Let's start with breaking the answer: Yes, you can get SU if you go study abroad. The Danish government has made it super easy for students to take their SU with them on a semester abroad or even for a full degree abroad. This makes it more manageable to finance your study stay abroad, on the same terms as if you studied in Denmark. To get the SU with you abroad, you simply need to meet some conditions. Below, you'll find an overview of the conditions for semester stays and for both a full bachelors and masters degree. Let's start out with when you go for a semester abroad, shall we?
Read also: The udlandsstipendium: Receive up to 46.000 kr. pr. semester abroad
By now you are probably impatiently waiting to find out what the requirements are. So we're just gonna list them up straight away. One thing we want to note is that the requirements below are the same regardless if you're going for a semester abroad on bachelors or masters level as part of your Danish degree.
• The study stay abroad is part of your Danish higher education.
• Your semester abroad must be pre-approved and credit-bearing.
• You have SU clips available throughout the period.
In short, you are guaranteed SU during your semester abroad if your home university pre-approves your courses abroad. You might ask what the definition of pre-approval is? Well in this case, it is simply that your international office signs that the courses you are following abroad will earn you a credit transfer if you pass them. This means that the courses you take gives you the equivalent ECTS points or qualifications that you would get during your degree at your home institution in Denmark. If your stay abroad does not give full credit, you cannot get SU during the entire stay. Also, like in Denmark, you need to have SU clips available throughout the period to receive SU.
Before we move on, we'll allow ourselves to squeeze just one more pro tip in. We strongly suggest that you write to your SU-office that you are going abroad for a semester and on which semester. It may take 1-2 minutes to write and send the mail to the SU-office, but knowing that your SU will continuously tick in while being abroad is a calming feeling. So keep the 3 steps below in mind when ensuring that you will receive SU while studying abroad as part of your program in Denmark:
• If you already receive SU for your Danish education, your SU will continue to be paid as normal during your study stay if the stay is pre-approved
• Notify the SU office at your educational institution that you are going on a study abroad
• Send documentation that you are an active student to your Danish educational institution
A quick note If you're an international student - You can still get SU if you have applied for equal status with Danish cityzens. You can read more about that on the official SU website.
For studies outside the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland), the maximum number of SU clips you can get is 48, the equivalent to four years of education. This is in contrast to if you study in Denmark or another Nordic country, where you will be able to get up to six years of SU. After a bachelor's degree of three years abroad outside a Nordic country, bear in mind that you will have SU clips corresponding to being able to study for one more year while getting SU. However, you have the option of taking out the so-called "slut-lån", which is a monthly amount corresponding to SU, which must be repaid after completing your education.
Now the cool thing is that you can actually take the last few years of your degree in a Nordic country and your SU-clips will adjust accordingly. So for example, if you study abroad for 4 years outside a nordic country, you can still do 2 more years in a Nordic country and be SU-eligible.
Last but not least, the study programme at the given university abroad has to be approved by the Danish Fast-Track list. We will cover what that as the last part of this article.
Read also: Repayment of study abroad and SU loans easily explained
To make it easy for you to understand which requirements you need to fulfil to receive SU while pursuing a bachelors degree abroad - Make sure to check off each step on the list below:
•Your education must be approved by the SU-ministry
• You must have resided in Denmark for a total period of at least 2 years within the last 10 years
• You must send documentation for your study activity twice a year.
• If you change program on the same university you need a new approval
If you want to study for a master's degree at a foreign university, the same SU rules apply. If for example you have taken a 3-year bachelor's degree at a Danish or Nordic university, you can typically get SU for up to three more years of studying abroad. If you completed your bachelors degree outside of Denmark or any other Nordic country, you will likely only have 1 year left with SU when you complete a full bachelors degree. Remember, you only have 48 SU clips outside Denmark and the Nordic countries which is equivalent to a total of 4 years.
In most cases, a bachelors degree will be 3 years while a masters degree is 1-2 years. It is important to note that countries where the duration of the bachelors degree is 4 years - that the first year can be a preparational year which in Denmark is assessed as high school level. If that is the case, you will not be able to receive SU for the first year.
To make it easy for you to understand which requirements you need to fulfil to receive SU while pursuing a masters degree abroad - Make sure to check off each step on the list below:
•Your education must be approved by the SU-ministry
• You must have resided in Denmark for a total period of at least 2 years within the last 10 years
• You must send documentation for your study activity twice a year.
• Ensure that you have more SU clips left after finishing your bachelors degree
• If you change program on the same university you need a new approval
Read also: The Danish Study Abroad Loan
The Fast Track list consists of study programmes abroad, which are pre-approved for SU. If your desired study programme is already on the list, you can expect a processing time of up to 12 days before you receive a response to your application for SU. Please note that the pre-approval is per individual study programme, so it is not enough if the university is on the list, but the study programme is not.
In order to be awarded SU for a programme on the Fast Track list, you must be able to document that you have officially been admitted to the programme by the university. If the program is approved and included on the Fast Track list at the time of application, you are entitled to SU throughout your studies.
You can check whether your education has already been approved on the Fast Track list. The Fast Track list is a list of educational institutions and programs which, on the basis of applications, have been approved for SU and any foreign scholarship and study abroad loan. The approval is valid for 4 years at a time. The approval period appears in the list, and you must have started the education within the approval period. If your education abroad is not on the Fast Track list, you must apply to have your education approved.
If the study programme is not yet on the Fast Track list, it is possible to apply for it to be. The processing time is approximately two months, and you do not need to be admitted to the program before applying for admission. The Fast Track list is therefore quite dynamic, allowing new SU-approved programmes to continuously being added and approved.
As the list is revised on an ongoing basis, there will also be a risk that programmes that have previously been approved for SU are no longer on the list or expire within a few years. For this reason, it is important to check up on how long the approval is valid. As a rule, most programmes will be approved and admitted to the Fast Track list for a period of four years, after which you must reapply for acceptance again if needed. For documentation to get the programme approved, the programme curriculum should be sufficient.
In order to get approval for an education abroad that you would like to study abroad, you must send an application for approval to the SU department in charge of studies abroad. You do not need to be enrolled in the program to apply for approval. You are welcome to apply to have more education programmes approved. Approximately 1 out of 3 applications will not be approved, and it may therefore be a good idea to apply for approval for several programs abroad that you would like to study at. In this way, you have a plan b for if your first educational program abroad is not approved.
You will find the application form on the SU website.
FAQ about SU for your Stay Abroad
Navigating the Danish rules for the State Educational Grant (SU) can be a bit tricky, especially for Danish students planning to study abroad whether a stay abroad or for a semester exchange through Erasmus. Below, we've compiled answers to the most frequently asked questions about SU for both semester and full-degree programs abroad. If you don't find what you're looking for, feel free to get in touch with a Uniclub advisor at hello@uniclub.io or schedule a call.
1. Is there a difference in the SU amount when studying abroad?
No, the set amount for your SU rate remains the same, whether you're pursuing a full bachelor's, master's, or a semester abroad as part of your program in Denmark.
2. Do I need to apply for SU on minSU for a credit-bearing semester abroad?
No, all educational support for SU when going abroad for one or more semesters as part of your degree goes through your home university's SU office, in accordance with Danish rules.
3. Where do I apply for SU when going abroad for a full bachelor's or master's degree?
If you're a foreign citizen or granted equal status under the rules of EU law, you can apply for SU for equal status with Danish citizens. The application is entirely processed through the SU website on minSU.
4. What does 'credit-bearing' mean?
Credit-bearing means that your courses abroad give you equivalent ECTS points that you would earn in an EU/EEA country, fulfilling the conditions for educational support.
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5. How do I know if my courses during my stay abroad are credit-bearing?
This is formally done through the study administration at your home university in Denmark. You'll need an official pre-approval of courses to ensure credit transfer.
6. What if not all of my courses are credit-bearing?
You will only receive SU for the part of your study abroad that is credit-bearing. Make sure to fulfil the conditions for the entire stay.
7. How do I know if I can get SU for a full degree abroad?
Check if the program at the university abroad is approved on the Fast-Track list. This is crucial for refugees from Ukraine and others who have been granted equal status.
8. How many SU clips do I have for studies when pursuing a full degree abroad?
You have 48 SU clips, equivalent to 4 years of studies, when pursuing a full degree abroad.
9. How many SU clips do I have for studies when pursuing a full degree in a Nordic country?
You have the same SU clips as in Denmark, which is 70 SU clips, equivalent to 5 years and 10 months.
10. Do I need an acceptance letter to apply for the Fast-Track list?
No, you can apply for multiple programs to be accepted on the Fast-Track list before being admitted.
11. Do I need to apply for SU again when I change from a bachelor's to a master's degree at the same university?
Yes, you need to re-apply for SU at every stage of your educational program.
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