All programmes start in September. Certain master’s programmes also start in February for applicants who have legal right of admission.
The application deadlines may vary depending on whether you are a citizen in an EU, EEA, or Swiss country, or a citizen from outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland.
None of the Danish-language degree programmes have a specific application deadline for applicants who are citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA, and Switzerland.
There are two application deadlines for applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
The application portal opens on 15 November. You will receive a reply by 13 March.
All programmes have study start in September
The application portal opens on 15 August. You will receive a reply by 10 December.
There are two application deadlines for Danish applicants and applicants from within the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
The application portal opens on 16 January. You will receive a reply by 15 May.
All programmes have study start in September
The application portal opens on 15 August. You will receive a reply by 10 December.
If you are currently enrolled on a master’s programme, or have been enrolled in one in the past, you need to find out whether you need to apply for admission, readmission, re-enrolment, transfer, or a change of programme.
It is important that you follow the application process that fits your situation before the application deadline.
You apply for admission via the application portal.
Before you start your application in the application portal, you should familiarise yourself thoroughly with the programme’s admission- and documentation requirements. The requirements vary from programme to programme, and you can find all the information on the programme pages.
See an overview of all master’s programmes
You must create your application via the application portal, where you will also upload your supporting documents.
You must assess your educational background against the admission requirements yourself to determine which application category you fall into. The application category determines the application deadline and the documents you need to upload with your application.
The application categories are:
The application deadline also depends on which application category you fall into.
On the programme’s page, you can find out what documents you need to upload with your application.
Prepare the necessary documentation and start your application in well before the deadline.
Log in to the application portal regularly once you have submitted your application.
The university sends replies continuously, often with short response deadlines, such as offers of admission.
We recommend that you use either Edge or Google Chrome as your browser when you start the application process.
You can find help in the guide to the application portal, where you can also read the answers to frequently asked questions.
See the guide to the application portal
Read about how to fill in your application
Find out what to do if you experience technical difficulties
Depending on your educational background and the programme you are applying for, you will need to prepare specific supporting documents to upload with your application.
Please read the documentation requirements on the page for the programme you wish to apply for before submitting your application.
You will be contacted via the application portal if any information is missing from your application.
All your documents must be uploaded in one of the following formats: PDF, JPEG, JPG, PNG, and XLSX. Please note that we do not accept Word documents.
Read about data-sharing opportunities between Danish universities
Read about uploading documentation via the application portal
You can apply for up to three master’s programmes at the University of Copenhagen for the same intake.
You can change your priorities up until the application deadline. Once the application deadline has passed, they cannot be changed.
You will only receive one offer of admission or conditional admission from the University of Copenhagen. This means that applications for lower-priority programmes will be withdrawn once you are offered a place in a programme.
Once you have applied for admission, you will receive all messages from us regarding your application via the application portal. When there are messages or replies to your application in the application portal, you will receive notifications at the email address you provided in your application. Please note that notifications may end up in your spam folder.
We recommend that you do not use your university email address when creating your application. Some higher education institutions close students’ email accounts within a few months of them completing their bachelor’s degree. This may prevent you from seeing notifications from us.
You need to log in to the application portal regularly to check the status of your applications and read any messages from us. Please note that your application may be rejected, if you do not respond to messages, for instance, about missing documentation or an offer of admission.
Log in to the application portal to check the status and read messages
If you are offered a place in a programme, you must submit your response via the application portal, regardless of whether you wish to accept or decline the offer.
Please remember to accept or decline the offer by the deadline stated in your offer letter.
It is not usually possible to apply after the application deadline.
You may apply for an extension if there are exceptional circumstances that have prevented you from submitting your application by the deadline; in such cases, you may apply for a dispensation to the deadline.
Unusual circumstances might, for example, include cases where a sudden serious illness has prevented you from submitting your application by the deadline. Serious illness or death within the immediate family, occurring shortly before the application deadline, may, depending on the circumstances, also constitute grounds for you to apply for a dispensation.
To be granted dispensation, it is a prerequisite that the circumstances which prevented you from registering in time were beyond your control.
No exemption will be granted based on:
If you experienced technical problems with the application system before the application deadline and can provide evidence of this in the form of screenshots showing the time, this may also be considered as grounds for a dispensation.
If you wish to apply for adispensation, please submit your application as soon as possible to admissions@ku.dk. Please enclose evidence of the exceptional circumstances that prevented you from submitting your application by the deadline.
If you are granted dispensation to the application deadline, this means that we will process your application.
You must either be currently enrolled in or have completed a relevant bachelor’s degree to be admitted to the master’s programme. These may include legal right of admission, programmes that meet the admission requirements, or other Danish or International degree that we deem relevant.
All master’s programmes have specific admission requirements which you must also meet, including requirements regarding your Danish and/or English language skills.
You can find the admission requirements on the programme pages, where you can also read about possible restrictions to admission in the programme, and how we allocate places if there are more qualified applicants than there are available places.
You can find out which master’s programmes your bachelor’s degree is pre-approved for by using our online tool.
Find out how to provide documentation for your language skills
See an overview of all master’s programmes
Try the online tool for pre-approved bachelor’s degree programmes
Legal right of admission ensures that, upon completion of your bachelor’s degree, you can progress to a specific master’s programme within the same or a related subject area.
You only have legalt right of admission to study at the University of Copenhagen (KU) if you have successfully completed your bachelor’s degree at KU.
When assessing whether you meet the admission requirements, Danish legislation stipulates that we are only permitted to consider your bachelor’s degree. Therefore, you cannot take supplementary courses between your bachelor’s and master’s programmes to meet the admission requirements.
The only exception is ECTS-awarding courses or projects that you have passed before completing your qualifying bachelor’s degree. These may be considered in the assessment, even if they are not part of your bachelor’s degree programme. In the curriculum, you find information about the number of ECTS allowed from these courses or projects.
All Danish state-regulated programmes use the 7-point scale and the international ECTS credit system.
Read about the ECTS credit system
Some programmes use grades to assess whether you are eligible for admission. Any improved grades are not considered in the assessment, as it is not possible in Denmark to raise the grade for courses that have already been passed. However, any grades that are amended because of an appeal against the original grade will be considered. In such cases, it must be made clear that the grade has been improved because of an appeal.
All applicants from international universities must upload a full academic transcript showing all examination attempts, the dates of each attempt, and the examination results.
Random checks may be conducted on the applicant’s admission criteria at their home university. Any false information regarding grades may result in the student being expelled from the programme.
You are required to declare, and thereby apply for credit for, modules you have passed from any uncompleted master’s programmes when applying for admission to a master’s programme.
Applying for credit transfer means that you are applying to have ECTS credits you have previously earned recognised as a substitute for some of the ECTS credits you would otherwise be required to complete on the new programme.
You must apply for credit transfer because it is a legal requirement under Danish law. If you have passed curses on an uncompleted programme at the same level, you are required to inform us of this when you apply via the application portal, in accordance with the Danish Admission Order.
If you have completed parts of a higher education programme at a different level, you can also choose to apply for credit transfer.
Contact the student counsellor on your new course as soon as you have accepted your place and find out how things work on your programme.
The University of Copenhagen conducts an academic assessment of the exams you have passed. If the courses can be included in the new degree programme, we will decide on the transfer of credits.
If you already hold a master’s degree from Denmark or abroad that is equivalent to a Danish master’s degree, you can only be admitted to a new programme if there are places available on the programme you are applying for.
We can only grant an exemption from the master’s degree requirement in exceptional circumstances.
We may grant a dispensation from the master’s degree admission rule if we consider that, due to exceptional circumstances, you are without working capacity in your profession and therefore can no longer use your master's degree in the labour market. For example, if you are a veterinarian and have been diagnosed with fur allergies, or if you are a surgeon and have lost the use of your limbs.
We may grant an exemption from the master’s degree rule if we consider that, due to exceptional circumstances, you are unable to work in your current profession and are therefore no longer able to use your master’s degree in the labour market.
for example, if you are a vet and have been diagnosed with a fur allergy, or if you are a surgeon and have lost the use of your limbs.
You must apply for dispensation at the same time as you apply for admission via the application portal.
Write a brief explanation why you are unable to use your existing master’s degree in the labour market and upload it along with your application.
You must also upload documentation confirming what you have written. This could, for example, be a medical certificate or a medical record that you were given when your loss of earning capacity was confirmed.
If you hold an international master’s degree and are unsure whether it is equivalent to a Danish master’s degree, you can contact the Danish Agency for Research and Education. They can assess whether your qualification is equivalent to a Danish master’s degree.
If you have received an assessment of your master’s degree from the agency, you must upload it to the application portal along with your application.
If your foreign master’s degree is equivalent to a Danish master’s degree, you are subject to the master’s degree rule. If you are a qualified doctor or dentist, please let us know if you have been registered with the Danish Patient Safety Authority.
If you have a qualification that enables you to work in other regulated professions (e.g. as a lawyer or psychologist), you can find out more about the rules from the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education.
If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA, or Switzerland, you must pay an application deposit and tuition fees.
If you hold a permanent residence permit in Denmark or a permit entitling you to permanent residence in Denmark, you are exempt from paying tuition fees.
If you are not a Danish citizen, you may need a residence permit if you are accepted into a programme.
Read about the application deposit
Read the guide for the application portal
If you cannot find the answer in our guide, please contact the student guidance.
