Danish state scholarship for studying abroad
The Danish state scholarship arrangement
Through this arrangement students with the right to Danish SU can receive a grant to pay tuation fees abroad. The scholarship called "udlandsstipendiet" is only for students who do not travel abroad via one of AU's exchange agreements, as you never have to pay tuition fees yourself if you go on exchange via AU's agreements.
It is important to be aware that in most cases the scholarship only covers part of the tuition fee, and that you must finance the difference yourself either with your own funds or via the State Educational Loan, which you can read more about below. The scholarship and loan cannot be used for expenses other than the tuition fee.
Below you can read more about the two types of stays abroad for which you can apply for a scholarship. The two types are not mutually exclusive, but overall you can receive a scholarship equivalent to 120 ECTS or two years of study at most.
Please note that it is not possible to apply for this scholarship for an entire bachelor's degree abroad.
Studies abroad that give Credit
If you wish to apply for udlandsstipendiet for studies abroad that give credit you must apply at the SU office at AU. A Credit-bearing stay can be one or more semesters or summer school abroad from 5 to 120 ECTS. Online courses at foreign universities are also eligible for coverage. You can only get the scholarship for an exchange stay if your course will give you full credit transfer for the stay.
Read about how to apply on the SU office's website .
Rates
The scholarship has different rates depending on which courses or education you are going to follow abroad. The rates are determined by the Finance Act and thus vary slightly from year to year.
The scholarship can be divided into smaller portions, however you can recieve the scholarship for a maximum of two years alltogether (equivalent to 120 ECTS).
The scholarship can not be used to cover other expenses than tuition fees at the foreign university. Therefore, the scholarship cannot be used if you study abroad via one of AU's exchange agreements.
If the amount of the scholarship does not cover the full tuition fee you can lend money via the agreement. You will be offered to loan the difference between the amount you recieve via the scholarship and the amount you have to pay for the tuition. The conditions for the loan are the same as for a regular SU-loan.
Entire master's degree abroad
If you want to apply for the scholarship for an entire master's degree abroad, that is not a part of your study at Aarhus University, you have to send your application directly to the Danish Agency for Higher education and Educational Support (Styrelsen for Videregående Uddannelser og Uddannelsesstøtte).
There are multiple things you need to be aware, if you consider taking your entire Master abroad:
- If the Master you wish to take abroad has a duration of one year it is worth considering if it can be a part of a Danish master's degree with a duration of two years as a Credit-giving stay abroad. You can ask your study advisor about this.
- You should thoroughly investigate which job opportunities the foreign master's degree provides in the Danish labor market afterwards. This of course only applies if you subsequently wish to work in Denmark and keep the possibility of working in Denmark open. You can investigate this by contacting Danish companies where you would like to work for example.
- When your studies abroad have endede you can get an assesment of your foreign education by the Danish Agency of Research and Education. Read more about it here.
Read, How to apply for the scholarship for an entire Master abroad.
Application deadlines for credit-giving stays and full master's degree
Applications are processed on an ongoing basis, but please note that you can apply for the scholarship at the earliest 12 months before the start of the planned stay.
- The applicationdeadline for the scholarship is the last day of the stay for which you are applying for support
- Your pre-approval for the stay must be given before the stay starts.
- You must document that your payment for tuition has been received by the foreign university - this needs to be done no later than 6 weeks after the end of your stay.
The mentioned deadlines and rules are indicative and should be considered subject to changes from the SU-office. For further specification of important deadlines in relation to the scholarship, please refer to the page for the SU-office at AU.
