Costs of study, student income, and study behaviour in Denmark.

4. Direct public support for students in Denmark

4.1. The Danish economic support scheme for students

4.2. The total amount of national economic support for students

[Next document] [Previous document] [Frontpage]

4. Direct public support for students in Denmark

4.1. The Danish economic support scheme for students

In Denmark young people become legally independent of their parents when they reach the age of 18 years. In order to provide opportunities for everyone above this age to participate in education, regardless of economic and social background, the state has to a large extent taken over the responsibility to support them economically. The fundamental principle is that everyone of 18 years of age or over should be entitled to economic support from the government if they attend an eligible course and are personally eligible.

The support is provided by the State Educational Grants and Loans Scheme (in Danish: Statens Uddannelsesstøtte, in short: SU), which is the only source of economic support of any significance for students in Denmark.

It is a comprehensive system which according to very much the same rules provides economic support to students of 18 years of age or over, whether they follow a youth education programme, or are enrolled in higher education courses.

The provisions are laid down by law or departmental order. The scheme is managed by the Danish Students’ Grants and Loans Agency (SUstyrelsen) in Copenhagen, in close collaboration with the educational institutions and under the auspices of the Danish Ministry of Education (Undervisningsministeriet).

As a general overview, some key figures on the economic and demographic importance of the Danish student support scheme are shown in table 4 and 5.

Table 4. Key-figures on support expenditure 1991 and 1996

Source: SUstyrelsen

In 1996, Denmark spent approx. DKK 7,2 billion on student support. This corresponds to about 0,7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).In 1996, an additional DKK 1,9 billion - i.e. corresponding to 37 per cent - was spent on student support, compared with 1991, when the support expenditure accounted for just about 0,6 per cent of GDP.

The grants amounted to approx. DKK 6 billion in 1996, i.e. to about 0,6 per cent of GDP. The expenditure on grants accounted for 83 per cent of the total expenditure on support in 1996, i.e. only slightly more than in 1991, and the loans for only 17 per cent, i.e. slightly less than in 1991.

In both 1991 and 1996, 75 per cent of the total support expenditure was spent on students in higher education, and 25 per cent on students in youth education.

Table 5. Key-figures on grant recipients 1991 and 1996

Source: SUstyrelsen

The total number of grant recipients increased by approx. 34 per cent from approx. 194.000 in 1991 to approx. 260.000 recipients in 1996. This corresponds to about 5 per cent of the total population. Grants are now the basic income for more than half of all Danish of 18 and 19 years of age and for approx. one third of all young people between 20 and 24 years of age, i.e. considerably more than in 1991.

This is partly due to the steadily growing numbers of students, but to a large extent on account of the more favourable conditions for receiving grants, especially for the 18 and 19 years old, following youth education programmes, who are now entitled to a basic grant independent of parental income.

[Top] [Next document (Chapter 4.1.1)] [Previous document]

Denne publikation findes på adressen: http://www.sustyrelsen.dk/in_english/cost_of_study/index.html
© SUstyrelsen 1998. Tal og tekst må med kildeangivelse frit anvendes.