SDU Danish Government Scholarship 2027 - Engineering Waiver
Tuition only Master scholarship in Denmark for International students 2027
SDU waives tuition for non-EU engineering students on five master's programmes in Sonderborg. Apply by 1 February 2027; no separate form is needed.
Eligibility
- Non-EU/EEA citizen liable for tuition fees
- Applying to one of the five eligible master's programmes at Sonderborg
- Master's application submitted by 1 February 2027 with all documentation complete
- That programme must be your highest priority if you apply to more than one at SDU
- Not eligible for support under the Danish state grant and loan scheme (SU)
- Meets the programme's English language requirement
- Able to fund living costs - the award is a tuition waiver only
Denmark is one of the few European countries where a tuition waiver is still worth several thousand euros a year, and SDU's version has an unusual feature: there is nothing extra to apply for. You apply for admission, and the scholarship competition happens on the same form. That makes it the cheapest serious application in this batch - and the easiest one to ruin by applying late.
What it covers
The Danish Government Scholarship is a full or partial waiver of tuition for the standard duration of the programme - two years for a master's, three for a bachelor's. A full waiver covers every semester; a partial one typically covers the second and fourth semesters. The waiver is calculated at 30 ECTS per semester, so if you take extra credits beyond that load you pay for them yourself. Living costs, accommodation, insurance and travel are not covered, and the Danish residence-permit requirement means you must show roughly a year of living costs in a bank account before you arrive. Budget for that before you celebrate the waiver.
Who can apply
Non-EU/EEA citizens who are liable for tuition and who apply to one of the eligible programmes. On the master's side these are Engineering Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, and Software Engineering, all taught at the Sonderborg campus in southern Jutland. The bachelor's list is different - Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Interactive Technology and Software Engineering at Vejle - and it has its own March deadline. Applicants who qualify for Danish SU support are excluded, which in practice rules out Danish and EU residents.
Eligibility self-check
Am I a non-EU/EEA citizen who will be charged tuition? Is the programme I want on the eligible list for 2027, and is it taught at Sonderborg rather than Odense? Is this programme my highest priority in the SDU application system? Will my transcript, diploma, course descriptions and English certificate all be uploaded by 1 February? Can I show the funds for living costs that the residence permit requires? Do I meet the specific entry requirements for the engineering discipline, not just the English score?
Deadline
Master's applicants must submit the admission application by 1 February 2027, including every document - SDU states that it will not chase missing paperwork. Bachelor's applicants have until 15 March 2027 and also sit the uniTEST. Master's interviews take place between 19 and 27 February 2027, with invitations sent after 15 February; bachelor's interviews are in early June.
Application materials checklist
Application deposit fee receipt Official bachelor's transcripts and diploma in English, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian, with grades and ECTS for each course Verified course descriptions matching the courses on your transcript A self-assessment form, where the programme requires one Proof of English proficiency to the programme's stated level Passport copy Documentation of funds for the residence permit, later in the process
How to apply
Apply for admission to the eligible programme through SDU's non-EU application route, upload everything at once, and mark the programme as your highest priority if you are applying to more than one. There is no separate scholarship form: the admissions office reviews all eligible applicants and invites the strongest to an interview in late February.
https://www.sdu.dk/en/uddannelse/fees_and_funding/scholarships
Common mistakes to avoid
Applying to two SDU programmes and listing the eligible one second. The scholarship only considers your highest-priority programme. Sending documents by email after the deadline - SDU explicitly does not accept them. Assuming a waiver covers living costs and then failing the residence-permit funds test. Applying with a three-year bachelor's that does not meet the specific mathematics or physics requirement for the engineering programme. Missing the course descriptions: without them, the admissions office cannot map your degree onto the entry requirements and the application stalls.
Tips to win
The selection is based on your bachelor's grade point average and an interview, so the transcript does the first half of the work. If your GPA is strong but your university's grading scale is unusual, include the official explanation of the scale with your transcript. For the interview, expect a few technical questions on entry-level material in your discipline and a short conversation about motivation; revise the mathematics and physics that the programme assumes rather than reading about Denmark. Applying in December rather than the last week of January also means your file is complete if a document needs replacing.
Other scholarships worth reading
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=25
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=113
https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=69
Talk to an OEAC advisor
An OEAC advisor can check your transcript against the Sonderborg entry requirements and confirm whether your degree maps onto the 30 ECTS semester structure before you apply.
Last updated: 9 November 2026
Always confirm the deadline and eligibility on the official page before you apply. Scholarship dates change between rounds, and this listing is a summary — the provider's own page is the authoritative source. OEAC Network lists scholarships for free and is not an agent for any university or funding body.
