Roskilde University for international applicants: Bachelor entry in 2027

You apply to a Roskilde University (RUC) Bachelor once a year through optagelse.dk, and the page says the window is 1 February to 15 March, 12 noon CET; the English-taught Bachelors are three programmes with 13 subjects, and the bar for a guaranteed place in the 2026 intake ran from a GPA of 2.0 to 9.0 on the Danish scale.

Everything below comes from RUC's own admission pages as currently published. Where a page states a year (2026), that year is shown; where a page does not name the 2027 intake, it is described as the rule the page currently states. Readers applying from abroad for entry in autumn 2027 should expect the same structure, and check the page again after the 2027 pages replace the current ones.

Researchers of the Media Research Oresund project at Roskilde University

Five facts for an applicant from abroad

• Route: one joint application system for RUC and the other Danish higher education institutions, optagelse.dk.
• Deadline: 15 March, 12 noon (CET) for international entry qualifications, including the IB.
• Selection: quota 1 uses your grade point average; quota 2 assesses further criteria, and most non-EU applicants are assessed in quota 2 because the GPA cannot be converted.
• Language: RUC does not accept English tests for English at Danish B-level, so there is no IELTS or TOEFL route into the programmes.
• Cost: no application or tuition fees for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens; non-EU/EEA citizens pay 200 EUR to apply and 5,000 Euro per semester or more in tuition.

Which Bachelors are taught in English

The short introduction lists 4 Bachelors in Danish and 3 in English. The Danish-taught ones are covered in the chapter on Danish.

What the pages do not say

RUC does not publish an admit rate, and the Bachelor pages name no admission test and no interview. What they do publish is a set of rules: guaranteed admission if you meet all requirements and hold the required Danish GPA, and a second route through quota 2 for everyone else. For 2027 entry the safest reading is that the structure holds and the figures are updated, so keep the date of your last check next to every number you plan around.

The newest ranking items on RUC's own pages are old: the university reports a place of number 97 in the Times Higher Education Young Universities ranking in 2018 and a band of 401-500 among 1,100 universities in the World University Rankings of 2017.

RUC is a young, mission-driven university, and its pages explain the reputation through how it teaches rather than through current league-table positions. Treat the ranking figures as history, not as a current standing.

What the reputation rests on

RUC says it was established to challenge academic traditions and experiment with new ways to create and acquire knowledge, and every programme is built around problem-oriented project learning. It belongs to the European Reform University Alliance with four other European universities and is a member of the Critical Edge Alliance.

RUC in numbers

The about page lists 7.942 students, 945 employees (full-time equivalent) and 965 million DKK in annual turnover. The current Getting Started guide for new international students gives around 7600 students enrolled, one in four of them international and approximately 500 new international students from over 50 countries that year. The 2025 short introduction rounds to 6,900 students; the figures differ by publication date, so quote the one with its source.

RUC publishes no admit rate; what it publishes is the GPA that guarantees a place, and for the 2026 intake it was 8.5 for Global Humanities, 9.0 for Social Sciences and 2.0 for Natural Sciences.

The GPA below is a guarantee threshold, not the level of the students actually admitted. Applicants under it are still considered in quota 2 where the programme uses it. The page states the figures apply to the 2026 intake; the 2027 figures will be published later.

Why a non-EU qualification gets no guarantee

If your qualification is from outside the EU/EEA, your grades cannot be converted directly, so you cannot be offered guaranteed admission. For EU/EEA upper secondary exams the grades are usually convertible to the Danish grading scale.

The Danish-taught Bachelors, for comparison

In 2026 the guarantee was 8,0 for Humanistisk Bachelor, 7,5 for Samfundsvidenskabelig Bachelor and 9,0 for the journalism variants.

Applicant numbers RUC mentions

The only applicant counts are in a March 2025 news item: 1,252 first-priority applications via quota 2, a 10 percent increase, out of 56,675 applicants to Danish higher education before 15 March. These are quota 2 applications to RUC as a whole, not an admit rate.

Vacant places

RUC announces vacant places on 28 July. In July 2026 no international bachelor programme had vacant places, and non-EU/EEA citizens who need a study residence permit cannot apply for them.

RUC fills places in two ways: quota 1 by the GPA of your upper secondary education and quota 2 by further criteria, and a quota 2 application is also assessed in quota 1 automatically.

If your GPA reaches the guarantee level and you meet every requirement, you are admitted in quota 1. If not, quota 2 lets RUC judge a motivational letter and your experience, while all admission requirements still apply.

Where quota 2 applies

The page says in 2026 quota 2 criteria are relevant for Global Humanities and Social Sciences, both taught in English, plus four Danish-taught programmes. Natural Sciences is not on that list.

Non-EU qualifications

Because the GPA cannot be converted to the Danish grading scale, most applicants with a non-EU international qualification are assessed in quota 2.

The minimum grade rule for Social Sciences

Below the minimum you get a rejection even if there are fewer applicants than places. If you lack the 4.0, supplementary courses can meet the requirement. A quota 2 application with 6.0 or more is assessed in quota 1 first.

Which quota should you apply in

If you are unsure whether your average is high enough, the page advises applying through quota 2: upload a motivational letter and your CV together with the rest of the required documentation. Because you do not need to send a separate quota 1 application, a quota 2 application loses nothing. Quota 1 remains open to you too, even without a guaranteed GPA.

In quota 2 RUC reads a motivational letter of no more than 1-1½ pages and a CV, and the Bachelor pages name no admission test and no interview.

The assessment rests on the letter plus relevant experience after your upper secondary exam. For Global Humanities and Social Sciences, emphasis is partly on academic background and work experience and partly on the motivated application. The page does not mention SAT, ACT, an RUC test or an interview for the English-taught Bachelors.

The letter and the CV

• Global Humanities and Social Sciences require a letter and a CV, as do three Danish-taught programmes.
• One letter for each programme you apply to, written in the teaching language of that programme.
• The letter covers why this programme, how your experience relates and what you expect from your studies.
• The CV must show every activity in the application, and at most 12 months of experience in total count.

What counts

Work that does not count: telemarketing, service assistance and office messenger work; management responsibility counts in your favour.

If you have no standard entry qualification

RUC runs a concrete and individual assessment of comparable qualifications and your ability to complete the programme; it cannot tell you beforehand whether you will get an exemption.

How to apply for an exemption

For an exemption you upload a separate statement arguing that your qualifications are comparable, attach documentation of your educational activities, and meet the same deadline of 15 March, 12 noon CET. The table in step 1 describes the group as other relevant educational qualifications comparable to the admission requirements.

You apply on optagelse.dk, which is open 1 February to 15 March, 12:00 noon CET, and upload every document by 15 March, 12 noon (CET).

The page states these dates as a yearly rule without a year, so read them as the pattern for the 2027 round and confirm them when RUC updates the pages. Each programme has a code on optagelse.dk.

Approving the application

You must approve your application before the deadline. If you live in Denmark, you approve with MitID. Without MitID, you approve your choices at optagelse.dk, print and sign a signature page and upload it via form.ruc.dk, and RUC must have the signed page by 15 March, 12 noon (CET).

If your qualification is not finished yet

The entry qualification is due by 5 July, 12 noon (CET); supplementary courses by 5 July for non-EU/EEA applicants who need a residence permit, otherwise by 31 August.

Non-EU/EEA applicants who need a study permit follow a different timeline: 1 June is a status update for all of them, 8 June is the deadline to accept and pay tuition, and the tuition invoice comes with the offer of admission; the general decision date, 28 July, is stated for EU/EEA, Swiss and Danish citizens. The page notes this applies only to those who need a residence permit for studies.

Pre-assessment

A pre-assessment is optional, and RUC did not offer it for autumn 2026; the separate window for supplementary courses is 15 September to 1 November.

Open house and guidance

RUC lists an open house for bachelor applicants in February 2027. The admission pages also list a study guidance contact for questions.

RUC wants an original diploma and transcript, an official translation unless the language is English, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian, and for most qualifications a school-signed verification form of instruction hours.

Points 1-4 of its list are required for everyone with very few exceptions, 5-6 for non-EU/EEA citizens and 7-10 only where applicable.

• Every document must be officially issued with signature, date and stamp.
• Original diploma, transcript of grades and exam results where applicable.
• An official English or Danish translation in addition to the originals when the language is something else.
• A copy of the passport identification page, and both passports for dual nationals.
• The application fee receipt for non-EU/EEA citizens.

The verification form

The school fills in hours of instruction (60 minutes) per relevant subject, stamped and signed. Hours of 45 minutes must be converted to 60 minutes first. Applicants with an IB or Nordic upper secondary education do not need the form; the non-EU form also excludes (i)GCSE/GCE and the International, European and Danish-French Baccalaureate.

What RUC says about specific countries

The page lists no note for the other certificate countries on this site, so they follow the general list. RUC also keeps the right to contact the issuing institutions and Danish authorities to verify documents.

The fee and the documents together

Non-EU/EEA applicants must pay the application fee for the application to be processed, so the receipt is part of the upload, not a later step. Missing it is one of the listed reasons for rejection: not paying the application fee, which applies to non-EU/EEA citizens who must pay tuition.

All three English-taught Bachelors require English at Danish B-level, which is 210 hours of instruction, and RUC does not accept English tests to fulfil it.

This is a school-subject rule, not a score rule: RUC checks the English you took in upper secondary education. You need a passing grade in each required subject, and the hours counted are usually those of the last three years of upper secondary education.

IB and the conversion table

Danish English A corresponds to English A1/A2/B HL and English A SL or Language and Literature; Danish English B corresponds to English B SL. RUC notes the table is revised each year at the beginning of March, so changes can come just before the deadline.

If your English is short

Supplementary courses are recognised if comparable to the required Danish subject and level. For Global Humanities the pre-approved list includes (i)GCSE English Language with English Literature at GCSE-level. The teaching itself is demanding: you read and write academic English in courses, exams and projects.

The Danish language requirement applies only to the Danish-taught Bachelors: Danish at Danish A-level, and the English-taught programmes do not ask for it.

RUC names four Danish-taught Bachelors: Humanistisk Bachelor, Humanistisk Bachelor med tilsagn til Journalistik, Samfundsvidenskabelig Bachelor and Samfundsvidenskabelig Bachelor med tilsagn til Journalistik. Their details are on the Danish section of the site.

Ways to document Danish

• Danish A through upper secondary education or a supplementary course such as VUC.
• The Study Test in Danish as a Second Language (Studieprøven).
• Danish, Swedish or Norwegian at the equivalent level for Nordic applicants.
• For the IB, Danish A1 HL or Danish A Literature HL; lower IB Danish options only if you also completed English or your mother tongue at Danish A-level.
• A VUC certificate from an individual competence assessment.

Danish-taught guarantee levels

In 2026 the guarantee was 8,0 for Humanistisk Bachelor, 7,5 for Samfundsvidenskabelig Bachelor and 2,0 for the natural-science Bachelors.

RUC accepts the Danish/French Baccalaureate, European Baccalaureate, IB, OIB, DIAP and foreign qualifications the Danish Agency assesses as comparable, and other foreign diplomas depend on that assessment.

You must have passed one of the listed international or Danish qualifications. RUC publishes no table for individual national diplomas such as the Polish matura, the Abitur or the Turkish diploma; they fall under the foreign-qualification rule.

Other foreign diplomas

• A foreign qualification counts if the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science assessed it as comparable to a Danish upper secondary education.
• If the agency does not mention yours, apply for an assessment or an RUC pre-assessment.
• Where the agency requires supplementary courses, RUC always requires them too.
• Most non-EU qualifications are assessed as the last two years of upper secondary together with the first year of higher education.

Grades

EU/EEA general upper secondary grades are usually convertible; for non-EU qualifications RUC makes an assessment of equivalence.

IB, A-level and AP

For A-level, RUC says only that the verification form is not needed for (i)GCSE/GCE; for AP, the College Board score report is required in addition to the transcript. The page gives no AP-to-Danish-level conversion.

Nordic, Faroese and Danish qualifications

Nordic applicants use a conversion table for Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland; other subjects are assessed individually. A Faroese upper secondary education fulfils Danish at A-level. The Danish entry exams are STX, HHX, HTX, HF or EUX, the Faroese and Greenlandic exams, Duborg-Skolen, A. P. Moller Skolen and GIF.

Each Bachelor has fixed subject requirements: Global Humanities needs English B, a history subject and one more language; Natural Sciences needs English B, Mathematics A and a science combination; Social Sciences needs English B, Mathematics B and a history or social science subject.

The levels are Danish school levels: A upper, B medium, C basic. RUC converts them into hours of 60 minutes.

Global Humanities

English B, History or History of Ideas or Contemporary History B, and one additional language. English or your school's language of instruction cannot count as the additional language.

Natural Sciences

The accepted science combinations are Physics B with Chemistry B; Physics B with Biotechnology A; Chemistry B with Geoscience A; or Chemistry B with Biology A and Physics C.

Extra requirements for subjects chosen later

Some second-semester subjects add rules, which must be met before the subject starts: Business Studies and International Studies need Mathematics B, Mathematics needs Mathematics A.

Supplementary courses

Choose from the pre-approved list; sitting only the exam is not accepted. Proof is due 5 July for non-EU/EEA applicants needing a permit, otherwise 31 August.

RUC offers 3 bachelor programmes and 13 subjects: you start with a one year basic section and then specialise in one or two bachelor subjects, over three years and 180 ECTS.

The basic section is interdisciplinary and shared across the programme. Specialisation begins in the second semester when you choose subjects.

Roskilde University Library

International Bachelor in Social Sciences

The first year covers political science, sociology, economics, planning, spaces and resources. You can then use a predefined combination or add a humanities or natural science subject. Project work is 50% of the studies, in groups of 3-4 other students, and your home team has approximately 80 fellow students.

Global Humanities and Natural Sciences

Global Humanities specialises in Communication Studies, Cultural Encounters or Social Psychology of Everyday Life. Natural Sciences offers seven subjects from Bioprocess Science to Physics.

How teaching works

Learning follows the PPL model, which has 7 principles, and you help define the problems rather than answering questions set by others. Expect fewer on-campus lessons and higher demands of independent preparation.

Exchange

You can spend a term at a partner university or organise your own.

Subjects in practice

The subject pages describe the content rather than outcomes. In Computer Science you follow software development from planning and analysis to design, implementation, testing and documentation. Communication Studies trains you to identify communication problems and devise a communication plan. Chemistry as a subject adds a rule of its own: Physics B with Chemistry B, Physics B with Biotechnology A, or Geoscience A with Chemistry B.

RUC publishes no graduate employment statistics on the pages used here; what it states is the next step, admission to a master's programme offered from 2028.

The new master's landscape has a strong foundational discipline with sustainability, digitalization and AI. Subject pages describe skills rather than outcomes, for example organisation, sales, financial management, accounting, finance and business law in Business Administration.

Working while you study

Non-EU/EEA students may work up to 20 hours a week during the semester and full time in June, July and August. The handbook warns that it can be challenging to find a relevant student job without Danish.

Contact with employers

Business Administration holds regular academic events, including talks by former students on their career paths.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens pay nothing; non-EU/EEA citizens pay 200 EUR to apply and, for entry from September 2026, 10,000 Euro per year in Global Humanities or Social Sciences and 16,000 Euro per year in Natural Sciences.

There is no application fee or tuition fee for citizens of an EU country, an EEA country or Switzerland. The rates below are those published for 2026 entry, the latest on the page; 2027 rates are not yet published.

The rates apply if you finish in the prescribed time and the rate does not change. For comparison, entry in 2024 and 2025 was 8,900 Euro per year in Global Humanities and 14,000 in Natural Sciences. The Getting Started guide gives a looser range of €8,900 to €17,800 per year; use the fee page for the exact figure.

How payment works

• You pay one semester at a time in full, with no instalments.
• If the first semester is not paid by the deadline in the offer, the admission is annulled.
• Refunds are possible if you ask before 1 September or 1 February, with exceptions for a missing permit or national service.
• The application fee is refunded only if you start, as a deduction from the second semester fee; it is due by 15 March, 12 noon (CET).

The guide itemises food, transport, books and other costs and totals about DKK 8,000 (€1,070) a month.

Putting a first-year budget together

For a non-EU/EEA applicant the first-year budget has three parts: the one-off application fee of 200 EUR, the tuition in the table above, and living costs of roughly DKK 8,000 a month. Tuition for the first semester must be paid when the offer says, and an unpaid first semester annuls the admission. Because the tuition rate can change, check the fee page again before you pay.

The bachelor pages list no RUC scholarship for non-EU students; what they list is who is exempt from fees, such as holders of certain Danish residence permits.

Waivers come from your status, not from merit. All EU/EEA citizens are exempt from tuition fees.

• The application fee is waived for holders of STX, HHX, HTX, HF, GIF, Duborg-skolen and Faroese or Greenlandic upper secondary exams.
• The waiver does not apply if you also hold a qualification completed outside Denmark.
• A qualifying residence permit must be valid on 15 March.
• If your status changes mid-semester there is no refund, but you are exempt from the following semesters.
• If you are delayed you can finish without extra tuition.

SU

The Danish state grant is for Danish citizens; foreign citizens must meet specific conditions. Working while on SU has an earnings limit, and SU granted through work requires 10-12 hours a week.

RUC does not find rooms for degree students: it is not able to assist full degree students in finding accommodation, and finding a place is generally quite challenging, so secure it before arriving.

Trekroner lake near the Roskilde University campus

Danish leases typically ask for a deposit of three months' rent and three months' notice. The housing estimate in the guide is DKK 3,000-5,000 per month.

Where to look

• HousingAnywhere, with an RUC VIP profile.
• Student housing agencies RIU-Roskilde and CIU-Copenhagen.
• The digital notice board at markedsplads@ruc.dk.
• Danhostel Roskilde for your first days.

The market is very seasonal, so check back regularly. Campus residence halls are for exchange students: a deposit of 11.000 DKK and 4.144-5254 DKK a month, not for full-degree students.

RUC is situated on one single physical campus, about 20 minutes by train from central Copenhagen.

Two multi courts, soccer, disc golf, nature trails, a gym, innovation workshops, a student house, a canteen and a cinema are on campus, with an 18-hole disc golf course, free all year and many clubs, with room to start your own.

Study start

The introduction period in 2026 ran 17 to 27 August 2026, with the semester starting 1 September. It includes a two-week introduction and an off-campus trip, and the online course How to RUC is available once you accept your place.

Community

The Student House RUC is run by volunteers, and the International Community organises events for international and Danish students.

Non-EU/EEA citizens must obtain a residence permit before entering Denmark, and SIRI can take up to 2 months once the application is complete.

RUC completes part 1 of the ST1 application; you then create a case order ID with SIRI and pay the fee. For the timing, RUC sends the permit information after you pay tuition.

Keeping the permit

If you stop being study active RUC must inform SIRI and you cannot keep the permit. Delays can be covered: an extension of up to 1 year beyond the prescribed period. The permit allows up to 20 hours of work a week in the semester.

CPR number

You need a CPR number when staying more than 90 days, and you must first hold a residence permit or EU residence document; Nordic citizens need no residence document.

RUC suits an applicant who wants project-based, interdisciplinary study in English, can show the required school subjects, and can apply by 15 March, 12 noon (CET) through optagelse.dk.

Check four things in this order: your school subjects against the table of hours, your English at B-level through school subjects (no test route), your grades and quota, and your budget as a non-EU applicant.

What RUC says about the culture

All its programmes are interdisciplinary and project work is 50% of Social Sciences. RUC undertakes to comply with the Danish Code of Conduct for international students.

Before you apply

The pre-assessment is optional and was not offered for autumn 2026, so plan to apply without one. Keep the IB or school hours documents ready early, since the school must stamp and sign the hours form.

Official pages of Roskilde University, UCAS, gov.uk and the ranking publishers. Applicant reports, where shown, are self-reported and labelled.

Step 1: Application deadlines bachelor | Roskilde University · Bacheloruddannelser · Specific admission requirements | Roskilde University · Guaranteed admission for qualified applicants | Roskilde University · Step 4: Application fee and tuition fees | Roskilde University · Getting Started · Step 3: Application and required documents | Roskilde University · Admission through quota 1 or 2 | Roskilde University · Roskilde · Bachelor in Global Humanities (int) | Roskilde University · International Bachelor in Natural Sciences (int) | Roskilde University · International Bachelor in Social Sciences (int) | Roskilde University · RUC is ranked 97 in the Times Higher Education Young Universities Rankings | Roskilde University · RUC moves up in the international rankings | Roskilde University · RUC in the Times Higher Education Young Universities Rankings | Roskilde University · About Roskilde University | Roskilde University · Garanteret optag for kvalificerede ansøgere | Roskilde Universitet · More Quota 2 Applicants to Roskilde University for the Third Consecutive Year | Roskilde University · Vacant study places bachelor | Roskilde University · Minimum grade requirements | Roskilde University · Exemption-based admission | Roskilde University · Step 5: Process after submission | Roskilde University · Pre-assessment of foreign qualifications | Roskilde University · Intro: Being a bachelor student at Roskilde University | Roskilde University · https://ruc.dk/sites/default/files/2024-12/Verification%20Form%20for%20Non-EU%20EEA%20entrance%20exams.pdf · ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY · ROSKILDE UNIVERSITY · General admission requirement of an entry qualification | Roskilde University · Additional specific admission requirements for the bachelor’s subjects | Roskilde University · Problem-oriented Project Learning - pedagogical model at Roskilde University | Roskilde University · Business Administration (int) | Roskilde University · Tuition fees bachelor: Terms of payment | Roskilde University · Study start Bachelor | Roskilde University · Campus Roskilde University | Roskilde University

Photos: Roskilde University campus building: photo Mariusz Paździora, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons · Researchers of the Media Research Oresund project at Roskilde University: photo Johan Wessman / News Oresund, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons · Roskilde University Library: photo Orf3us, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons · Trekroner lake near the Roskilde University campus: photo Leif Jørgensen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons