Non-EU guest students
To apply as a non-EU/EEA/Swiss fee-paying guest student, you must fulfil the following requirements:
- You must be enrolled in a degree programme at a university outside of Denmark during the time of your stay.
- Your stay as a guest student must be a part of your studies at your home university.
- You must submit one of the proofs of English proficiency we accept (see “Application materials”, below, for details).
- You must register for full-time studies at UCPH (i.e., a course load of 30 ECTS points per semester). If you do not study full-time, you will not be granted a residence permit for studies in Denmark.
Since the majority of subjects require applicants to have completed university studies, we strongly recommend you to have completed at least two years of full-time university studies by the beginning of your studies at UCPH. If you have not, the courses you will be able to take will be limited.
Note: If you are a non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizen but already have a Danish residence permit, you may be able to apply as having equal status with Danish citizens. If this is the case, please contact us.
The deadlines for complete applications are:
- 1 May for autumn semester (1 September – 31 January)
- 1 October for spring semester (1 February – 30 June)
Application results are typically sent to applicants 4–5 weeks after the application deadline.
IMPORTANT: Applications must be complete
All the required documents must be submitted on time with your application.
The verification and assessment of applications can take several weeks, so it is important that we receive all the required documents by the deadline.
All non-EU/EEA/Swiss applicants must submit the following documents with their application by the application deadline:
- Proof of enrolment at home university
An official letter from your home university no more than 6 months old confirming: - that you will be enrolled in a degree programme at a university outside of Denmark during the period of your stay at UCPH, and
- that your stay as a guest student is part of your studies at your home university.
- Proof of citizenship
A copy of the photo page of your valid passport.
IMPORTANT: If you are also a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, or if you hold a Danish residence permit that allows access to education in Denmark, you MUST submit an application as an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen (see here) and send this documentation with your application. - Up-to-date transcript of all degree-level studies
An official copy of your academic records for all your degree-level studies (e.g., if you are a master’s student, this means both your bachelor and master studies), certified by your home university (e.g., with a stamp and signature).
Documents must be in one of the following languages: English, Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian. - Proof of English proficiency
Native English speakers and students enrolled on an English-taught bachelor or master programme in a country where English is an official language must submit a copy of their academic transcript (or, if necessary, upper secondary school diploma) as proof of English proficiency.
All other students must submit one of the following proofs of English proficiency (minimum score): - TOEFL iBT (incl. "at home" version): 80
- TOEFL Computer-based: 213
- TOEFL Paper-based: 550
- IELTS (preferable IELTS Academic): 6.0
- Cambridge English C1 Advanced: minimum score B
- Cambridge English C2 Proficiency: minimum score C
IMPORTANT: We do not accept other forms of test, including institutional TOEFL tests (ITP). TOEFL and IELTS results must be valid (i.e., taken within 2 years of the application deadline).
New language requirements from spring 2026
Please note that new language requirements will apply for fee-paying guest students applying to the spring 2026 semester and thereafter. You can view the new requirements here.
A number of subjects either have specific requirements (e.g. where students must have completed previous studies in the subject) or are not open to fee-paying guest students. In particular, the subjects Anthropology, Sociology, and Gender Studies are not open to guest students.
For a full list of requirements and restrictions, please see here:
Subject restrictions for fee-paying guest students
Limited study places for fee-paying guest students
It is also important to note that fee-paying guest students are only able to register for courses where there are available study places. While most courses will have study places available, courses at the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences can be fully booked.
Fee-paying guest students should note that they are not guaranteed places on courses until they have paid the tuition fee and subsequently registered with the local department/faculty.
As part of the application process, we verify the authenticity of application materials. Since this process can take several weeks, it is important that all application materials are submitted by the application deadline.
If we are unable to verify your materials
If we are unable to verify your materials (e.g., with your home university), then we will not be able to process your application and we will have to close it. If this is the case, we will write to let you know.
If we receive information on or suspect the falsification documents
If we receive information on or suspect that one or more of your application materials have been falsified, your application will be cancelled and we will pass all materials on to our legal department who will then take any further legal measures (e.g. reporting to the police).
Guest students who are citizens of a country outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland are required to pay tuition fees for short-term, non-degree studies at UCPH.
For an overview of the tuition fees, please see here:
Tuition fees (2024/25 academic year)
Terms of payment
Once a student’s application has been reviewed and accepted by the relevant departments/subjects, the applicant will receive a conditional letter of admission (by e-mail) with the tuition fee to be paid.
The following terms of payment apply:
- Students must pay for 30 ECTS.
- All transaction/banking charges must be paid by the sender.
- The tuition fee must be transferred in Danish kroner for the exact amount.
- Applicants must pay the full tuition fee within 14 days of the conditional letter of admission being sent.
- It is not possible to pay the tuition fee for a semester in instalments.
- Students who cancel their stay before the start date of the semester they are admitted to can receive a full refund of the paid tuition fee.
- No refunds are given for students who cancel their stay on or after the start date of the semester they are admitted to.
- Applicants admitted for two semesters are only required to pay for the first semester on admission. Students admitted for two semesters will receive an invoice for the second semester approximately 2 months before the start of the semester.
Once we have received the tuition fee, we will send you a residence permit/visa application form (ST1), which you must then complete as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT: 2–3 months processing time
The residence permit/visa application process typically takes 2–3 months, so it is important that you start the process as soon as you receive the ST1 application form.
Do not start an online ST1 application
Please do not start an online ST1 application. It is important that you use the ST1 application form (PDF) that we will send you shortly after receipt of the tuition fee.
The deadline for applying as a guest student for the spring 2025 semester was 1 October.
It is no longer possible to apply for the spring 2025 semester. We will open up for applications for the autumn 2025 semester in March 2025.
Shortly after you have registered to apply, you will receive an e-mail inviting you to create a login for our online application system: Mobility Online.
Once you have created your username and password, you can start your application.
Completing your online application
When you log in, click on the arrow (>) next to "Necessary steps" or "Before the mobility" to see the different steps.
In your online application, you will be asked to:
- confirm basic details about yourself and your current education (e.g. your full name, current studies),
- indicate whether you want to participate in the pre-semester course (see here under Course information for details)
- upload your application materials.
Selecting study areas
- When selecting the study areas/subjects you would like to study at UCPH, remember to select subjects that you have already completed university courses in.
- We recommend that you choose no more than two study areas/subjects in the online application.
“Update” and “Save” buttons
When completing your online application, please note that you will often have to click on an “Update” button (or similar) at the bottom of the page to make changes. Remember to click “Save” when you have updated your application.