programmes (Godkendte private uddannelser). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen), 2024b: Grants and loans amount. [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen), 2024c: State Education Grant and Loan Scheme (SU and SU-lån). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen), 2024d: State Education Loan. [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen), 2024e: SU conditions (SU-betingelser). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsministeriet), 2020: Quality funds (Kvalitetspuljen). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science, 2022a: Discount on Transportation (Ungdomskort). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science, 2022b: General organisation and administration. [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskingsministeriet), 2022c: Result grants (Resultattilskud). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science, 2023a: Grants (Tilskud). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsministeriet), 2023b: Grants for education (Tilskud til uddannelse). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Ministry of Higher Education and Science, 2024: Basic grants (Grundtilskud). [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Legislation and Official Policy documents

Legal Information (Retsinformation), 2019: Act on universities (the university act) (Bekendtgørelse af lov om universiteter (universitetsloven)), LBK no. 778 of 07/08/2019. [Accessed 13 February 2024]

Legal Information (Retsinformation), 2022: Ministerial Order on grants, accounts, and audit etc. at the universities (Bekendtgørelse om tilskud, regnskab og revision m.v. ved universiteterne), BEK no. 1611 of 28/12/2022. [Accessed 13 February 2024]