Document Recognition for Denmark: Foreign School Diplomas, IB and Translations

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

In Denmark you need no recognition certificate before applying for a bachelor's programme. The institution checks your school-leaving certificate itself, as part of the application on Optagelse.dk. A national agency publishes the reference list and can assess diplomas the list does not cover.

Who decides

The institution decides whether your diploma gives access, whether your subjects and levels meet the programme's specific requirements, and how your grades convert to the Danish scale.
The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen, the Danish ENIC-NARIC centre) publishes a list of foreign upper secondary qualifications that meet the general entry requirements, country by country. It does not convert grades.

You can apply without any assessment from the Agency; the institution can ask the Agency directly about a foreign exam.

The three requirements

General entry requirements. Your qualification must be on a level with the Danish upper secondary leaving certificate.
Specific and local requirements. Certain subjects at certain levels, for example Mathematics at level A or B, and sometimes a minimum grade average or an entry test.
Language requirements. Danish for Danish-taught programmes, usually the test Studieprøven; English at Danish "English B" level for English-taught ones.

A missing subject can be made up with a supplementary course before, or shortly after, the programme starts.

Check the national list first

Start with the Agency's list of international qualifications for entry: find your country and the exact name of your certificate. If it is not listed, ask the institution or apply to the Agency for a level assessment:

The assessment is free of charge.
It normally takes 1 to 2 months once your documents are complete; mention any application deadline.
It covers the level only, not grades or subject levels.

IB, EB and other international diplomas

Applicants with an International Baccalaureate (IB) or European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma can apply through both quota 1 and quota 2. Their results are converted to Danish subjects, levels and grades under rules set by the Agency. The University of Copenhagen, for example, treats Mathematics HL as Danish Mathematics A and Mathematics SL as Mathematics B.

At the University of Copenhagen, an IB Certificate without the full Diploma gives access only with at least 18 points, grade 3 or more in all six courses and supplementary subjects. If you apply straight after your exams, let the university see your results through your IB coordinator (by 1 May at Copenhagen). The mid-March deadline applies to IB applicants too.

Translations

The Agency does not need a translation of documents written in English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish or Norwegian. Other documents must be translated into one of those languages or Danish, and the translation must be signed or stamped by a professional translator or a relevant authority, for example:

a translator approved by an authority in the country where you studied;
the school or authority that issued the document;
a certified translator in Denmark.

Institutions set their own rules and often accept only Danish, English, Swedish and Norwegian without translation. Read your institution's checklist. See sworn translations.

Uploads, originals and apostille

For admission you upload scans of your diploma and transcript to your application on Optagelse.dk before the deadline. The documents must be officially issued, with signature, date and stamp. Scan the originals in colour, including the back of each page.

None of the official pages we checked asks for an apostille. The Agency routinely verifies foreign documents, may ask for originals and reports fraud to the police. If an institution asks for legalisation, see apostille and legalisation.

Step by step

Find your certificate on the Agency's list, or ask the institution.
Compare your subjects with the programme's specific requirements.
Order any translations early.
Apply on Optagelse.dk and upload everything before the mid-March deadline.
With an offer, non-EU students apply for the residence permit: see student visa for Denmark.

Where to look next

Official sources

Foreign qualifications for entry to higher education: Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science
Admission to Danish higher education with foreign qualifications
Translation requirements
University of Copenhagen: IB and other international diplomas

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.