The purpose of SU is to enable all Danish residents to educate themselves on equal terms, no matter what kind of financial background they have. The SU is a great supplement to a student job, enabling students to focus on their education rather than working long hours to support themselves.
What is SU?
SU is a monthly grant provided to students by the Danish government. The grant can be supplemented by a student loan also provided by the Danish government. Unlike the grant, the loan of course has to be paid back with interest after you graduate.
You have to pay taxes of both your SU grant and loan. For 2023, the SU grant is 6,589 DKK before taxes per month. Once you have been approved for SU, the grant will be paid to your NemKonto every month. Taxes are automatically deducted from your payments – see more about taxes and SU here.
You are allowed to work and earn up to a certain amount and still get your SU – in fact EU citizens are required to work in Denmark if they receive SU, see more below under Who can apply. If you earn any more than this amount, you will be asked to pay back your SU. Find the rules about employment and SU here.
Who can apply?
SU and SU loans are available to all Danish citizens enrolled and active at an institution of higher education in Denmark. International students can apply to be granted equal status either under EU law or Danish law, which means that it is possible to receive SU if you fulfil a number of requirements.
- Danish law: you can apply for equal status under Danish law if you: Came to Denmark with your parents, are married to a Danish resident, have worked in Denmark, have resided in Denmark for at least 5 years – see the specifics at the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science’s website about SU
- EU law: If you are a citizen of an EU Member State, an EEA country (Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway) or Switzerland, you can apply for equal status if you have resided in Denmark for more than 5 years or have work in Denmark (at least 10-12 hours per week) – find more about the specific rules here.
Applying for SU
You apply for SU for a study programme in Denmark online at minSU (mySU). To do so, you need a MitID (MyID), a digital logon, which is provided to you when you get your residence permit/CPR number [link]. You fill in the necessary information and upload documentation, e.g. admission papers from your Danish educational institution, residence permit and documentation of employment.
The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science have made a complete guide for applying for SU as a foreign citizen. Find the guide here!
You can apply for SU one month before your start your studies at the earliest.
If you are a new student at VIA, you may contact our SU counsellors for with your SU-related questions – find contact information on our page for new students under “SU (State Educational Grant)".