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Specially Planned Youth Education (stu)

A 3-year course for those under 25 with special needs that prevent them from undertaking secondary education

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The Specially Planned Youth Education (stu) is a possibility for you who:

  • are under 25 and have completed primary school. If you choose to take 10th grade, you will only be offered a place on the programme once you have completed 10th grade.
  • cannot complete another upper secondary education – even with special educational support. That may, for example, be people suffering from mental deficiencies, severe mobility impairments, multiple disabilities, autism, ADHD, mental disorders or acquired brain injury. It is not your diagnosis that determines your eligibility, but the fact that you are not able to complete another upper secondary education. There is no limit to how significant your disability can be in order to be offered stu.

Your municipality of residence decides whether you are eligible for stu

The municipality assesses whether you are unable to complete another upper secondary programme and thereby determines whether you can start a stu course.

The specially planned youth education (stu) is a 3-year programme for young people under the age of 25 with special needs. If you are unable to complete another upper secondary education – even with special needs education or other kinds of special educational assistance – stu may be an option for you.

The purpose of stu

The purpose of stu is to help you develop personal, social, and professional skills to enable you to live as independently and actively as possible as an adult.

Your stu programme is planned individually. This means that your municipality designs your programme based on your needs, abilities and goals in collaboration with you and the education provider.

Your programme may include both teaching and practical activities, such as internships. 

Stu can take place at different types of institutions. Your programme does not have to take place at the same institution the entire time. It may also include teaching at other institutions, such as vocational schools, folk high schools, or adult education centres.

Number of lessons per school year

At stu, you get to attend at least 840 hours of school per year, which corresponds to approximately 4-4.5 lessons per day over a 40-week school year.

As a general rule, stu is full-time

Your programme should be arranged so that you can participate full-time as far as possible and experience progress in your development. Therefore, your municipality and stu provider must explore all possibilities for arranging your programme so you can participate full-time before offering fewer lessons.

Your municipality cannot refuse admittance to stu because you cannot attend full-time.

Contact the municipality if you want to be admitted to stu. The municipality will look at:

  • Assessment: the municipality assesses whether you can be admittet to stu. The municipality will base its decision through dialogue with you and may also include statements from schools you have attended.
  • Offer to be admitted to stu: If the municipality assesses that you are eligible, you will be offered to start stu. The municipality decides when admission takes place – this may be ongoing or once or twice a year.
  • Individual plan: When you are approved for stu, the municipality prepares an individual plan (forløbsplan) based on your personal education plan (uddannelsesplan) and dialogue with you. This plan describes the content of your programme. The plan will be continuously updated during your programme.

As a general rule, the municipality must give you the opportunity to choose between several different education providers that match your needs, abilities, and wishes. However, if your needs are very specific, the municipality may only be able to offer you one suitable provider.

You can also suggest a specific education provider yourself. The municipality must offer you this provider if it matches your needs and is not significantly more expensive than the municipality’s offer.

Your municipality decides whether you can visit one or more providers before choosing.

Your municipality is responsible for your stu offer, regardless of where it takes place. Therefore, you must contact your municipality if you have questions about your stu programme.

There is no specific financial support linked to stu, but you can receive other benefits.

Stu students typically receive social assistance (in Danish: kontanthjælp), unless they have been granted a disability pension.

If you are unsure which benefits you are entitled to, you should contact your municipal advisor.

Generally, there are no exams in stu, because there are no requirements for specific competencies you must achieve during the programme.

However, your stu programme may include elements at other institutions, such as general adult education (avu), higher preparatory single subject course, or vocational training programmes (AMU), where exams may occur.

As an stu student, you cannot take the Leaving Examination of lower secondary school (Folkeskolens afgangsprøve). However, in some cases it is possible to take avu exams at a level equivalent to the Leaving Examination of lower secondary school.

The municipality makes you a resource profile

As you approach the end of your stu programme, the municipality will prepare the next steps with you. They will make you a resource profile (ressourcepapir), and you will participate in a final meeting with the municipality.

The municipality begins preparing your resource profile at least 12 months before you finish stu. The profile describes your strengths and support needs in relation to your future goals. You and the professionals who know you will be involved. Based on the resource profile, your personal education plan may be updated.

At least 3 months before you finish, the municipality will meet with you to discuss your situation after the programme, such as further education, work, leisure activities or social services.

You receive a certificate

When you finish stu, you will receive a certificate describing your programme, the goals and competencies you have achieved, along with a personal statement. 

If you leave the programme earlier than planned, you will receive a certificate for the parts you have completed.

If you were previously rejected, you can apply again.

When you reapply, the municipality will reassess your situation to see if your circumstances have changed and you are now unable to complete another upper secondary education.

There are no limits to how many times you can be assessed for stu eligibility.

You may pause your stu with the approval of your municipality.

You can later request to resume the programme. However, the programme must be completed no later than 5 years after you started.

The municipality may reassess your eligibility when you request to resume.

When you are offered stu, the municipality will also assess whether if you need support for transportation between your home and stu.

  • If you need support: The municipality must provide transport between your home and stu.
  • If you do not need support: You must arrange your own transport. However, the municipality provides an allowance for travelling expenses if the round trip is 22 km or more.

More information

If you want to appeal a decision made by the municipality, contact the Board of Appeal for Special Needs Education (Klagenævnet for Specialundervisning), which handles complaints about certain municipal decisions regarding stu. The municipality must provide guidance on how to file a complaint.

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Written by the Ministry of Education

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