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Application and admission

Master's programmes and master's for working professionals

Here you will find help with every step in the admission process when applying for a master's at SDU.

Check your eligibility for a master's degree at SDU

To be admitted to a master’s programme, you must have a relevant bachelor’s degree, professional bachelor’s degree or another degree on the same level (European Qualification Framework level 6).

Not all foreign bachelor’s degrees are considered equivalent to a Danish bachelor’s degree in terms of level and workload. You can also consult the website of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, where you can find general assessments of educational levels for some countries, as well as a information about how to apply for an assessment of a specific degree.

The Danish application system divides applicants into two sorting groups: non-fee-paying applicants and fee-paying applicants.

You are a non-fee-paying applicant and do not need to pay a tuition fee  if you are a citizen in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland .
If you have a Danish residence permit, you may be exempted from paying tuition fee even though your citizenship is from a country outside of the EU, EEA or Switzerland. 

Review admission requirements

If you have not completed your bachelor's degree at the time of application, you may be offered admission on the condition that you submit your bachelor's diploma after admission.

    • Full name 
    • Date of birth 
    • Name of Bachelor’s programme 
    • Number of credits/units passed out of the number of necessary credits/units, e.g. (180 ECTS out of 180 ECTS) 
    • Date of completion/graduation
    • Stamp and signature from the university

    If your official graduation depends on an award ceremony, the confirmation must show that you meet all the requirements for graduation.

Programme specific requirements

Most of our programmes have a number of minimum requirements regarding the academic content of your qualifying degree. As a rule, all academic requirements must be fulfilled in your bachelor’s degree, though some programmes allow you to follow supplementary courses. 

On the websites of the individual programmes you will find the academic requirements listed as well as information on any special admission procedures or documents to be included in the application for this particular programme.

Requirements are stated in terms of ECTS points. 1 ECTS point is equivalent to 25-30 hours workload.

Language proficiency requirements

To ensure that all students are able to profit from and contribute to an engaged learning environment, applicants are required to submit proof of their proficiency in the relevant tuition language (Danish and/or English).

For ways to proof your language proficiency, please refer to our general Language requirements.

Occupational requirements for master's programmes for working professionals

If you are applying for admission to a master's programmes for working professionals, it is a requirement that you are engaged in relevant employment during your studies.


Application deadlines

For non-fee-paying applicants:

September intake

  • 1 March 

February intake

  • 15 October 

You are a fee-paying applicant and must pay an application fee and tuition fee if your citizenship is from a country outside of the EU, EEA or Switzerland or if you are a guest student whose studies are not related to an exchange agreement.

Review admission requirements

  • Most of our programmes have a number of minimum requirements regarding the academic content of your qualifying degree. As a rule, all academic requirements must be fulfilled in your bachelor’s degree, though some programmes allow you to follow supplementary courses. 

    On the websites of the individual programmes you will find the academic requirements listed as well as information on any special admission procedures or documents to be included in the application for this particular programme.

    Requirements are stated in terms of ECTS points. 1 ECTS point is equivalent to 25-30 hours workload.

  • To ensure that all students are able to profit from and contribute to a an engaged learning environment, applicants are required to submit proof of their proficiency in the relevant tuition language (Danish and/or English).

    See our general language requirements and prove your language proficiency.  

    SDU's language requirements
  • If you are applying for admission to a master's programmes for working professionals, it is a requirement that you are engaged in relevant employment during your studies.
    Read about occupational requirements

  • If, at the time of application, you await your bachelor's diploma, please note that Non-EU/EEA applicants without an EU/EEA bachelor's degree must submit their Bachelor's diploma, or an official confirmation of graduation from the university, by:

    • 15 May for the September intake
    • 1 December  for the February intake

    The official confirmation of graduation must contain:

    • Full name
    • Date of birth
    • Name of Bachelor’s programme
    • Number of credits/units passed out of the number of necessary credits/units, e.g. (180 ECTS out of 180 ECTS)
    • Date of completion/graduation
    • Stamp and signature from the university

    If your official graduation depends on an award ceremony, the confirmation must show that you meet all the requirements for graduation.

Pay application deposit and tuition fee 

As a general rule, SDU requires non EU, EEA and Swiss citizens to pay an application deposit fee of 100 EUR. The fee must be paid prior to submission of the application. As a non EU, EEA and Swiss citizens you are also required to pay tuition fee. You will find the specific fee rate listed under each programme. 

Please note that a Danish residence permit or Danish education may qualify for an exemption in some cases. For a full list of exemptions, see below. 

  • When sending your application you must upload the email receipt to your application.

    Please note that SDU has an earlier deadline for non-EU/EEA citizens without a valid Danish residence permit:

    • February 1 (September intakes) 
    • 1 (February intakes).

    To apply for a vacant study place you must have a Danish residence permit, which is valid until at least the start of the master’s programme.

    February 2026

    All non-EU/EEA applicants must pay the application deposit fee by bank transfer and upload either a receipt or a screenshot as proof of payment to their application. Please submit your application(s) to receive the payment information.

    September 2026

    All non-EU/EEA applicants must pay an application deposit fee of EUR 200 through the SDU payment website.

    Pay your fee here
    • Danish bachelor’s or professional bachelor’s degree - this will not necessarily exempt you from paying a tuition fee.
    • Permanent residence permit
    • Temporary residence permit "with a view to/possibility of" being granted permanent residence in Denmark. Your permit must state: "mhp. varigt ophold" or "mmf. varigt ophold".
    • Residence permit pursuant to section 9m of the Danish Aliens Act as a child of a parent who holds a residence permit pursuant to section 9a of the same act.
    • Permanent residence permit or a temporary permit "with a view to/possibility of" being granted permanent residence in one of the other Nordic countries (i.e., Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland).
    • Residence permit as a result of family reunification
    • Residence permit based on Ministerial Order no. 2055 of November 16, 2021. Please note that the Ministerial Order automatically expires on June 1, 2024.
    • Residence permit based on the Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom.
    • Residence permit granted based on § 7 and § 8, sec. 1 and 2 in Ministerial Order no. 1910 of September 26, 2021. 
    • Residence permit granted based on Ministerial Order no. 324 of March 16, 2022 (emergency act concerning Ukrainian refugees)

    NB: Unless otherwise stated, the residence permits listed above must be issued in Denmark.

    If you are exempted from paying the fee, you must upload a scan of your residence permit including the letter which describes the legal basis of the permit, or relevant diploma(s) in the application portal. 

  • If you fail to pay the application deposit fee or prove that you are exempted, your application(s) will be rejected. 

    You must pay the application deposit fee even if you have been a student in the programme before. This does not, however, apply to students requesting a re-enrollment (as opposed to new admission) or students who have already paid tuition fees covering all semesters of the programme.

    If you are admitted to SDU, the fee will be deducted from your first tuition fee payment. If you receive a scholarship, you will receive a refund after June 15.  The refund will be made to the card used for the payment.

    If you pay the fee or apply after the deadline, we will not refund your fee. The fee is non-refundable for all reasons except being granted a scholarship. The fee only covers the intake for which you have applied/made the payment and cannot be transferred to another intake.


  • Enrollment to SDU and access to SDU's facilities will require payment of the first rate. Please note that you must pay for the entire first year of the programme.

    Danish residence permit may qualify for exemption 

    You do not pay tuition fee if you: 

    • hold a permanent residence permit in Denmark
    • hold a residence permit granted based on family reunification (if the permanent residence is in Denmark)
    • hold a residence permit granted based on Ministerial Order no. 2055 of November 16, 2021. Please note that the Ministerial Order automatically expires on June 1, 2024. (Afghan aids to Denmark)
    • hold a residence permit granted based on the Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom.
    • hold a residence permit granted based on § 7 and § 8, sec. 1 and 2 in Ministerial Order no. 1183 of September 25, 2025. (Refugee convention/UN refugees) 
    • hold a residence permit granted based on Ministerial Order no. 324 of March 16, 2022. (Ukraine refugees)
    • have been granted residence in Denmark according to the EU rules and regulations
      are a child of workers from non-EU/EEA countries with a residence permit pursuant to Article 9m(1) of the Danish Aliens Act and your parents have been
    • granted residence permits according to the necessary rules and regulations 

    If you hold a temporary residence permit in Denmark, the article in the given residence permit decides if you must pay tuition or not. 

    You must document your residential status by uploading a copy of your residence permit/passport alongside as part of your application for admission.

    Read about tuition fee

Application deadlines

For fee-paying applicants:

September intake

  • 1 February

February intake

  • 1 September

Apply for admission

  • You must apply for admission through the online application portal DANS.

    The portal is open for applications in the following periods:

    Non-fee-paying applicants: 

    • 1 January - 1 March for the September intake
    • 1 July - 15 October for the February intake 

    Fee-paying applicants:

    • January 1 - February 1 for the September intake
    • July 1 - September 1 for the February intake

    Please be aware that not all programmes have a biannual intake.

    Application system DANS
  • When filling out your application, you will be required to upload a number of different documents. The list of documents will depend on the programme you apply for as well as your educational background. 

    Please note that all official documentation relating to your previous education must be verified by the issuing institution, either by means of stamp and signature, or by a certified digital signature.

    Legal claim for admission with a bachelor's from SDU 

    When applying to the specific master's programme for which you have a legal claim for admission, you simply have to collect your student records via the application system. There is no need for further documents. 

    Do you have a bachelor's from another university? Read more here
  • In the Application system DANS you will be able to follow the status of your application.

    The Admission team will go through your application and check all relevant documentation. Once we begin processing your application its status will change from "Received" to "In progress".  If we need further documents, you will receive a message about missing documentation and a deadline for re-submitting.

    Any messages regarding your application will be available under the tab 'Messages'.  

    Go to the application system DANS

  • You will receive the answer to your application no later than June 1o for the September intake and December 10 for the February intake.

    If you are offered a study place in a programme, you must confirm your study place in the application portal no later than June 15 for the September intake and December 15 for the February intake.

    Go to the application portal

Questions about admission? 

Reach out to SDU's Admission Team via phone, e-mail, or by visiting us at SDU Odense Campus. Approaching the application deadline, you may also join our online Q&A's on admission. 

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