Non-EU/EEA citizens

Application fee

You are exempt from paying the application fee if you are an EU citizen, an EEA citizen or a Swiss citizen.

If you are a non-EU citizen, you are also exempt from this fee if you hold one of the residence permits listed below or if you have a bachelor degree issued by a Danish institution (including both those who have graduated and those who will graduate).

If you are not exempt from paying, and you do not pay the Application Fee, CBS will not process your application in the application round.

The application fee costs 100 Euro (750 DKK) per applicant and per admission round and must be paid by the application deadline. You only need to pay one application fee per round, regardless of the number of priorities in your application.

Residence permits that exempt you from the application fee:

If you have one of the following residence permits, you have the same rights as a Danish citizen and are therefore not to pay the application fee:

• "Permanent opholdstilladelse" - permanent residence permit in Denmark
• "Opholdstilladelse med mulighed for varigt ophold" - residence permit with a view to permanent residence in Denmark
• "EU-opholdsbekendtgørelsen" - residence permit in Denmark according to the EU/EEA regulations

CBS Admissions will make a decision based on your actual residence permit. The residence permit must be valid (if your current residence permit has expired, please also upload the receipt for your extension application).

Residence permits from other Nordic countries
Permanent residence in another Nordic country (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands) may also grant you an exemption. Please note that CBS Admissions will make a decision based on your actual residence permit.

Non-Nordic EU/EEA residence permits
If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen with permanent residence in another EU/EEA country, you are not exempt from paying the application fee or the tuition fees.

Refugees
If you have a refugee residence permit, you may be exempt from paying the application and tuition fees.

Please contact CBS Admissions if you are unsure whether your residence permit exempts you from paying fees.

If you have one of the above residence permits, it is very important that you upload documentation for it when you apply at the "Personal details" step in the Application Portal.
If you are in the process of applying for EU/EEA citizenship, but you have not yet received your passport, you must pay the application fee.

If you are in the process of applying for one of the above residence permits, but you have not yet obtained one, you must pay the application fee.

Pay the application fee in the CBS Admissions payment page
You pay the application fee online here.

Once you have received the receipt confirming payment of your application fee, please upload it to your first priority in the Application Portal.

The reimbursement process
CBS reimburses anyone who pays the application fee by mistake, or who is accepted and still enrolled in their study programme as an active student one month after study start (1 October, or 1 March for the winter Digital Business round).

Applicants who paid the Application Fee by mistake, will receive a reimbursement during the autumn for the winter round or spring for the summer round.

Applicants who are accepted and still enrolled as an active student by 1 March (for the winter round) or 1 October (for the summer round), will receive a reimbursement during the spring or autumn respectively.

NB: Your bank/credit card may retain a service fee when processing the reimbursement.

Tuition fee

You are exempt from paying the tuition fees if you are an EU citizen, an EEA citizen or a Swiss citizen.

If you are a non-EU citizen, you are also exempt from this fee, if you hold one of the residence permits listed below.

The tuition fee for students enrolling in any full-time, two-year graduate programme is EURO 8,000 per semester (16,000 per year) or 60,000 DKK per semester (DKK 120,000 per year).

You may also apply for a scholarship to obtain a tuition fee exemption (as well as a monthly grant), read more about scholarships below.

Special rules concerning tuition fees apply to the MSocSc in Public Management and Social Development, please see Admission – MSocSc in Public Management and Social Development.

 

Residence permits that exempt you from paying tuition fees:

You may be exempt from paying tuition fees if you have one of the following types of residence permits in Denmark:

• "Permanent opholdstilladelse" - permanent residence permit in Denmark
• "Opholdstilladelse med mulighed for varigt ophold" - residence permit with a view to permanent residence in Denmark
• "EU-opholdsbekendtgørelsen" - residence permit in Denmark according to the EU/EEA regulations
• “Opholdstilladelse som medfølgende barn” – residence in Denmark as an accompanying child (the documentation must state that you are "medfølgende barn" - the text "medfølgende familie" is not sufficient.

Residence permits from other Nordic countries
You may also be exempt from paying tuition fees if you have permanent residence in another Nordic country (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands) and you will continue to live in the relevant country during your studies; please note that CBS Admissions will make a decision based on your actual residence permit.

Non-Nordic EU/EEA residence permits
If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen with permanent residence in another EU/EEA country, you are not exempt from paying the application fee or the tuition fees.

Refugees
If you have a refugee residence permit, you may be exempt from paying the application and tuition fees. Please contact the Admissions Office for further details.

Current student residence permit
Having a student residence permit (whether at another institution, or at CBS under a different programme) does not under any circumstances exempt you from paying the tuition fee. Contact CBS Admissions if you are unsure whether your residence permit exempts you or not.

If you have one of the residence permits listed that exempt you from paying, it is very important that you upload documentation for it when you apply at the "Personal details" step in the Application Portal.

Make sure to upload the following documents:

• Certified copy of your residence permit letter from the Immigration Services
  AND
• Certified copy of your residence permit card
  PLUS (if applicable)
• Certified copy of the page in your passport giving you residence permit

Based on the documentation you upload, CBS Admissions will grant (or deny) you an exemption.

If you are in the process of applying for one of the above residence permits, but you have not received it yet, you must also upload documentation from the immigration authorities confirming this.

If you are in the process of applying for EU/EEA citizenship, but you have not yet received your passport, you must upload documentation confirming this.

Depending on the situation, CBS Admissions may extend the deadline for paying the tuition fees or receiving a copy of your residence permit or EU/EEA passport.

Please note that you may still be required to pay the application fee.

Terms and conditions:

If you are offered a study place at CBS, you will receive an invoice with details about how to pay the first semester tuition fee via your application in the Application Portal. You will need to pay the first semester of tuition fees by 1 June if you have applied in Group 2 and need at student residence permit to study in Denmark.

You must pay the coming tuition fees before the semester starts. It is not possible to split the payment into several instalments. CBS will invoice you twice a year. The two deadlines for paying for each semester are:

• 15 January
• 15 August

You only need to pay for maximum four semesters. If you, against expectation, do not complete your degree within the prescribed four semesters, you will not need to pay a fifth semester of tuition fees.

Reimbursement:

Tuition fees are only reimbursed in the following cases:

• If you are conditionally accepted but do not fulfil the conditional requirements stated in your answer letter.
• If you have paid for the coming semester, but withdraw from the programme before the semester starts (official withdrawal date must be latest 31 August or 31 January).
• If you subsequently obtain a residence permit or citizenship exempting you from paying the tuition fee. The validity date of the permit, or citizenship, must be before the semester start (the official validity date must be latest 31 August or 31 January).

NB: Your bank may retain a service fee when processing the reimbursement.

 

Student loan and external scholarship agreements from outside the EU

It is important to be aware of the following if you are planning to fund your studies using a loan or a scholarship from your home country:

• Loans, external scholarships and the ST1 (student residence permit)
  Look carefully into the timing of the loan or scholarship offered. If you are using part of the loan or scholarship to pay tuition fees, make sure that you will receive the money and can pay the fees before the tuition fee deadline (the first deadline is usually a month after you have received your acceptance letter). We are not able to start the application process for a student residence permit with the immigration authorities until we have received the tuition fees for your first semester at CBS.
   
• Loan agreements between external organisations and CBS
  CBS is a big institution with a few different bodies offering study programmes that are independent of one another within CBS. If the loan company you are considering states that they have an agreement with CBS, it is important to look into where this agreement is. For example, the Sallie Mae loans from the US have an agreement with the MBA programmes at CBS. The MBA programmes are administered separately and in a different way from the full-degree bachelor and graduate programmes at CBS. We are therefore not able to accept certain loans (such as Sallie Mae) for the bachelor and graduate programmes at CBS.
   
• US Federal Loans
  We are able to accept US Federal Loans at the bachelor and graduate programmes at CBS. These loans are administered in an office separate to CBS Admissions. They are only paid out twice a year after semester start (i.e. not before 1 September or 1 February). If you use the US Federal Loan to fund your studies, you may need to find an alternative way to pay your initial tuition fees, so that you can pay by the deadline and we can start the application process for a student residence permit.

Scholarship

CBS receives a limited number of government scholarships each year to fund highly qualified full-degree students from non-EU/EEA countries.
CBS welcomes applications from master's programme applicants of all genders, ages, nationalities and religions, who come from countries outside of EU/EEA and need a student residence permit to study at CBS. This scholarship is based on your academic backgrounds and your reasons for choosing the programme, not your financial needs.

What is included in the scholarship?
Each scholarship includes a tuition fee waiver and a monthly stipend of DKK 7,000 (DKK 8,000 for students enrolled 1 September 2024) to assist with living costs in Denmark. The grant is paid out in advance every month and has a maximum duration of 22 months, starting 1 September the year you are accepted (1 February if you are accepted in the Winter application round). The grant is taxable in Denmark according to the rules and regulations governing income from grants and tax exemption for developing countries.

CBS offers approx. 25 scholarships per year.

Who is eligible to apply for the scholarship?
You may be considered for a CBS scholarship if you:

• are a non-EU/non-EEA/non-Swiss citizen
• need a student residence permit to study at CBS
• pay the application fee (unless you have a bachelor degree from a Danish educational institution) by 15 January, 23:59 CET
• apply online via the Application Portal by 15 January, 23:59 CET
• upload documentation and a personal statement by 15 January, 23:59 CET

You may not receive a scholarship if you are eligible for SU (Danish State Educational Grant) or any other type of public support in Denmark.

What is the procedure when applying for the scholarship?
If you wish to be considered for a scholarship, you must apply for admission no later than 15 January, 23:59 CET, via the Application Portal.

When applying, you must indicate that you wish to be considered for the CBS scholarship in the Application Portal and upload a personal statement. A selection committee will assess the scholarship applications and in some cases decide to interview an applicant. The committee will make the final decision as to who is offered a scholarship.

Applicants offered a CBS scholarship will be notified by 15 March at the latest via the Application Portal. Applicants who are not offered a CBS scholarship, but are accepted to a CBS programme, will receive an invoice for the first tuition fee payment.

How does the selection process work for the scholarship? 
The scholarship is aimed at highly qualified students. The scholarship is not given based on financial needs. Your academic record and your English proficiency will be assessed together with your personal statement.

The personal statement must be personal and specific, and it must prove you are well-informed and have put a lot of thought into your choice of education. It should explain your purpose and reasons for choosing CBS and a particular programme, and it must give an impression of who you are as a person and as a potential CBS student. Your academic performance is a very important factor, however, your life and work experience will also be considered in the selection process for the scholarship. You may describe how your academic accomplishments, your internships, work experience or extra-curricular activities have affected you and your choice of programme, as well as how the programme relates to your future aspirations.

Please use a maximum of 2 pages for your personal statement.

If you apply for a programme where the selection process includes a personal statement, the scholarship personal statement will count for both purposes.

Terms and conditions
If you've been granted a scholarship, you must be an active student at the respective programme/concentration throughout the prescribed duration of your studies at CBS. You are considered an active student when you are no more than 6 months (30 ECTS-points) delayed in your studies. Your status will be checked in the beginning of each semester. If you do not meet the requirement for study activity, you risk losing your grant and will be asked to pay tuition fees.

The scholarship is granted for a specific master's programme and concentration. To keep receiving the scholarship, you must remain enrolled in the same programme/concentration. We strongly encourage you to make sure the programme you wish to enrol in is the right choice for you, in terms of content, future career opportunities, etc.

If you, against expectations, do not complete the programme within the prescribed period of study, you will not be required to pay any tuition fees. However, you cannot receive a grant extension (an exemption can only be given in extraordinary circumstances, such as severe illness). Keep in mind that to study in Denmark you must have a valid student residence permit, which is only granted for a limited period of time. You will lose your scholarship if you change from a student residence permit to another type of residence permit.

The scholarship grant is paid out in advance on the last banking day of the month (except for the first payment). Make sure to bring sufficient funds to cover your expenses in Denmark for the first few months, as the process of registering with the various local authorities in order to start receiving the grant can be lengthy.

Student residence permit application

If you are not a citizen of a EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you must hold a residence permit in order to reside and study in Denmark. You can apply for a student residence permit if you are offered a study place at CBS at a full-time programme.

CBS Admissions will start the student residence permit (ST1) application process when you have paid the first semester tuition fee or accepted a scholarship offer.

The ST1 application can be initiated if you are conditionally accepted on condition that you pass courses at summer university, or on condition that you finish your bachelor degree by study start. However, you should be aware that your student residence permit application will be considered incomplete until you are fully accepted to CBS.

The student residence permit application is online, via NewToDenmark.dk. We fill in our part of the ST1 application form, confirming that you will be a student at CBS, and then send you, via the Application Portal, the details you need to access the form online. You are then to fill in your part of the application according to the instructions given and submit it online. You must then, within 14 days, show up in person at the nearest Danish representation to have your biometric features recorded.

The application is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). SIRI will require you pay a fee as part of submitting the application; in some cases the Danish representation may also require you to pay a local fee. When the necessary fees have been paid, all documentation and information is available, and you are fully accepted to CBS, the agency will begin processing your application for a student residence permit. The processing time is up to eight weeks.

CBS receives a copy of the student residence permit letter directly from SIRI.

The student residence permit is normally given with a validity date from 1 August; the permit is usually, if certain conditions are fulfilled, given for the prescribed duration of your studies plus a 3-year residence permit to look for employment in Denmark.

It is a condition for the residence permit that you are active and enrolled in the study programme for which the permit is given. If this is not the case, the agency can revoke your residence permit. CBS Admissions is obliged to inform the agency if you are not actively following the study programme.

Conditional acceptance 

CBS will start the student residence permit (ST1) application process once you have paid your tuition fees (or accepted a study place with a scholarship) even if you are conditionally accepted to the respective programme. The immigration authorities (SIRI) will process your application in the usual, however, they are not able to finalise and complete your ST1 application until you are fully accepted. For some applicants, this could result in very tight timing between receiving your student residence permit and study start. It is therefore very important that you upload your documents showing that you fulfil the conditions of your acceptance as soon as you are able to.

Welcome to CBS!

Join the Global welcome event

If your travel plans permit, we advise that you join us for our Global welcome event. This event is a reception that is usually towards the end of the August and offers the opportunity to ask practical questions concerning your arrival. Usually the reception is held in person, which also gives you the opportunity to meet other Global students and mingle.

Read the Study Start pages for lots of useful information and links

The Graduate Study Start pages offer a wealth of information for all incoming students to the graduate programmes. These pages are designed for everyone, Danes as well as internationals, so be aware that not all the information available will be relevant to you as a Global student.