A Guide to Education & International Schools in Denmark

Jump right in:

• The education system in denmark
• Daycare and kindergarten
• Primary and secondary schools
• International schools
• Higher sducation
• Language schools

The education system in Denmark ranks among the best in the world. Here is an overview of Danish education, including some facts, school ages, passing grades, and more.

Education Facts

• Denmark’s education system comprises of both public and private schools. Around 15% of students attend private schools.
• The public education system is free from primary to higher education.
• Although compulsory education is only up to 16 years of age, more than 80% of students go on to study in the following education levels.
• Private schools take in around 15% of students in Denmark. The vast majority attend public schools or folkeskole.

What is the education system like?

Education is divided into the following levels: preschool, primary education, secondary education (which includes lower and upper secondary school), and higher education. Below is a table of the various school levels and corresponding ages in Denmark.

The danish grading system

Danish schools use a seven-point scale grading system.

The minimum passing grade is two. In some cases, only two grades may be given: pass and fail.

School hours and terms

School usually starts in August and ends in June, but it is best to check the websites of the schools you would like to apply to and find out their application dates and requirements. Schools tend to work 30 to 35 hours a week. Each school can define its own hours, but most run from 8:00 to 15:00.

Private schools in Denmark

Public schools in Denmark are high quality, so private doesn’t automatically mean that they are better. Parents choose private schools for reasons like:

• Specific teaching philosophy
• More structure or discipline
• Smaller classes
• Cultural/religious alignment Keep in mind that private schools may have waiting lists as well, especially in or around Copenhagen.

Here you can check private school options.

What if you arrive in the middle of the school year?

If you arrive in the middle of the school year, a school coordinator may need to assess your child’s needs and language skills. This will result in your child either being enrolled straight into Danish public school classes or placed in a reception class where they will be introduced to the Danish language and school system.

Neither kindergarten nor daycare is mandatory in Denmark, but preschool is.

Childcare options in Denmark

Childcare hours

Most childcare centers are open Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 17:00 with the exception of Fridays when most close an hour early at 16:00. You can choose full-time childcare, which is usually around 40 to 48 hours a week, or part-time care, which is between 28 and 32 hours weekly.

Nurseries or vuggestuer

These day centers look after children from birth or typically from six months of age. They can take in anywhere from 30 to 60 children.

Family daycares are also an option. These are small, private daycare services for a small group of children (four or five) looked after by a nanny in his or her own home.

Kindergarten or børnehaver

Kindergarten starts at the age of three and ends when the child is old enough to begin preschool, which is around five or six. Even though staff in these day centers are trained professionals, the educational approach is informal. Children learn and develop social, linguistic, physical, and other skills through play rather than in a classroom format.

Application process

All children of parents with legal residence in Denmark are get a place in childcare facilities.

You can check out waiting lists and start your child’s enrollment process here by choosing your municipality and then contacting them.

Your municipality must offer your child a place in their age group. To a certain extent, they can consider some wishes for a specific daycare.

Private childcare must be contacted directly in order to enroll your child.

Childcare costs

Daycare and kindergarten fees vary by municipality, age of the child, and type of childcare. Municipal centers are mostly financed by the state, but parents still copay maximum 25% of the costs.

The table below lists the monthly costs including lunch:

For after-school childcare costs around 2,000 DKK (320 USD) a month for your child to attend afternoons.

The main language of teaching in Denmark is Danish. English is a second language usually taught from 1st grade. The European School Copenhagen is a public international school that has an english section.

Enrollment

One of the most important requirements for school enrollment is for your child to have a CPR number (personal identification number).

If you are already living in Denmark the year your child turns 6, and you have not chosen a specific school, your municipality will automatically assign your child to a public school or folkeskole.

Make sure to contact your preferred school in advance to know all the requirements and whether there is a waiting list.

Folkeskole (primary and lower Secondary school)

• Folkeskole refers to the free, public school system in Denmark. It comprises primary and lower secondary education.
• The first year of folkeskole, which is when the child turns 6, is referred to as preschool. This is followed by 9 more years of compulsory education (primary and lower secondary) and an optional school year corresponding to 10th grade.
• There are 26 basic international schools (private elementary schools approved by the Ministry of Children and Education)  in Denmark and you can check the list here
• If attending a public school, families are free to choose from any municipal school of their preference.
• The compulsory school levels in Denmark, from ages 6 to 16, are the equivalent of elementary school and part of secondary school in the US.

Efterskole: optional 10th grade

Attending this grade is optional, but it can be recommended by the school. Students use this year as an opportunity to improve their grades or to decide on their next course of studies. Most students do attend this grade level.

Gymnasium (upper secondary school or high school)

Once children complete folkeskole, they can continue their education at the upper secondary level. This school level typically corresponds to ages 16 to 19 and is not mandatory. However, to access a university, they should complete these years of education.

Private upper secondary schools teach the same type of curricula as public schools, since this education level is mainly focused on preparation for the final exams which lead to university.

Students can choose from two types of programs:

• General education or gymnasium—qualifies students to access higher education

• Vocational or technical education - prepares students for the labor market Children who wish to study at university should choose one of  four education programs. These go by specific (an unintelligible) terms—hf, stx, hhx, and htx.

• If students completed ten years of basic education, they may only study two more years in upper secondary level, known as hf.

• If they have studied nine years in basic school, their upper secondary level should last three years—stx, hhx, and htx

• hf focuses on natural or social sciences (this has a duration of two years)

• stx is a broad education program which covers diverse subjects

• hhx focuses on business and economics

• htx focuses on exact sciences

Best schools in Denmark

Here are five of the top public schools in Denmark for basic education:

• Endrup School in Fredensborg
• Tranegård School in Gentofte
• Birkerod School in Rudersdal
• Hareskov School in Fureso
• The Classical Graduate School in Copenhagen

School costs

If you attend folkeskole, your child’s education is free. If you opt for a private school instead, you can pay as much as 1,000 or 3,000 DKK (160 or 470 USD) a month, depending on the school.

These schools teach from basic education, corresponding to the years of compulsory education, to upper secondary education. They can take in children as young as three.

Public international schools

• State international schools are run by municipalities and may teach several education levels, from basic to upper secondary.
• Just like regular public schools, attending a public international school is entirely free.

See this list of both public and private schools teaching the International Baccalaureate at the upper secondary level.

If international students cannot be placed in a municipal international school, they will have a vacancy at a regular public school or folkeskole. In this case, however, it would be preferable to apply to a private international school, which is better equipped to meet international students’ needs.

One of the most prestigious municipal schools in the country is the European School, or Europaskolen, in Copenhagen.

You can check the full list of international schools in Denmark at the international school database

The following schools are some of the top international institutions in Denmark:

• Bjørns International School (BIS), in Copenhagen
• Copenhagen International School (CIS), in Copenhagen
• Aarhus Academy for Global Education, AAGE, in Aarhus
• Skipper Clement School, Aalborg
• Rygaards School, in Hellerupe

International school requirements and admission

Most schools list their requirements on their website, so you should start there if you already know which schools you are going to apply to.

In general, you will need:

• child’s ID
• child’s CPR number
• vaccination records
• school transfers from previous school years, if applicable
• language tests of the school’s primary language, if applicable Some schools may require an interview with the student.

International school tuition fees

Annual tuition fees for international schools are around 30,000 DKK (4,700 USD), to 60,000 DKK (9,500 USD). To have reduced tuition fees at private schools, make sure your kid has a CPR number and is registered in school before September 5th.

British or American schools

• Schools teaching entirely in English make up the majority of international schools in Denmark.
• Some are entirely international schools, while others have only a division of the school dedicated to teaching international children. These may follow the International Baccalaureate, the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), or other internationally recognized accreditation.
• All international schools must include at least two hours of Danish as part of their curriculum; many schools choose to teach more.

German schools

You will not have difficulty finding German schools in Denmark, even if only one is listed as an international school in the website of the Ministry of Education—Sankt Petri Schule in Copenhagen.

Some German schools in Denmark are bilingual schools, teaching both German and Danish and providing leaving certificates for both.

Others follow a German curriculum entirely, such as the DSSV (Deutschen Schul-und Sprachvereins für Nordschleswig).

French schools

The primary french school in Denmark is Lycée Français Prins Henriks skole, in Copenhagen. Additionally, the already mentioned European School in Copenhagen is divided in two language sections, including a French section.

There are five types of higher education institutions in Denmark:

• universities
• university colleges (for academy profession degrees and professional bachelor’s degrees)
• artistic higher education institutions
• schools of maritime education and training
• business academies

Popular universities in Denmark

• University of Copenhagen
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
• Aarhus University
• Aalborg University
• Copenhagen Business School (CBS)

Academy profession (AP) degree

• AP degrees are specific university degrees focusing on applied learning and developing professional skills.
• Besides attending standard university lectures, students also collaborate with businesses and industries, and develop a final project for evaluation.
• These degrees take two or two and a half years to complete and accredit students with 120 ECTs (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). This degree is not equivalent to a bachelor’s level. However, they can correspond to a bachelor’s degree if students take an additional one-and-a-half years of study known as top-up degrees.

Bachelor’s degrees

There are two types of bachelor’s degrees you can obtain in Denmark:

• a university bachelor’s degree: common three-year undergraduate program of 180 ECTs which follows the traditional academic format. These focus on one to two subjects, are mostly research and theory-based, and take three years to complete.
• a professional bachelor’s degree: geared towards entering the job market. You obtain this degree after completing an AP program with a top-up degree, as explained above. This offers theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as offering students the opportunity to be placed in the job market for first-hand professional experience. You can find this type of degree at University colleges or Professionshøjskoler and most of these programs give access to postgraduate studies as well.

University colleges in Denmark:

• UCL University College
• University College Copenhagen
• University College of Northern Denmark
• University College South Denmark
• University College Absalon
• VIA University College
• Danish School of Media and Journalism

Postgraduate or marster’s degrees

Postgraduate studies in Denmark correspond to a Candidatus or master’s degree. These are mostly research-based courses, typically of two years, at the end of which you submit a dissertation or a practical project. You can join the job market after completing a master’s degree or undertake further studies with a PhD degree.

How much does it cost to study in Denmark for international students?

Studying at a university in Denmark should be entirely free if you are a resident, either temporary or permanent, or a student of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland.

For other students, tuition fees can start at 45,000 DKK (8,000 USD) and go up to 120,000 DKK (21,000 USD) annually.

There are grants and scholarships you can apply for such as the SU, the Danish students’ Grants and Loans Scheme,  or the State Educational Support for Adults (SVU), for those already in the workforce who wish to supplement their education.

You can find more information on tuition, applications, universities, grants, and loans on the Study in Denmark site

Local municipalities offer Danish language programs to foreigners living in Denmark. These must be over 18 and have a CPR number. You should receive a referral letter from your municipality, after which you have 30 days to register with the local language center.

Language school costs

Language school fees for municipal classes are 2,000 to 5,000 DKK (300 to 800 USD) depending on the course duration and level.

Language school options in Denmark:

• Studieskolen
• Berlitz
• Ab Danish