Once you have completed your basic school education in form level 9 or 10, you can apply for enrolment in a youth education programme. Youth education programmes are courses of preparatory study or professional qualification programmes usually lasting three or four years.
Some schools offer general upper secondary programmes in English, German or French.
The English programmes are for the international baccalaureate (the IB) and the related pre-IB. The German programmes for the Abitur, and the French programmes for the French baccalaureate. These diplomas are internationally recognised regardless of the language of teaching.
You can see a list of international upper secondary schools on the Ministry of Children and Educations website.
In Aarhus, eligible students can choose the IB Diploma Programme at Aarhus Gymnasium, which is an internationally oriented and recognised course available to students aged 16 to 19. The course opens doors to leading universities around the world. Read more about the IB programme at Aarhus Gymnasium.
Aarhus Gymnasium in Tilst also offers HF International, which is the first Higher Preparatory Examination Programme (HF Programme) in Denmark taught in English. It is solely for non-Danish speaking students and includes mandatory and elective subjects that allow students to pursue personal interests. Read more about the HF International at Aarhus Gymnasium here.
To enrol for upper secondary education and training, students must have completed 9-10 years of basic education, depending on the programme applied for. You must contact the individual education programme regarding its enrolment and admission procedure.
The individual schools are responsible for assessing qualifications and exams obtained abroad and deciding what credit is transferable to the Danish system.
Tuition at public schools is free for citizens from the Nordic and EU countries. For other nationals, certain schools may claim a tuition fee so contact the specific school for more information.
All Danes over the age of 18 are entitled to government support for their higher education. The support for a student's living costs is awarded by the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme (SU), which is a system managed by the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme Agency.
EU-citizens can also apply for the government support providing some criteria are met. See the criteria on the SU website.
SU consists of a free grant which is, however, taxable. In addition to the grant, students can take out a loan which must be repaid when they have finished their education. To qualify for SU, the education you have enrolled for must be approved for a state education grant, and you must not receive any other forms of state support to cover living expenses.