Chapter 69
Denmark

Academic educational certificates

In Denmark, the universities in question decide on the equivalence and the recognition of foreign academic educational certificates.

Vocational qualifications

The recognition of foreign vocational qualifications is executed by the ministries, other local authorities or by the relevant institutions:

general information on the European guideline for the recognition of regulated professions:
Erhvers-og Selskabsstyrelsen
(department of trade and enterprises)

practice of medical professions:
Sundhetsstyrelsen (public health department)

recognition of engineers:
association of engineers

The ERASMUS-NARIC (National Academic Recognition Centre) is the official Danish centre of information with regard to questions concerning recognition:
Rektorkollegiet
The Danish Rector's Conference
Ms. Helen Rasmussen
H.C. Andersens Boulevard 45
DK - 1553 Kobenhavn V
Phone: (+45) 3392-5403
Fax: (+45) 3392-5075

Information on the European guideline can be achieved under the following address:
Erhvers-og Selskabsstyrelsen
Kampmannsgade 1
DK - 1604 Kobenhavn
Phone: (45) 33124280

Admission of foreign students in Denmark

Foreign students can apply for admission if they hold a Danish entrance examination or a certificate or diploma which is recognised or assessed as comparable to the Danish entrance qualification, and can prove that they have sufficient command of the Danish language.

Recognised as qualifying for admission to all institutions of higher education are among others:

Course requirements are laid down in the degree requirements and examination regulations. The overall number of places available each year is limited by the Ministry of Education. Places are partly accorded to foreign students on the basis of an evaluation of their results. Not only a good knowledge of Danish but also of English is necessary. Students without at least school leaving level may be required to take a test in English.
The entrance requirement for the Ph.D. programme in Denmark is normally a Danish Master's degree (Candidatus degree): Foreign students interested in entering a Ph.D. programme at a Danish university are required to hold an academic degree equal to the Danish Master's degree.
Foreigners who do not hold a Master's degree equal to the Danish one have to fulfil qualifications before applying for admission to a Ph.D. programme. A Ph.D. student enrolled at a university abroad may apply for admission to a Danish university through a transfer of academic credit. The conditions for admission may be stipulated on the basic of a specific assessment of the applicant.
All questions about admission of foreign Ph.D. students should be directed to the relevant faculty/department/institute. Ph.D. programmes are increasingly being conducted in English. In principle it is possible for English-speaking students to obtain a Ph.D. degree in most subjects without command of the Danish language.
Students from countries outside Scandinavia staying more than three months must have a residence permit. Citizens of EU-countries (e.g. EU exchange students on the ERASMUS programme) can apply for their residence permit on their arrival in Denmark. Students from the Scandinavian and EU countries do not need a work permit. Danish educational institutions do not offer financial support or scholarship to foreign students. All official state scholarships, EC mobility grants etc. are awarded through the official authorities in the student's native country.
Students wishing to continue their studies in Denmark on the basis of a foreign academic degree or study periods at an institution outside Denmark must apply for admission as well as for recognition and credit transfer of their previous studies directly to the institution where they wish to pursue their studies. The relevant Studienaevn (study committee) at the institution concerned decides the eligibility of the student and evaluates the student's degree of study attainments.
Denmark has signed the Council of Europe and Unesco conventions concerning recognition of diplomas leading to admission to universities as well as conventions concerning the equivalence of periods of university study/university qualifications, and a convention of 1975 regarding recognition of study attainments in the Nordic countries.
Except for a few regulated professions, persons with foreign credentials may obtain jobs in Denmark on equal terms with Danes on the basis of their foreign diplomas.
The level of a foreign degree can be evaluated by a Danish authority if necessary. Students may request this in writing either directly to a higher education institution which offers comparable degrees or through the Secretariat of the Danish Rectors' Conference.
Degrees in architecture and engineering are evaluated by the appropriate professional organisations. A general system concerning mutual recognition of higher education diplomas for regulated professions in the EU and EFTA countries has been implemented through directive 89/48/EEC. Denmark has designated Erhvervs-og Selskabsstyrelsen (Danish Commerce and Companies Agency) as co-ordinating agency for the implementation of the directive.
Applications for professions for which separate directives concerning recognition apply (e.g. medical doctors, dentists, veterinarians, midwives and architects) must be forwarded directly to the competent authorities.
Applications for recognition of diplomas or regulated professions from countries outside the Nordic and European countries must also be forwarded directly from the competent authority (see list of addresses).