Denmark sees a 10 percent drop in international admissions to English-taught programmes in 2026 despite recent expansion
By Muntasir • Published Apr 24, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Study Abroad, Study in Europe, Education News & Policy
Denmark admitted 2,065 international students to English-taught programmes in 2026, 10% fewer than the year before, even after the government approved thousands of new English-taught places since 2023.
📩 EU/EEA admissions fell 12%, over 200 students fewer than 2025
2021 cuts closed or converted many English-taught courses to reduce state grant spending on EU students
2023 reform approved 1,100 new English-taught places a year through 2028
2025 deal added 800 more places in STEM, IT and maritime fields, opening from summer 2027
Only 21% of international graduates from English-taught business academy courses find work in Denmark afterward
Admissions fell despite new places on paper
Denmark admitted 2,065 international students to English-taught programmes in 2026, a drop of about 10% from the year before, according to Nordisk Post . The fall hit EU and European Economic Area applicants hardest. Their admissions dropped 12%, more than 200 fewer students than in 2025.
The decline comes after years of policy reversals that make it hard to tell whether this is a lasting trend or a short-term dip while new places work through the system.
Why Denmark cut programmes in 2021
In 2021, a cross-party agreement led Danish institutions to close or convert dozens of English-taught programmes, most heavily at business academies. Lawmakers wanted to cut state education grant (SU) spending on EU and EEA students, whose grant costs were projected to reach DKK 570 million in 2025, above the government's target.
Officials pointed to weak job outcomes as part of the justification. In English-taught business academy programmes, 72% of students were international, but only 21% found employment in Denmark after graduating, according to The PIE News .
The cuts triggered strong pushback. More than 4,000 people signed a petition started by Latvian student Dāvis Vītoliņš, who was unable to finish his bachelor's degree at UCL, a university college in Odense, under the new rules. The government responded by exempting roughly 650 education places from the reductions, mainly programmes with strong graduate employment or regional importance.
New places approved since, but not open yet
From 2023, universities got authorization to create 1,100 new English-taught places a year through 2028, rising to 2,500 a year from 2029. A 2025 agreement added another 800 English-language places in STEM, IT and maritime fields, based outside Copenhagen and Aarhus.
Those 2025 places do not open until intake begins in summer 2027, so they had no effect on 2026 numbers. The gap between approved capacity and actual admissions explains why expansion on paper has not yet turned into enrolment growth.
What this means if you are applying to Denmark
If you are an EU or EEA student, expect fewer English-taught seats and more competition for the places that remain in 2026 and 2027. Check whether your target programme is one of the roughly 650 protected places or one of the new STEM, IT and maritime courses opening from 2027. These carry less risk of being cut again.
Full 2026/27 intake data is not published yet, so treat these figures as an early read rather than the final year-end count.