SU – State Educational Grant

As a foreign citizen you need to apply for SU and apply for equal status in order to receive SU

Read more and self-services

SU, State Educational Grant, is an economic aid to cover living expenses for students at youth and higher educations in Denmark.

As a starting point, you have to be a Danish citizen in order to receive SU. If you are a foreign citizen, you have to fulfil some specific requirements in order to obtain equal status with Danish citizens. You can apply for equal status based on two set of rules. You can apply for equal status under the Danish rules or under the EU law. It is important that you acquaint yourself thoroughly with the rules, before you apply for equal status.

Besides fulfilling the requirements for equal status, you also need to fulfill general requirements in order to receive SU:

  • You have to be accepted to a youth education or a higher education in Denmark, which has been approved for SU.
  • You have to have turned 18 years of age, if you wish to receive SU for a youth education.
  • You must not receive any other public benefits for covering living expenses.

In order to apply for and receive SU it is a condition that you:

  • are in possession of MitID (for you to apply for SU)
  • have a NemKonto (for us to pay out your SU on)
  • have access to Digital Post (for you to read decisions and messages from The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science)

Read more about SU as a foreign citizen.

When you want to apply for equal status in order to receive SU for an education in Denmark, you have to log in to our self-service system minSU with your MitID.

In minSU you have to fill out two separate applications:

  • an application for SU
  • an application for equal status with Danish citizens

You can apply for SU, when you have been accepted to a Danish education, which has been approved for SU, and when you have received MitID.

Deadlines for SU application

You can apply for SU three months before you wish to receive SU at the earliest. However, if you wish to receive SU from January, you will be able to apply from the 1 December the year before at the earliest, when the application for the upcoming year is available in minSU.

The closing date for making a SU application in a year is the 5 December. If you apply after the 5th of December, you can only apply to receive SU from January the following year at the earliest.

You can receive SU from the month in which you make your application at the earliest. You cannot apply for SU retroactively.

If your education starts after the 20th in a month, you can receive SU from the following month at the earliest.

Deadlines for equal status application

You can apply for equal status three weeks after making your SU application in minSU at the latest. You have to attach documentation, which appear from the application for equal status. If you apply later, we will consider the application for SU as received from the date, you apply for equal status.

If you obtain equal status with Danish citizens, there are additional factors, which determines how much you will receive in SU.

SU rates depend on:

  • Whether you attend a youth education or a higher education
  • How old you are, if you attend a youth education
  • Whether or not you are living with one or both of your parents

If you have any questions regarding your SU, you have to contact the SU counselor at your educational institution.

If you have any questions regarding your equal status with Danish citizens, you have to contact the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science:

  • Choose the tab 'Show my email in folders'.
  • Choose 'Write new email'.
  • In the field 'To', click on 'Select recipient'.
  • Under 'Or find via category', choose 'Public authorities/State' in the drop down-menu and click on the magnifier.
  • Click on the arrow > by 'Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen'.
  • Click on the arrow > by 'Statens Uddannelsesstøtte (SU)'.
  • Choose the relevant subtopic in the menu which opens underneath: If you are a foreign citizen, choose 'Foreign citizens SU'. If your enquiry regards studies in Denmark, choose 'SU (Statens Uddannelsesstøtte)'. If it regards studies abroad, choose 'SU i udlandet'.
  • Specify what your enquiry relates to in the drop down-menu that appears.
  • If the nature of your enquiry requires you to upload any documents, click on the paper clip icon.
  • Fill in 'Social Security number' and 'Name'.
  • When you have drawn up your email, click 'Send'.

It is possible to upload up to 4 MB per email.

If you are dissatisfied with a ruling, you can complain.

It is your Danish place of study that makes the decision on whether or not you are eligible for SU.

It is The Agency for Higher Education and Science that makes the decision on whether or not you can obtain equal status with Danish citizens.

Written by Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science

Last updated: 04 January 2024

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