Political decision on international programmes in Denmark from 2022

In June 2021, Danish politicians decided that as a general rule, Danish business academies can no longer admit new students to English-language programmes as of the autumn semester of 2022.

This also applies to Business Academy Aarhus, with a few exceptions: Multimedia Design and Digital Concept Development are still available in English.

Business Academy Aarhus regrets that this decision has been made but as a public sector institution, we must follow the political decisions.

All students starting on an international programme have the right to complete their programme.

Please see below for answers to some of the most important questions.

Consequences of the political decision on international programmes in Denmark

Yes. All students starting an international programme in February 2022 (or before this date) have the right to complete that programme.

  • If you started studying an AP, Bachelor or Bachelor top-up programme in 2021, you have the right to complete that programme.
  • If you started studying a 2 year AP degree programme or 1½ year Bachelor top-up in February 2022, you have the right to complete that programme. 

Please be aware that there will be very limited access to a bachelor’s top-up programme (1½ years) for students who graduate from an AP degree programme in 2022 or later. The only English-language top-up degree that will be offered at the Academy from autumn 2022 and onwards is Digital Concept Development.

From autumn 2022 and onwards, the only English language bachelor’s top-up degree that will admit new students at Business Academy Aarhus will be Digital Concept Development. This has been decided politically, and there will be a limited number of places. Probably one full class. Unfortunately, no other English language top-up degrees can be offered.

The AP degree programme in Multimedia Design will also continue in English from Summer 2022 so in the future, it will still be possible to complete a full bachelor’s degree in English with Multimedia Design and Digital Concept Development.

There will be some possibilities for progression from an AP degree to an English language university programme, e.g. in Aarhus, but you must consult the university you are interested in for more information about this path forward. Some students from e.g. Marketing Management have progressed this way in recent years.

Yes, this is a possibility but it will take some effort.

Students who graduate with an AP degree can apply for a Danish language top-up programme if their Danish language skills are considered adequate. To meet this demand, you will need Danish at A-level or the so-called ‘studieprøven’ (study test) to be accepted into a top-up programme.

This will require a high level of Danish skills that will be extremely difficult to obtain for newcomers while you are also studying for an AP degree programme (which is a full-time occupation in itself).

It is expected that students who want to pursue this path will need to finish the AP degree programme, get a job in Denmark and then start to obtain the required Danish language skills, e.g. in a language school while working, or taking a sabbatical year to learn Danish.

 

There are no changes. SU will be available for international students on the same terms as now, and no tuition fees will be introduced.

Yes, students will still be able to go abroad for exchange semesters or take internships abroad. Internships in Denmark may however be a good idea if you want to work in Denmark after your studies as many internships lead to jobs.

Yes, fortunately, there will still be international students and an international community in the future!

The two English-language programmes Multimedia Design (AP degree) and Digital Concept Development (top-up degree) will still be offered in English in the future, both at our Ringvej Syd campus.

The students who begin studying in autumn 2021 will also be here until they graduate (the Financial Management students won’t graduate until January 2025), and there will still be exchange students in Aarhus after 2022 too.

It has been announced that the political agreement is intended to finance the government’s plans for study programmes in some of the smaller cities across Denmark.

The agreement is also supposed to reduce expenses relating to SU (state grants) for international students as costs have been increasing in recent years.

Business Academy Aarhus regrets that this decision has been made but as a public sector institution, we must follow the political decisions.

Contact our student counsellors if you need assistance or have any questions about your studies.

Contact data for our Student and Career Counselling