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Exemptees

Graudate Admission Group B

What is a dispensee?
Admission at higher education in Denmark is governed by rules and regulations set out by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation: "Adgangsbekendtgørelsen" (see Legal). According to §8 in this document, ”Admission at a graduate programme requires a relevant bachelor education (…), or another relevant Danish or foreign education at the same level”.
This is the general entry requirement for graduate programmes and it refers to the applicant’s educational background. In addition to the general requirement, there are also specific entry requirements, which refer to the applicant’s special qualifications within certain subject areas, and which all applicants must fulfil. Applicants who do not fulfil the general entry requirements must apply as dispensees.
Who must apply as a dispensee?
You are to apply as a dispensee, if you have:
* a non-academic bachelor degree
and/or
* a bachelor degree not within the social sciences (this requirement does not apply to the following programmes: cand.ling.merc., cand.merc.(it) and cand.merc.(kom.))
Applicants without an academic bachelor degree:
Not all bachelor degrees are academic, see Bachelorgrad. An academic degree entails that you have received research-based teaching at university level. A bachelor degree from a Danish university, for example, fulfils this requirement by definition, whereas a professional bachelor degree or a bachelor degree from a university college or a university of applied sciences does not fulfil this requirement.
Having a non-academic bachelor degree is not in itself a reason for rejection; however, we must ensure that you have the skills to be enrolled in an academic graduate programme. This is done to secure a high academic quality for our programmes and to make sure that the students we admit are able to follow the courses.
We also undertake a careful assessment of your educational background to see if you fulfil the specific entry requirements at a level we find is satisfactory. This evaluation is always personalized, but, in general, you should expect to be required to supplement your education with at least 30 ECTS-points within the specific entry requirements - this may be considerably more or less depending on your exact background. Note that you may have an Appraisal of your educational background to find out what you are missing.
Applicants without a bachelor degree within the social sciences:
If you are applying for a programme that requires an academic bachelor degree within the social sciences and you do not satisfy this requirement, you must apply also as a dispensee. Please see a list of all Danish bachelor degrees within the social sciences under Entry requirements: Bachelor degree - if you do not hold a Danish degree, your international degree will be compared to the equivalent Danish degree
What do we take into consideration when assessing you?
  • The contents of the courses within the specific entry requirements
  • Number of ECTS points within the specific entry requirements
  • Your motivational essay
  • Documented interest for and experience in the social sciences (if this is a requirement)
  • The academic content of your bachelor degree
  • To some extent grades
  • To some extent life and work experience.
Motivational essay:
A motivational essay must be personal and specific, and it must prove that you are well informed and that you have put a lot of thought into your choice of education. It should also explain the purpose and the motivation of you choosing this particular education. You should answer questions such as: What can you bring to the table? Why should we consider your application, even if you are not qualified to study at the programme? How can you compensate for the fact that you do not have an academic background within the social sciences? Your educational background is the most important factor in our assessment, however, your life and work experience might also be considered, if they are relevant with regard to the chosen programme. Your motivational essay must not exceed two A4 pages.
NB: a dispensation is only given for one concentration/programme in a specific year.

Last updated by CBS Admission Office 14/06/2011