Danish SU Abroad: Portability Rules for Studying Elsewhere in Europe

Two different ways to use SU abroad

Denmark's SU system covers 2 separate situations. The first is a full degree at a foreign university, replacing your Danish education entirely. The second is a shorter study stay, typically a semester or year, that counts as a credited part of your Danish degree through an exchange agreement. The rules and the extra support you get differ between the two.

Taking SU for a full degree abroad

If you enroll in a complete degree program in another Nordic country, Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland, you get the same SU support as you would studying in Denmark, with no extra restriction on the number of months. For a full degree anywhere else in the EU or EEA, support is capped at 48 SU-klip, equal to 4 years, for that qualification. Across your entire study life you can use up to 70 klip in total if you complete more than one degree (source: SU.dk ).

Why the Nordic countries work differently

Denmark treats the other Nordic countries almost like an extension of its own higher education system for SU purposes, a result of decades of Nordic cooperation on student mobility. This is why a full degree in Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland gets the same open-ended SU as a degree in Denmark, while a degree anywhere else in the EU or EEA runs into the 48-klip cap and the connection requirement.

The residence requirement for a full degree outside the Nordics

To get SU for a full degree in an EU or EEA country outside the Nordic region, you need to show a genuine connection to Denmark. In practice this means at least 2 years of continuous residence in Denmark, Greenland or the Faroe Islands within the 10 years before you apply, or meeting one of a small number of alternative connection tests. If you then spend more than 2 continuous years away from Denmark, this qualification lapses and you need to reestablish it before applying again (source: SU.dk ).

Taking a shorter exchange stay instead

If you stay enrolled at your Danish institution and go abroad for a semester or year as a credited exchange, the connection requirement above does not apply. The only condition is that the study stay counts for full credit toward your Danish degree, confirmed by your institution before you go (source: SU.dk, as above).

Udlandsstipendium: help with host tuition fees

For an exchange-type study stay, Denmark offers a separate benefit called udlandsstipendium, a tax-free grant that helps cover tuition fees charged by your host institution. It has a ceiling equal to what a Danish institution would receive from the state for an equivalent Danish program. For university-level programs, published illustrative rates for 2026 run from 50,000 to 104,100 DKK a year, though your actual amount depends on your program and your host institution sets the final figure based on real fees (source: SU.dk ).

Udlandsstipendium covers candidate and master-level programs and runs for a maximum of 2 years, or 120 ECTS, per stay. If your host tuition costs more than the stipendium covers, you pay the difference yourself or take out a supplementary udlandsstudielån. You can apply as early as 12 months before your stay starts, and you need to have applied before the stay ends (source: SU.dk).

Applying, step by step

1. Confirm with your Danish institution's international office that your planned exchange or degree counts for credit or recognition.

2. Check whether you meet the connection requirement if you plan a full degree outside the Nordic countries.

3. Apply for udlandsstipendium separately if your host institution charges tuition fees and your stay is an exchange, not a full degree.

4. Keep your regular SU application updated with your new address and institution once you arrive.

What SU does not cover

SU pays toward your living costs, not automatically your tuition fees at a foreign institution, unless you separately qualify for udlandsstipendium or study in a country that does not charge tuition to EU students. Check your specific host country's fee policy for EU students before you assume tuition is free, since rules vary across Europe even within the EU.

SU-lån works the same way abroad

On top of your basic SU grant, you can take out the standard SU-lån, the optional interest-bearing loan every Danish student can add to their monthly SU. This works the same whether you study in Denmark or elsewhere in Europe, and it is separate from any supplementary udlandsstudielån tied specifically to tuition fees.

Combining SU with an Erasmus+ grant

SU and Erasmus+ funding work together without reducing each other. If your exchange runs through Erasmus+, you receive your normal SU on top of the EU grant, standard practice for Danish students studying elsewhere in Europe.

Start the paperwork for both SU and udlandsstipendium as early as your host university allows, since documentation requirements and processing times differ between the 2 systems, and a gap in either can leave you short of money right when moving costs are highest.