SU in Denmark - Getting Paid to Study
In Denmark, not only is university education completely free - like, real free - but also, as a student, you even get PAID to study.
This is incredible when comparing to the rest of the world: while in places like the US or UK you get into debt to study, and graduate well under-water, in Denmark you end university with a healthy and strong bank account — (well, depending on how much you spend partying, but that’s another story!).
In this video, I’ll tell you what exactly (and how much) the student grant is, who can apply and how you can get it.
What Is The Student Grant
SU (Statens Uddannelsesstøtte) is a state educational grant that is given to all full-time students here in Denmark.
In 2022, the SU is DKK 6.397 per month, before taxes. That’s roughly 860 EUR.
Depending on your tax bracket (which will depend on your work, etc.) you’ll get between 3.600 and 5.600 kr in hand.
That’s good money if you’re a student!
The idea is that by receiving this financial aid, students can focus more on their studies, rather than on making money. This will also relieve their parents, so they don’t have to spend too much money from their own pockets. Perfect!
How to Get SU
If you’re a Danish citizen, you’re good to go. There are almost no hassles.
If you’re an EU/EEA Citizen, it’s slightly more complicated - but still straightforward:
- You’re working in Denmark, at least 10-12 hours a week. The work needs to be on a Danish Contract i.e. you pay taxes in Denmark. You can’t freelance for a company in Germany or Italy unless they make a Danish contract for you.
- OR - You have LIVED in Denmark for five years. This means that you can get SU without fulfilling the minimum working hours requirement.
If you’re NOT from the EU, you’re more complicated. You’ll have to have lived in Denmark for over five years or have been working over 30 hours a week for more than two years.
That non Danes can get this is CRAZY. LOOK - Up to 2013, SU was only available to the Danish students or students that have worked continuously in Denmark for a minimum of 2 years. Now it’s a lot of people getting it.
It’s not that the Danish government decided to be generous - the were obliged by the EU Court of Justice to extend the SU this way. Now this is costing the Danish state so much money that they’re scrapping A LOT of English programs in the universities to lower the number of foreigners and thus the SU costs.
Applying for SU
First, you need to apply on SU.dk. To do that, you need your NEM/MitID, CPR and work contract.
Here, you click on the Log på MinSu button, enter your NEM/MITid details and you’re good to starting out the process:
HERE SHOW THE website SU.DK
- You’ll need to fill out a “Equal Status” document - which is available in English as well
- Then, upload your work contract - It is not necessary to have a work contract that states the exact number of hours. If that’s your case, provide your last three payslips: the SU office then can check them out and deduct the hours from there.
- Once you are approved for SU, all you need to do it to make sure you have all the working hours you need.
- The SU office will normally check the average salary and hours of every 3 month period and make sure you meet all the requirements, but in some cases, they check every month as well.
- If you don’t fulfill the requirements, you will have to pay back the entire amount of SU you get during the offending time period.
- Then, you click submit and your case is gone for processing. It’s really that simple.
Some Important Points
- The SU office can get back to you in one to three months, but if you are lucky, you will hear from them earlier.
- If you’ve your own business, you can apply for SU as well - but it needs to be a legit business: CVR, expenses documented by accountant, profitable, customer invoices, etc.
- It is possible to maintain your status as an EU worker even if you become involuntarily unemployed, but you have to fulfil certain conditions. To start, You have to have worked 10-12 hours/week for 10 weeks before you become unemployed.
… and that’s that. If you can get SU, it’s a big deal financially. I only got it at the tail end of my studies, because the rules only kicked in then. So, lucky you!
