Danish Government Scholarships 2027: Eligibility, Deadlines & How Indian Students Apply

The Danish Government Scholarship is not a single scholarship that you apply for separately. It is a scheme where the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science allocates a limited number of tuition waivers to each Danish public university every year. Each university then decides, on its own, which admitted non-EU/EEA students receive them. This is why you will see it listed differently on every university’s website: Aarhus calls it a “Danish State Scholarship,” and Copenhagen calls it a “Danish Government Scholarship,” but the underlying government funding mechanism is the same.

If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland and you get admitted to a full-degree program (mostly Master’s, though a few universities extend it to Bachelor’s) at a participating university, you are automatically considered. There is no separate scholarship application, no extra essay, and no additional deadline to track beyond your program’s admission deadline. The one exception is DTU, which requires a separate personal statement explicitly requesting the tuition fee waiver alongside your admission application (see the Documents section below).

One more thing that matters for your budget: at most of these universities, the scholarship decision comes after you have been offered admission and charged tuition for the first payment. In practice, this scenario usually means you pay the tuition fee by the standard deadline, and if you are subsequently awarded the scholarship, that amount is reimbursed rather than waived upfront. Do not assume you won’t need the funds ready by the payment deadline just because you’re a strong scholarship candidate; confirm your specific university’s process before finalizing your budget.

• You must be a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA, or Switzerland (Indian citizenship qualifies).
• You must be admitted to a full-degree higher education program at a participating Danish university.
• You must be eligible for, or hold, a time-limited Danish residence permit granted for the purpose of your studies.
• You are not eligible if you have a legal claim to Danish citizenship rights or if you already qualify for support under the Danish State Educational Support (SU) scheme.

There is no published minimum GPA for the scholarship itself, since it is drawn from the same applicant pool as program admission. In practice, this means your competitiveness for the scholarship is identical to your competitiveness for admission: a strong first-division bachelor’s record (typically 65% and above, or the university’s stated equivalent), a relevant academic background for your chosen Master’s, and a clean, well-documented application matter more than any separate scholarship essay, because there isn’t one.

Counselor insight: Because the scholarship is tied to your admission file, the single biggest lever you control is which programs you shortlist and how strong your academic transcript looks when the university’s admissions committee reviews it. Applying to a program where your GPA sits comfortably above the typical admitted range improves your odds of scholarship consideration far more than any additional document you could submit.

Since each university runs its own selection, here is what six of the main participating universities currently offer for the September 2027 intake (deadlines for the earlier, “legal right of admission” category may differ; check the university page for your specific case).

Sources: University of Copenhagen official scholarship page; Aarhus University official tuition fees page; DTU official tuition fee waivers page; SDU official tuition fees page; CBS official admission page; Aalborg University official finance and fees page.

Important: how the waiver actually works. At UCPH and Aalborg, university documentation confirms tuition is charged and due by the standard deadline whether or not you’ve been selected; you are reimbursed only after a scholarship decision, which is often made after the payment deadline. DTU requires a separate personal statement to even be considered for the waiver. For Aarhus, SDU, and CBS, confirm your specific program’s payment-versus-decision timeline directly with the university before assuming the fee won’t be charged. Do not budget on the assumption that a “waiver” means you won’t need the tuition amount ready by the payment deadline.

For a full breakdown of tuition and living costs by city, see our complete guide to studying in Denmark and our dedicated cost of living in Denmark guide.

Counselor insight: Don’t rank your three program choices purely by university prestige. Since the scholarship is awarded per program at some universities (Aarhus and SDU), a strong-fit program at a slightly less famous university can carry a better real shot at the waiver than a reach program at a more competitive one.

Given the time required to process residence permits on top of this, most Indian students who plan to start in September should have their program shortlist finalized well before the November portal opening. For visa specifics, see our Denmark student visa guide.

Because your admission application is also your scholarship application, the documents that get you admitted are the same documents that get you considered for the waiver. Missing or inconsistent paperwork is the single most common reason strong applicants lose out. Prepare these before the portal opens in mid-November:

You will be contacted through the application portal, not by email, if anything is missing, so check your portal account regularly once you have applied rather than waiting for a notification email that may land in spam.

1. Shortlist Master’s (or Bachelor’s, where offered) programs across UCPH, Aarhus, DTU, SDU, CBS, and Aalborg based on fit, not just brand name.
2. Submit your admission application through the university’s own portal before its deadline. There is no separate scholarship form at UCPH, Aarhus, SDU, CBS, or Aalborg. DTU is the exception: you must attach a separate personal statement explicitly requesting the tuition fee waiver.
3. Upload complete academic transcripts, degree certificates, and English proficiency scores (IELTS/TOEFL as required) at the time of submission. Incomplete files are a common rejection reason under the newer document-verification checks.
4. Wait for the university’s combined admission-and-scholarship decision. You do not apply for the scholarship separately, and you cannot appeal a non-selection.
5. If selected, accept your offer within the stated deadline, then apply for your residence permit.

If you’re specifically considering an MS or MBA route, our MS in Denmark guide and MBA in Denmark guide cover program-specific scholarship rounds and deadlines in more depth.

Not sure which of these six universities fits your academic profile and budget? See what our counselors say about scholarship application timing before you finalize your shortlist.

Indian students researching this scholarship often come across other funding names on the same university pages. Here is how they actually compare, so you don’t waste time on options that don’t apply to you:

• Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s: Open to non-EU/EEA students, but you apply directly to the specific joint Master’s course consortium, not through a regular university admission portal, and the course must be an approved Erasmus Mundus program. It is fully funded (tuition, living allowance, and travel) when awarded but far more selective and with entirely separate deadlines from the Danish Government Scholarships.
• Nordplus: Only relevant if you are already enrolled at a Nordic or Baltic higher education institution and want to study in Denmark as part of that degree. It does not apply to a fresh application from India.
• University-specific merit scholarships: Separate from the government scheme, these are funded directly by the university (not the Ministry) and sometimes require a distinct application or nomination. DTU, Aarhus, and CBS each run at least one of these alongside the Danish Government Scholarships, so it’s worth checking your target program’s funding page for both.
• Danish State Educational Support (SU): This is Denmark’s domestic student grant, generally reserved for Danish residents and EU/EEA students who meet specific residency or work conditions. It is not a realistic funding route for a first-time Indian applicant.

For most Indian Master’s applicants, the Danish Government Scholarships remain the most accessible route since it requires no separate application and is assessed automatically alongside your admission.

• Incomplete academic documents at the time of submission. Under the tightened 2025-26 document-verification rules (covered below), universities are less likely to follow up for missing pieces than they were a few years ago.
• English test scores submitted after the deadline, or a test type the specific program does not accept.
• Applying to a program where your bachelor’s field is only loosely related, without course descriptions to demonstrate relevant prior coursework.
• Applying under the wrong applicant category (for example, treating yourself as eligible for “legal right of admission” deadlines that apply only to graduates of that specific Danish university).
• Choosing a program or faculty with a limited scholarship allocation for that year can also be a mistake. Some faculties fund only one or two scholarships across an entire Master’s program, regardless of applicant quality.

Since 2 May 2025, Denmark has been tightening entry and post-study rules for students from outside the EU/EEA, and further measures took effect through 2026. The main changes: students admitted to programs at institutions that are not state-approved lose the automatic work permit attached to their study visa and the post-study job-seeker permit; universities must now verify foreign educational credentials before granting admission; and individual faculties have been given room to add entrance exams or language tests for some Master’s programs.

Here is the part that matters for scholarship applicants specifically: UCPH, Aarhus, DTU, SDU, CBS, and Aalborg are all state-approved public universities, so students admitted to Danish Government Scholarships programs at these institutions are not directly affected by the loss of automatic work rights. That change targets non-state-approved private providers. What does apply to everyone, including scholarship applicants at these six universities, is the stricter document verification at the admission stage, so make sure your transcripts, degree certificates, and English proficiency scores are complete and consistent before you submit.

Counselor insight: Don’t let headlines about Denmark “cracking down” on international students scare you off a scholarship at a public university. Read past the headline to check whether the specific rule applies to state-approved institutions. In most cases, it is not required for these six universities.

1. The Danish Government Scholarships is decentralized. Apply through your chosen university’s admission portal; only DTU requires an additional personal statement for the waiver.
2. Most September 2027 deadlines fall between 15 January and 1 February 2027, with portals opening mid-November 2026.
3. Scholarships at UCPH, Aarhus, DTU, SDU, CBS, and Aalborg are unaffected by Denmark’s 2025-26 work-rights changes, since all six are state-approved institutions.

Ready to apply for Danish government scholarships at the right university for your profile and budget? Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor.