See individual programme descriptions to find information on specific application and admission requirements and how to apply for admission.
Application and admission
UCPH offers more than 50 Master’s degree programmes taught in English and welcomes students from all over the world. This information is an introduction to help you get started with your application to UCPH.
Application deadlines
If you want to apply for a master's degree at the University of Copenhagen, please be aware of the following key dates. Some educations have an application deadline both on 1. March and 15. October – Other programmes only have an application deadline once a year.
Please consult the individual programme descriptions for information about semester start dates and introduction programmes, which may take place prior to the official semester start date.
Study start in February
- Application deadline 1. September or earlier
(applicants outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland): you will receive a reply no later than 1. December. - Application deadline 15. October
(Danish applicants and applicants within the EU, EEA and Switzerland): You will receive a reply no later than 10. December.
Please note that you must say yes or no thanks to the offered placement, within the deadline stipulated in your offer of admission.
Study start in September
- Application deadline 15. January
(Applicants from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland): You will receive a reply no later than 10. June. - Application Deadline 1. March
(Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland): You will receive a reply no later than 10. June.
Please note that you must say yes or no thanks to the placement offered, within the deadline stipulated in your offer of admission.
Qualifying degree
Admission to a Master’s programme requires at minimum successful completion of a relevant and recognised university degree equivalent in level and content to a Danish Bachelor’s degree.
Specific requirements in regards to the content of the Bachelor’s degree vary by programme. It may include specifications on accepted types of Bachelor’s degrees relevant for the programme (for example, a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology or Political Science), specific courses studied as part of the Bachelor’s degree (for example, the equivalent of 15 ECTS of Macroeconomics), grade point average, language tests, etc.
Generally, the University does not take supplementary courses into account when assessing entry qualifications for a Master’s programme. Supplementary courses means individual courses or subjects studied but not included in the Bachelor’s degree.
If you are in doubt about the rules or have questions about the master’s entry requirements, please contact the student guidance services for the Master’s programme you wish to apply for.
Language requirements
Master’s programmes taught in English do not require Danish language proficiency. However, they do have an English language proficiency requirement for admission.
Applicants are required to document English language proficiency and should expect to provide documentation in the form of a language test, such as TOEFL or IELTS.
Under certain circumstances, applicants can be exempt from taking a language test when other forms of documentation is available and accepted by the Faculty’s admissions office. Exemptions from taking a language test are based on such information as citizenship, origin of entry exam, and in some cases origin of high school exam.
The specific requirements vary from one programme to another, so please refer to the programme descriptions for full and extensive information on which tests to take, what scores to obtain, and whether you may be exempt from taking a test.
General conditions and regulations
If you have previously studied at Master’s degree, you ought to familiarize yourself with two important elements of the Danish Admission Order.
These two rules are summarised on this page and are preconditions for applying for admission.
Mandatory transfer of credit
All applicants who have previously completed any courses or exams as part of an unfinished Master’s programme at any university are required to disclose this information in the application.
It is a requirement by Danish legislation, and the University of Copenhagen is obligated to use this information to evaluate whether applicants are eligible for credit transfer.
How to apply?
If you wish to submit an application for admission to a Master's programme, head to the programme's website and read the specific requirements carefully. You will find a link to the Application Portal, which you use for submission of the application, on the individual sites under Application procedure.
Please find the complete list of master's programmes at the University of Copenhagen (programmes in English).
Documentation
Each Master's programme require specific documentation, which should be provided along with the application. Please carefully review the website for the programme you wish to apply for, before you submit your application.
Applicants can apply for a maximum of three Master’s programmes starting in the same semester.
Application fee
If you are a citizen in a country outside EU, EEA and Switzerland, you need to pay an application fee. For further information, please read the application fee page.
The University of Copenhagen has decided to let UK students apply by the EU-deadline of March 1st. The Application Portal opens January 16, 2021. By this date, we expect to know the status of Great Britain, and depending on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations a possible application fee will apply to UK students.
Reply on application
You will receive a reply on your application for admission in the form of a message in the Application Portal. A notification sent to your email will let you know then you can read the reply – please make sure the email account you use during the application process stays available to you.
Applications are evaluated on an ongoing basis and offers of admission may be delivered at any time after the application deadline and until the dates
Non-EU/EEA applicants
- If the programme has an application deadline of 15 January, you will receive a reply at the latest by 1 May.
- If the programme has an application deadline of 1 September, you will receive a reply at the latest by 1 December.
EU/EEA applicants
- If the programme has an application deadline of 1 March, you will receive a reply at the latest by 10 June.
- If the programme has an application deadline of 15 October, you will receive a reply at the latest by 10 December.
Confirming offer of admission
If your application for admission is successful and accepted by the faculty, you will receive an offer of admission in the Application Portal. In that case, the University will provide a deadline by which you must respond to the offer. If you want to accept the offer of admission, it is necessary that you log in and accept it in the Application Portal within the given deadline.
Residence permit
The Danish rules pertaining to residence permits vary depending on citizenship. You can read about the different categories.
In general, EU/EEA citizens can obtain a residence permit upon arrival, whereas non-EU/EEA citizens should obtain a residence permit before arrival.
If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, the process of obtaining a residence permit starts immediately after you have been offered admission. You cannot apply for a residence permit to Denmark until after you have received a letter of admission, and instructions on what to do will be included along with the offer.
The process of obtaining a residence permit for non-EU/EEA citizens may take 2-3 months. However, there are a few things you can do in advance to prepare:
- Passport: Ensure that you have a valid passport.
- Money: Ensure that you have sufficient funding to make the first payment of your tuition fees to the University of Copenhagen. The Danish authorities will not issue a residence permit unless the first payment of the tuition fees has been made. Students who receive a full tuition waiver from the University will not be requested to make the first payment themselves.
- Local guidelines: Locate the Danish embassy in your country or region and read their guidelines on how to obtain a residence permit.
Danish 7-point grading scale
The Danish 7-point grading scale has been used in state-regulated education since August 2007 (therefore, the old 00 to 13 grading scale is no longer in use).
Here you will find an overview of the present 7-point grading scale, explanation of the mark and the equivalent ECTS mark.
The minimum grade for passing an exam is 02. Apart from the Danish 7-point grading scale, pass/fail assessment may also be in use.
