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You are here: Home News on Danish higher education Considerably more international students pursuing a full study programme in Denmark

Considerably more international students pursuing a full study programme in Denmark

In just a few years, the number of international students pursuing higher education in Denmark has doubled. Most come from European countries, while there is also a significant number of Chinese students studying in Denmark.
Considerably more international students pursuing a full study programme in Denmark

You are more likely to meet far more international students at Danish educational institutions than you would have just a few years ago. In 2013, there were 23, 945 international students pursuing a full study programme in Denmark – twice as many as in 2007.

Minister for Higher Education and Science Sofie Carsten Nielsen is pleased to see so many international students.

- We really need talented international young people in the Danish labour market. Business demands a highly-qualified, specialised workforce – and, without talented foreigners, we lack the necessary workforce to ensure our welfare. One of the best ways to encourage international workers to settle in Denmark is to attract talented young people to our higher education programmes, says Sofie Carsten Nielsen.

International students come primarily from Europe, but China also appears in the top 10 list of countries providing the most students to Danish education programmes.

Universities attract the most international students

Universities attract the majority of international students, and Copenhagen Business School (CBS) tops the list. In 2013, a total of 2,855 international students studied at CBS, followed closely by the University of Copenhagen (2,611 students) and the University of Southern Denmark (2,541 students).

- International students are a boon to education programmes. They help create an international study environment and provide Danish students with contacts in other countries. This is necessary for Danish society where quite a lot of jobs require employees to conduct themselves internationally, says Sofie Carsten Nielsen.

The number of international students on university programmes increased by 9 per cent between 2012 and 2013, while those undertaking business academy and professional bachelor's degree programmes increased by 13 and 15 per cent respectively.

International students pursuing full higher education programme in Denmark

  • In 2013, there were 23,945 international students pursuing a full study programme in Denmark, corresponding to 9.2 per cent of the total number of students in Danish higher education programmes.
  • The greatest number of students come from Norway, followed by Germany, Romania and Sweden.