Top-rated universities and a thriving tech industry
Despite being a small country, Denmark boasts five universities in the yearly top 500 of the QS World Universities Ranking: the University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark, Aarhus University, University of Southern Denmark and Aalborg University. The University of Copenhagen is in the top 100.
Denmark is a particularly good place to study technology and sustainable innovation. According to The Robot Report, Denmark is one of the global hubs for robotics. Odense Robotics' Insight Report says that there were 418 robotics companies and 10,700 employees in the sector in 2021. They are involved in artificial intelligence, mechatronics (creating automated manufacturing systems), system dynamics, health and energy informatics, and drones, among other subfields. An astounding 84% of these companies operate within the framework of the green economic transition.
Between 2021 and 2025, 8100 new robotics jobs are projected to be created in Denmark. Danish universities have excellent industry connections for tech students who hope to remain in the country to work. For instance, the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute at the University of Southern Denmark has helped launch multiple robotics companies.
Unique pedagogy and great campus life
Danish universities also have a distinctive pedagogical approach. Instead of studying in large, packed and impersonalized lecture theaters, students are taught in small groups. This puts students at ease and allows them to interact in a personalized way with each lecturer/professor. Students can also help each other more with readings and classwork in these small groups.
There is also a study buddy system in place. Each new international student is paired with a Danish student to help them adapt more smoothly to the country and culture. The buddy can help you with practical things like locating facilities on campus and finding student housing, in addition to being a language exchange partner. You can teach your buddy your native language while they help you learn Danish. You will less likely feel the language barrier, culture shocks, or homesickness with this support system. Communication and integration are also facilitated by the fact that most Danes speak English fluently as a second language and international lingua franca (around 86%, according to the Publications Office of the European Union).
It is easy to have a fun and meaningful campus life when studying in Denmark. ‘Friday Bars' is a national tradition: each Friday at noon, academic departments set up bars with beer and soft drinks in a classroom or canteen for informal socialization between the faculty and students. Each university also has its specific traditions. For example, Aarhus University hosts the Kapsejlads, a spring regatta, every year. There are boat races between students of different departments, free concerts, picnics around the campus lakes, and even a naked race for tickets to the Roskilde Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Europe.
Financial aid for international students
Students from the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland pay no tuition fees at Danish universities. For students coming from outside these zones, tuition ranges from 67,000 Danish Krones (9000 euros or 9100 US dollars) to 134,000 Krones (18,000 euros or 18,400 US dollars) per year, according to Study.eu. Although there are cheaper destinations like Germany, where there are no tuition fees even for non-EU students, the Danish fees are still affordable by Western European standards.
The State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme offers generous financial aid to local and EU/EEA/Swiss students. The loan has to be repaid to the government after the student has graduated, while grant money doesn't need to be repaid back. Specific Danish universities also offer a limited number of competitive scholarships to highly-qualified students from other countries. For example, the prestigious University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University automatically consider all international MA/MSc applicants for a Danish State Scholarship. This scholarship offers a full or partial tuition fee waiver and, depending on each case, a stipend for the cost of living.
A green and happy country
Denmark consistently ranks among the top five countries in the World Happiness Report every year. The ranking criteria are purchasing power parity, level of social support and generosity, healthy life expectancy from birth, and perception of corruption in leadership. Danish culture values a laidback lifestyle, encapsulated by the concept of “hygge.” “Hygge” is cultivated by basking in simple, cozy pleasures like curling up with a book and hot chocolate, eating a meal with friends with dimmed lights, or having a picnic in nature.
Denmark is also a leader in green development. According to the LSE Green Economy Leader Report, it has one of the most ambitious plans worldwide to transition to the green economy. A mental image that often comes to people's minds when they think of Denmark is urban landscapes crisscrossed by bikes. Indeed, by 2016, bicycles had already outnumbered cars in the capital of Copenhagen. The country even has 11 National Cycle Routes for long-distance travel. While residents of other European cities are having to relocate to the countryside to be in touch with nature, Danish cities have plenty of green space. Notably, a quarter of Copenhagen is dedicated to green spaces.
