Higher Education

You can either complete a full educational programme or you can do part of your education as a guest or exchange student.

You can also be granted a residence permit to complete a preparatory course for a higher educational programme, e.g engineer.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science must have determined that attendance in the course is a prerequisite for admission to a particular higher educational programme, e.g. engineer. The course must not have a duration of more than 1 year. You must have been admitted to the higher educational programme that the preparatory course is linked to.

admitted to a higher educational programme in Denmark, and that you are studying full time

You can not be granted a residence permit to study part time.

You must be able to speak and understand the language of instruction at a level that allows you to actively participate in the courses you are attending.

You have sufficient funds, if your disposable amount corresponds to DKK 7,426 (2026 level) per month. You must multiply the amount with the number of months you will be studying at a higher educational programme in Denmark. If you are studying more than one year, you must be able to document funds for 12 months. That means a maximum of DKK 89,112 (2026 level).

If you are to pay a tuition fee for studying in the educational programme, and if you have already paid tuition for the first semester, this is accepted as documentation showing that you have sufficient funds.

You must be able to support yourself and your family members, if they live in Denmark during your stay. Therefore, you are not allowed to apply for public benefits, e.g. benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act, State Educational Grant (SU) and housing benefits.

As a student in a state-approved higher educational programme, you will be granted a limited work permit in addition to your residence permit.

90 hours per month during the normal period of study from September to May, and full-time through June, July and August. The work permit is also valid during the job seeking period of either 6 months or 3 years, which is normally granted to you if you expect to complete a full educational programme in Denmark.

As a student in a non-state-approved higher educational programme with an advisory statement from the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA), you will only get a limited work permit if you have been granted or applied for a residence permit before 2 May 2025. If you have applied for a residence permit on or after 2 May 2025, you will not be granted a limited work permit and therefore do not have the right to work.

It will be regarded as illegal work, if you work more hours than you are allowed to. If you work illegally you can receive a warning, a fine or your residence permit as a student can be revoked.

However, you are permitted to dounlimited hours of unpaid voluntary work for an organisation or association, if the work is a benefit to society.

A residence and work permit as a student in a state-approved higher educational programme in Denmark allows your family to live with you to Denmark. A permit can only be granted to your spouse, registered or cohabiting partner as well as children under the age of 18 living at home.

Please note that from 2 May 2025, you cannot obtain a residence permit for any accompanying family members if you have applied for a residence permit as a student in a non-state-approved higher educational programme on or after 2 May 2025.

You can stay in Denmark for the standard (nominal) duration of your educational programme, provided that you are actively participating in the programme.

Your permit can be extended for a maximum of 1 year. As a rule, your permit cannot be extended further if you prolong your studies by more than a year.

However, if the prolonging of your studies is caused by pregnancy or parental leave, your permit can be extended by an additional year. In these cases, your permit can be extended for a maximum of 2 years in total.

You must apply for an extension not later than the day your permit expires - however, you must not apply for an extension earlier than 4 months before your permit for studying expires.

If you change your educational programme, you must apply for a new residence permit for the new programme. You are allowed to start your new educational programme while you wait for us to reach a decision regarding your case.

If you have completed an entire state-approved higher educational programme in Denmark, you can be granted either a 6-month or a 3-year residence permit to look for employment in Denmark.

If you are granted a permit to complete a full state-approved educational programme, you will generally be granted the 6-month or 3-year job seeking permit along with your residence permit.

If you are enrolled in a non-state-approved Danish higher educational programme with an advisory statement from the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA) and you applied for a residence permit before 2 May 2025, you will be eligible for a 6-month job seeking permit after you have completed your education. If you applied for a residence permit on or after 2 May 2025, you will not be eligible for a job seeking permit after you have completed your education.

The residence permit for job seeking gives you the same work rights as you had during your studies: 90 hours per month and full-time through June, July and August.

If you have been granted a 3-year job seeking permit, you can also apply for a work permit without limitations once you have completed your educational programme.

If you receive a job offer during your job seeking period, you can choose to apply for a new residence and work permit, based on the job you have been offered.