Aarhus University (AU), founded in 1928, is Denmark’s second-largest university, based in the city of Aarhus on the east coast of Jutland, with a campus in Herning too. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it rose to 128th in the world and was the third-highest-ranked university in Denmark. It’s known for the natural sciences, agriculture and food science, health, business and the humanities.
AU offers several bachelor’s programmes taught in English, but it has strict rules for applicants who must pay tuition fees. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on Aarhus University’s own guidance and official Danish government information.
1. Choose an English-taught bachelor’s programme
Most AU bachelor’s programmes are taught in Danish, but several are taught in English, including Cognitive Science, Computer Science, IT Product Development, and Economics and Business Administration (in Aarhus or Herning). AU’s bachelor’s guide lets you filter programmes by language, and many more master’s programmes are taught in English.
2. Apply through optagelse.dk by 15 March
You apply for bachelor’s programmes at Aarhus University, and at other Danish universities, through the national admissions portal, optagelse.dk, which opens on 1 February. You can apply for up to eight programmes in total, and the deadline for applicants with international qualifications is 15 March at 12 noon (Central European Time). Late applications aren’t accepted, and if you don’t have a Danish personal number, you also need to send a signed signature page by the same deadline.
3. Finish school before you apply if you’ll pay fees
If you’re from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland and will pay tuition fees, AU can only assess your application if you’ve completed your qualifying school exam before 15 March in the year you apply. You must upload your final diploma and transcripts by that date, so students graduating in the same year usually can’t apply until the following year. AU: tuition fees and application fee.
4. Pay the €150 application fee by 15 March
Fee-paying applicants must pay an application fee of €150 (DKK 1,125) by 15 March, or their applications won’t be assessed and can’t receive an offer. The fee is paid once per applicant, not per programme.
5. Meet the general and specific requirements
You need a qualifying school exam recognised as equivalent to the Danish upper secondary exam, plus the specific subject requirements for your programme, such as mathematics at a certain level for Computer Science or Economics and Business Administration. Check your programme’s page for the subjects and levels you need.
6. Prove your English
If your qualifications aren’t from a Scandinavian country, you must pass an accepted English test, or show an accepted qualification such as the IB Diploma, to apply for an English-taught bachelor’s programme. Practise with our free IELTS and TOEFL practice tests.
7. Understand the fees
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens don’t pay tuition fees. For other students, AU’s 2026-27 bachelor’s fees are €13,000 a year for programmes in the arts and in business and social sciences, including Cognitive Science and Economics and Business Administration, and €17,300 a year for science, technology and health programmes, including Computer Science. AU doesn’t offer scholarships for any bachelor’s programme.
8. Look for housing early
Aarhus is a lively student city, but rooms are in demand at the start of the academic year. Start looking for accommodation as soon as you’re admitted, and budget for living costs on top of your tuition.
9. Apply for your residence permit
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens don’t need a permit to study in Denmark, but they must register for an EU residence document if they stay more than three months. Other students apply to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) for a residence permit once Aarhus University has admitted them, paying a processing fee and creating a case order ID first. You must show that you can support yourself with DKK 7,426 a month (2026 level), up to a maximum of DKK 89,112 if you’ll study for more than a year, and paying your first semester’s tuition counts as part of your documentation. From 1 October 2026, students on state-approved programmes can no longer bring a spouse, partner or children as accompanying family members. New to Denmark: higher education.
10. Plan for work during and after your studies
As a student on a state-approved programme, you get a limited work permit: up to 90 hours a month from September to May, and full time in June, July and August. When you complete your degree, you’re normally entitled to a job-seeking permit with the same work rights. If you applied for your residence permit on or after 1 October 2026, this is generally 6 months or 1 year (it was previously up to 3 years). If you get a job offer, you can apply for a new residence and work permit based on the job.
Applying for a master’s or PhD at Aarhus?
AU offers many master’s programmes taught in English, each with its own academic requirements and deadlines, and fee-paying applicants have earlier deadlines than EU/EEA applicants. PhD positions in Denmark are usually paid and advertised by each graduate school. See our 50 sample SOPs and free GRE practice tests.
Be ambitious, but apply to a balanced list
Apply to more than one university to give yourself options. Read our guides to the University of Copenhagen, DTU, the University of Southern Denmark and Aalborg University. Our guide to studying in Denmark explains how the Danish system works, and our free study abroad assessment can help you build a shortlist.
Information was taken from Aarhus University’s official admissions and fee pages, Danish government sources and the QS World University Rankings 2027, and checked in October 2026. Admissions rules, deadlines, fees and immigration rules can change, so always confirm the details on AU’s admissions website before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with Aarhus University.