How to Apply to Universities in Denmark: Requirements, Deadlines and Portals
By Muntasir • Published Jul 21, 2024 • Updated Sep 27, 2026 • Guides, Study in Europe, Country & City Guides, Admissions & Applications
Apply to Danish bachelor's programs through the national portal optagelse.dk. Everyone, Quota 1 and Quota 2, applies by 15 March at 12:00 noon, and offers arrive on 28 July. Rank up to 8 programs, and Danish authorities check your foreign diploma against local admission rules.
📩 Deadline: 15 March, 12:00 noon, for all applicants
Late diplomas from June exams: attach by 5 July, 12:00 noon
Results: 28 July, one offer only, your highest-ranked eligible program
Quota 1: grade point average only
Quota 2: motivation, tests, interviews, extra criteria
The national application portal: optagelse.dk
All bachelor's applications to Danish universities, university colleges, and business academies run through one shared portal, optagelse.dk. You create an account, list your qualifications, and rank up to 8 programs in order of preference. Source: Study in Denmark .
Master's admission works differently. You apply directly to the university offering the program, often on a rolling or program-specific deadline rather than through optagelse.dk. Check each university's master's admission page for its own dates.
Quota 1: your grades decide
Quota 1 ranks applicants by grade point average. If you hold a non-Danish upper secondary diploma, the institution converts your grades onto the Danish 7-point scale, then ranks all applicants from highest to lowest average until every seat fills. The minimum GPA needed changes every year and gets published alongside the results on 28 July, so the exact cutoff stays unknown until results day.
Your diploma does not expire for Quota 1 eligibility, and if you hold more than one qualifying diploma, only the first one you earned counts. Confirm first that your school qualifies as equivalent to a Danish upper secondary exam, using the handbook published by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science.
Quota 2: motivation, tests, and work experience
Quota 2 exists for two groups: applicants with qualifying upper secondary education whose GPA misses the Quota 1 cutoff, and applicants with alternative qualifications such as single-subject courses. Each institution and program sets its own Quota 2 criteria, so requirements vary even between two programs with the same name at different universities.
Expect to submit a motivation letter, and some programs add interviews, admission tests, or portfolio requirements. Some competitive programs, especially in health sciences and the arts, admit only through Quota 2. If your program requires a test or interview, it happens after the 15 March deadline, and attendance stays mandatory to keep your place in the process.
Key dates
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Application deadline, Quota 1 and Quota 2 | 15 March, 12:00 noon |
| Deadline to attach a diploma from June exams | 5 July, 12:00 noon |
| Results published, one offer per applicant | 28 July |
Source: Study in Denmark, admission regulations .
Recognition of your foreign diploma
Before you apply, check that your secondary school qualification counts as equivalent to the Danish upper secondary exam. The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science publishes country-by-country guidance on which foreign diplomas qualify and which extra subjects, if any, you need to add. Source: Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen .
If your education system does not map directly onto the Danish scale, the institution converts your results using an official conversion table before ranking you in Quota 1.
Applying as a student from another European country
EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens apply through the same Quota 1 and Quota 2 system as Danish applicants, competing for the same seats with no separate track. Non-EU applicants follow the identical optagelse.dk process for admission, then add a separate residence permit application through SIRI, which costs DKK 3,060 and needs its own processing time before the semester starts. Source: New to Denmark (SIRI) .
Applying for a master's program
Master's admission runs outside the quota system, through each university's own portal, with its own deadline, document list, and selection criteria. You submit your bachelor's diploma, transcripts, a CV, and often a motivation letter, plus proof of English proficiency if the program teaches in English.
Because each university manages its own master's admission, check requirements directly on the program page rather than assuming rules carry over from the bachelor's Quota 1 and Quota 2 system.
What you need before you start your application
An optagelse.dk account, or the paper application where electronic access is not available
Your diploma or final transcripts, plus predicted grades if you have not finished school yet
Proof of language proficiency for the teaching language of your chosen program
A motivation letter or supporting documents for programs that use Quota 2
Any required entrance test or portfolio, submitted by the program's own deadline
After you apply
You receive exactly one offer: the highest-ranked program on your list that accepts you. An offer for your third choice means your top two did not admit you, not that you switch later without reapplying next cycle. Confirm your offer by the stated deadline to keep your seat, and enrol before the semester starts on 1 September.
If you do not get in
If no program on your list admits you, your application data stays on file, and you adjust your rankings for the next intake, applying again by the following 15 March deadline. Consider adding a Quota 2 pathway if your GPA sits below common Quota 1 cutoffs, since it opens more seats through motivation and alternative qualifications rather than grades alone.