Only 60,034 Danes were admitted to the university this year – a dramatic drop from the 67,425 places offered last year. This is the lowest number since 2011, when 59,600 were admitted.
Nursing and pedagogy in particular have been hit hard, and have experienced a drop of 18 and 15 percent in the number of admitted applicants.
While at least six courses had to be discontinued due to the lack of interest (see fact box below).
Aftermath of COVID-19
Although universities were encouraged to accept more students due to COVID-19, the number of applicants is still far below 2019, when 65,714 were admitted.
Bjarke Tarpgaard Hartkopf, continuing education manager at EVA, attributes part of the decrease to an increase in the number of young people taking one or more gap years.
In fact, the proportion of applicants who take at least three years between their high school education and university has increased from 33 percent in 2018 to 41 percent this year.
Pressure on society’s welfare
Minister for Higher Education and Science, Jesper Petersen, is deeply concerned about what this will mean for Danish society, especially as he hoped that there would be an increased number of new students on nursing courses – a sector in decline due to poor pay and working conditions that led thousands to strike in 2021.
Meanwhile, the decline in potential teacher or teaching candidates is putting pressure on schools and kindergartens.
According to an analysis carried out by DAMVAD Analytics in 2021, Denmark will need 35,000 extra pedagogues, teachers and nurses in 2030.
Source: The Nordic Page