Source: THE COPENHAGEN POST publication
Under Danish law, students from the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) are eligible for Statens Uddannelsesstøtte (SU, or state study grants) to help cover living expenses, provided they work 10 to 12 paid hours per week. The rule is meant to ensure that these students have a genuine connection to the Danish labour market.
However, internships do not count as valid employment under SU regulations, forcing many students to prioritise part-time paid work over relevant – often unpaid – internships that could strengthen their future career prospects.
As she stood at this very crossroads in spring this year, 26-year-old University of Copenhagen master’s student, Réka Joo from Hungary says she felt compelled to choose a job that met SU requirements because the alternative was „just not financially viable”.
A recent article in the university’s student newspaper, University Post, argued that SU’s restrictive stipulations shut out the very people the Danish labour market says it wants to attract.
Christoffer Rosenkvist, chair of the National Union of Students in Denmark (DSF), believes that internship hours should count as work under SU rules. Labour market researcher Bent Greve of Roskilde University agrees, noting that study-relevant internships often translate to long-term employment – precisely the outcome the SU policy aims to promote.
But, with the Ministry of Higher Education and Science staying mum on the issue, international students like Joo will have to continue making difficult choices about their careers.
Read more at the link in the comments.
Photo courtesy: Københavns Universitet – University of Copenhagen via Facebook
MAIN SOURCES; THE COPENHAGEN POST https://cphpost.dk/2025-11-11/business-education/education/su-rules-shut-international-students-out-of-danish-internships/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOBPDRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBiYkVXVkFwcUg4bWdRc3VRc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHu9OANDuwAmWJVPwc12YQwAtJu4Frh6hajxeO9kqn6SoaLlNdAoYcotGRKFT_aem_M8Nb5j2sblZhcVWGei24pw
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