As a foreign citizen you may be given a status equal to that of Danish citizens (for the purposes of applying for Danish state educational support) if you fulfil one or more of the conditions under EU law. If you are given equal status under EU law, you can apply for Danish state educational support for study programmes in Denmark as well as abroad. In order to fulfil the conditions under EU law, you must be a citizen of the EU or the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or a family member of a citizen of the EU or the EEA. Citizens of Switzerland are given equal status according to the same rules. You must fulfil one or more of the following conditions:

You are working or have been working in Denmark

You can be given equal status if you:

• are a citizen of the EU or the EEA and are a worker or a self-employed trader in Denmark. The Regional State Administrations make the decision regarding your basis for residence.
• are a citizen of the EU or the EEA and have been a worker or a self-employed trader in Denmark. There must be a content-related and time-related connection between your work in Denmark and the study programme.
• are a citizen of the EU or the EEA and have been a worker or a self-employed trader in Denmark, but due to health matters or structural conditions on the labour market need retraining as a consequence of involuntary unemployment.

The Regional State Administration makes the decision as to whether you can be regarded an employee or a self employed person according to the rules of European Union law. The decision of the Regional State Administration appears on your registration certificate.

The Regional State Administration does not issue registration certificates for citizens of Nordic countries, i.e. citizens of Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. As a citizen of Nordic countries, you are entitled to the same rights regarding Danish State Education Grants and Loans according to European Union law as citizens of other EU and EEA countries. If you have come to Denmark in order to study you cannot be regarded an employee.

You are the child of a citizen of the EU or the EEA

You can be given equal status if you are a resident of Denmark and are the child of a citizen of the EU or the EEA who is or has been a worker or a self-employed trader in Denmark. You are living or have lived in Denmark together with the parent who is a worker in Denmark, while this parent was a worker in Denmark. It is, however, a condition that importance can reasonably be attached to your parents' situation in relation to your age or independent status. You can be given equal status if you are not a resident of Denmark, but are the child of a citizen of the EU or the EEA who is a worker or a self-employed trader in Denmark and who provides for you until the start of the study programme.

You are the spouse of a citizen of the EU or the EEA

You can be given equal status if you are married to or live in a registered partnership with a citizen of the EU or the EEA who is a worker or a self-employed trader in Denmark. You must live or have lived with the citizen of the EU or the EEA while she/he was a worker in Denmark.
You must live or have lived together with the EU or EEA citizen while he or she is/was an employee in Denmark. Danish citizens in Denmark cannot avail themselves of the rights that are available to EU citizens before they have utilised their right to free movement by having resided with their spouse or registered partner in one of the other EU or EEA countries.
Family reunification for Danish citizens according to European Union law (See 2. Genuine and effective residence).

You are the parent of a citizen of the EU or the EEA

You can be given equal status if you are the parent of a citizen of the EU or the EEA who is a worker or a self-employed trader in Denmark. You must live or have lived with the citizen of the EU or the EEA while she/he is/was a worker in Denmark. You must be provided for by the citizen of the EU or the EEA.

You have lived in Denmark for five years

You can be given equal status if you are a citizen of the EU or the EEA or a family member of a citizen of the EU or the EEA and have lived continuously in Denmark for at least five years.

Special Conditions in order to obtain State Educational Support for Study Programmes in Countries outside Denmark

In order to get the SU student grant for an education abroad you must be a Danish citizen. The only exception concerns EU citizens, who may obtain support for studies abroad on equal terms with Danes in accordance with community law.

Furthermore, if you apply for the SU grant for an education abroad you must have been a resident in Denmark for a period of at least 2 consecutive years within the last 10 years prior to the reception of the application. This new rule is applicable for all applications received after July 1, 2002.

Studies Abroad