Last updated: October 2026. All rates are 2026 figures checked on su.dk in October 2026. Ready to apply? Follow our step-by-step SU application guide.
Quick answer
- How much is SU in 2026? 7,426 kr a month before tax if you live away from your parents and study at a higher education (university, university college, academy). Living at home, it’s 1,154 kr to 3,202 kr depending on your parents’ income.
- After tax it’s roughly 6,300-6,400 kr a month on your main tax card (hovedkort), or roughly 4,700 kr if your secondary tax card (bikort) is used.
- SU loan: you can borrow up to 3,799 kr a month on top, at 4% interest while you study.
- Earnings limit: in months with SU you can earn up to 20,749 kr before tax (2026), counted over the whole year.
- International students need “equal status”. EU/EEA students usually get it by working 10-12 hours every week; others typically after 2 years of work or 5 years of residence in Denmark.
What is SU?
SU (Statens Uddannelsesstøtte) is the Danish state educational grant (or scholarship, if you will) paid monthly to students in approved full-time education. You don’t pay the grant back, as long as you don’t earn more than the limit. It’s taxable income.
Up until 2013, rules were different and SU was mostly out of reach for foreign students unless they had worked in Denmark for years. Since then, EU/EEA students who work in Denmark can get SU on the same terms as Danish students. Well, almost, but we’ll get to that in just a second.
Who runs SU? Since 1 October 2026, SU, loans and supplements are administered by Udbetaling Danmark, according to su.dk. Your university’s SU office still helps with study-related questions.
Why does Denmark pay you to study?
According to the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, the aim is that everyone can take an education regardless of their social background. With SU, students can focus more on their studies rather than on making money, and parents don’t have to fund everything.
Personally, I believe that Denmark wants its students to study to the best of their abilities, which would be much harder without it.
How much is SU in 2026?
Rates for higher education, per month, before tax. Source: su.dk rates 2026.
| Your situation | SU grant 2026 | SU loan on top (optional) |
|---|---|---|
| Living away from parents (udeboende) | 7,426 kr | up to 3,799 kr |
| Living at home, parents’ income under 419,589 kr | 3,202 kr | up to 3,799 kr |
| Living at home, parents’ income 710,077 kr or more | 1,154 kr | up to 3,799 kr |
| Living at home, in between | 1,154-3,202 kr, sliding | up to 3,799 kr |
| Completion loan (slutlån), instead of grant | - | 9,801 kr |
The living-at-home supplement depends on your parents’ income from two years earlier (2024 incomes for 2026). Each sibling under 18 reduces the counted income by 43,086 kr. If you have a child yourself, you automatically get the maximum. Parents can also get an extra loan of up to 1,900 kr a month and other supplements, see su.dk’s rates for parents.
Most international students live away from their parents, so 7,426 kr is the number that applies to them.
How much is SU after tax?
SU is taxed like a salary, but without the 8% labour market contribution (AM-bidrag). What you get paid depends on which tax card is used on your SU and your municipality’s tax rate.
Our estimate for 2026, living away from home, assuming about 37% total tax (state bottom tax around 12% plus an average municipal tax of around 25%, without church tax):
| Tax card used on SU | Approx. paid out per month |
|---|---|
| Main card (hovedkort), full personal allowance of 54,100 kr a year | about 6,300-6,400 kr |
| Secondary card (bikort), no allowance | about 4,700 kr |
The personal allowance is 54,100 kr in 2026, according to skat.dk, about 4,500 kr a month. If you have a student job too, you choose which income uses the main card. You change this in your preliminary income assessment (forskudsopgørelse) on skat.dk, or tell SU in minSU to use your bikort. Our student tax guide explains tax cards step by step.
If you are getting the full 7,426 kr with no tax deducted, it’s not a gift from the government but a wrong tax setup. You’ll have to pay the difference back when your tax assessment arrives in March-May.
Who can get SU as an international student?
Danish citizens are eligible automatically. Foreign citizens apply for equal status with Danish citizens, under EU rules or Danish rules. You only need to meet one condition. Full conditions are on su.dk’s foreign citizen pages.
EU rules (EU/EEA and Swiss citizens):
- You are a worker (or have kept worker status) in Denmark. As a general rule, a paid job of at least 10-12 hours every week, for at least 10 continuous weeks, kept up while you receive SU. 40 hours a month is generally not enough. See su.dk: you work in Denmark.
- You are self-employed in Denmark with a genuine, regular business.
- You have resided in Denmark for at least 5 years. Then you don’t need to work.
- You are the child, spouse or parent of an EU/EEA citizen who is a worker in Denmark.
- A family member with EU permanent residence has lived in Denmark for 5 years.
Danish rules (any nationality):
- You came to Denmark together with your parents.
- You are married to a Danish citizen.
- You work or have worked in Denmark for at least 2 years.
- You have resided in Denmark for at least 5 years.
- You belong to the Danish minority in Southern Slesvig, or fall under certain sections of the Integration Act.
Non-EU students on a study residence permit generally can’t get SU. Exchange students can’t either.
How to apply: you apply for SU in minSU and then complete the equal status application within 3 weeks. The full walkthrough, the document list and the reasons people get rejected are in our SU application guide.
The equal status application also comes in English.
How much can you earn besides SU? (fribeløb 2026)
You can work next to SU, but if your income goes above your yearly limit (årsfribeløb), you pay back part of the SU with interest and a surcharge. The yearly limit is the sum of 12 monthly limits. 2026 rates for higher education, before tax, from su.dk:
| Month type | Monthly limit 2026 |
|---|---|
| Months with SU (also completion loan) | 20,749 kr |
| Months where you’re enrolled but opted out of SU | 23,598 kr |
| Months when you’re not studying (e.g. after graduation) | 45,420 kr |
Example: with SU in all 12 months of 2026, you can earn up to 12 × 20,749 = 248,988 kr in the year. Parents get 34,129 kr extra per child under 18.
What counts: wages and holiday pay (feriepenge) from your job, self-employment income, interest and some scholarships. Holiday pay counts in the year you’re taxed on it.
Earned too much? You can opt out of SU for one or more remaining months in minSU. Each opted-out month raises your limit and doesn’t use up an SU month. The deadline is the 15th of the month before, and you can never opt out retroactively.
For EU workers, the bigger risk is usually the opposite: working too few hours to keep worker status.
SU loan and completion loan (slutlån)
While you receive SU you can also take an SU loan (SU-lån). It’s a government loan you are free to use on anything you’d like, and it isn’t taxed.
- SU loan 2026: up to 3,799 kr a month. Parents can borrow up to 1,900 kr more.
- Interest: a fixed 4% a year while you study. After you finish, the rate is the national discount rate plus up to 1 percentage point, set each year. See su.dk: interest rates on SU loans.
- Repayment starts in the years after you finish your education. If the debt is handed over to the Danish debt collection agency, the rate rises to 8.05%.
- Completion loan (slutlån): 9,801 kr a month in 2026, for students who have used up their SU but can finish within 12 or 24 months. Your institution must confirm it. It’s repaid on the same terms as the SU loan.
Read su.dk’s page on the consequences of taking a loan before you borrow. If you’d rather build savings than debt, see how much to invest as a student on SU.
SU reform: what changes for master’s students from 2027
The SU reform takes effect on 1 January 2027 and applies to students who start a new higher education on or after 1 July 2025. A master’s after a bachelor’s counts as a new education.
- The total SU frame for higher education drops from 70 to 58 months (SU portions or “klip”).
- You get SU for the prescribed length of your programme. The 12 extra months most students used to get are removed.
- If you run out, you can take a completion loan for up to 24 months.
- Students with a disability supplement or single parents keep 12 extra months (70 in total).
If you finish your education by December 2026, the reform doesn’t affect you. Separately, the Danish master’s reform introduces new one-year (75 ECTS) master’s programmes from 2028 at several universities, which naturally means fewer SU months for that degree.
When is SU paid and how do you stop it?
SU is normally paid on the last weekday of the month before the month it covers. So your SU for March arrives at the end of February, before you know whether you’ll work enough hours in March.
To stop or pause SU (fravalg), opt out in minSU by the 15th of the month before. Example: to skip October, opt out by 15 September. You can’t opt out retroactively. Pausing is handy during a short break, a period where you can’t keep your hours up, or when you’re close to the earnings limit.
If you stop working as an EU worker, report your last working day straight away. SU generally stops, and money paid for months without worker status has to be repaid.
SU holiday for EU workers
If you take time off work, your holiday can count towards your worker status, as long as you had worker status before it. According to su.dk’s Q&A for EU workers:
- You generally need to have worked 10-12 hours every week for 10 consecutive weeks before the holiday.
- SU can include up to 6 weeks of holiday per holiday year.
- You need a statement from your employer with the exact holiday dates. Printouts from FerieKonto are generally not accepted.
How to document SU holiday
Tell your employer and ask them to sign a statement. su.dk asks for the exact holiday period; a statement that’s easy to approve also includes:
- Your name and CPR number
- Company name and CVR number
- The exact holiday period
- Today’s date
- Your signature and the employer’s signature
Then upload it in minSU or send it via Digital Post.
How to contact SU
Contact the SU office at your university for questions about your studies and SU months, and Udbetaling Danmark (through su.dk/kontakt or Digital Post) about equal status and payments. Most things, like applying, opting out and uploading documents, are done in minSU.
Money tips for students on SU
- A-kasse: many unemployment funds offer free membership to students, with an income ceiling that includes SU. Compare them in our best a-kasse for international students guide.
- Housing benefit and deposit loans: see financial aid and tax exemptions for students.
- Finding hours: our guide to finding a student job helps if you need stable weekly hours for worker status.
FAQ
How much is SU in Denmark per month?
In 2026, 7,426 kr before tax for higher education students living away from their parents, and 1,154-3,202 kr for students living at home, depending on parental income.
How much is SU after tax?
Roughly 6,300-6,400 kr a month on your main tax card, or roughly 4,700 kr on a secondary card, depending on your municipality. These are our estimates, not official figures.
Can international students get SU in Denmark?
Yes, with equal status. EU/EEA and Swiss students usually qualify by working 10-12 hours every week. Non-EU students usually need 2 years of work or 5 years of residence in Denmark, or marriage to a Dane.
What is the maximum salary I can earn on SU?
In 2026, 20,749 kr a month before tax in months with SU, measured across the year. Opting out of SU in a month raises that month’s limit to 23,598 kr.
What is SU holiday?
EU workers can count up to 6 weeks of holiday per holiday year towards their worker status, if they worked 10-12 hours a week for 10 weeks before and document the exact dates with a statement from their employer.
How long can I get SU?
Today, up to 70 months for higher education. For students starting a new higher education from 1 July 2025, the frame becomes 58 months from January 2027, with SU for the prescribed length of the programme.
Is the SU loan worth it?
It’s cheap compared with consumer loans (4% while studying), but it’s still debt you’ll repay for years. Only borrow what you need.