I wish I can write this post and bring good news as always, but unfortunately this time I have to deliver some worrying news for future international students: Danish government decided to cut the number of international students that can be admitted to Danish universities.When did this start and why?
The truth lays in statistics, and they show that only 1 out of 3 international students will stay in Denmark for more than 2 years after they graduated. This is a loss both for companies and the national workforce. Since 2017 universities were asked to limit the number of international students and accept about 25% fewer students. I can personally confirm the news since this also happened at my university. In 2018 the situation worsened and, many universities had to change the language of their courses from English to Danish, and many classes were canceled.To be honest, I noticed this also in 2017 when I started to look for a top-up course to continue my bachelor. The CBS wasn't offering any top-ups related to my degree in English last year, and ultimately I decided to stay at my current university, Via University College.
The big problem is that from now on Denmark will be able to welcome fewer students every year, but there are also people that think this is not the best solution since it will reduce the diversity of international environment both in universities and workplaces.
After some quick investigation, I found some interesting information that I would like to share with you, and I think the Danish government has a point in deciding to reduce the number of international students.
"– Newly educated graduate students are the group who contribute most to the Danish economy out of all English-language students
– On average, international students are believed to contribute 100,000-350,000 kroner each to the state coffers over a lifetime
– On average, it takes about nine years for an international student to ‘repay’ their investment by the Danish state – but about 50 percent are gone five years after commencing their studies
– Only about 33 percent of international students contribute positively to the state coffers – the rest are seen as an expense for Denmark." (source: CPH Post)
What can you do to increase the chances of being accepted at Danish universities
If you what to study in Denmark, you have to understand that the competition to be admitted to Danish universities will be higher than ever. The useful things that you can do are try to get the best results in school and a high score at your final exam. The language certificate is also very relevant, and I suggest you choose between TOEFL and IELTS and try to reach a level equal to a C1, this will give you an advantage.
Another thing that you can do is to apply to multiple courses and universities and then rank them based on your preferences, this will increase the possibility of being accepted.
