A Danish state scholarship is usually a combination of a full or partly tuition waiver and a monthly scholarship towards living expenses.
Please be aware that the scholarship may not cover all your living expenses in Denmark, and that you may have to supplement your monthly scholarship with your own savings, a students loan from your home country or a student job. Especially at the beginning of you stay in Denmark, you should expect additional settling-in-costs in terms of paying a deposit for your room, buying some furniture, a bicycle or bus card, etc.
Aarhus University is not able to grant you any further financial assistance.
To receive your monthly scholarship payment, please follow the below instructions after your arrival in Denmark:
In order to receive your monthly scholarship on your bank account you must have a so-called Digital Payslip (E-Boks) and a Danish NemKonto account (“Easy Account”). You can learn more about these facilities at the following websites:
Ask your mentor or our International Centre for assistance with regard to applying for a permanent Danish CPR number (social security number) and how to get MitID.
When you have received your CPR number – which may take a couple of weeks – you must set up an Easy Account with a Danish bank, which may take an additional 2-3 weeks. Please inform AU Salaries Office (lonAA.hr@au.dk) of your Danish CPR number and that you have now set up an Easy Account. Aarhus University is then automatically informed of your Easy Account.
Until you have a Danish tax card, 55 % of your scholarship is automatically deducted as tax, but regulated later when you have received your tax card.
To get a tax card, please contact the Danish Tax Authorities after your arrival in Denmark. Remember to bring your scholarship letter. The tax card is digital and information about your tax rate in Denmark will be transferred to Aarhus University electronically and connected to your CPR number and Easy Account.
Primary and secondary tax card
Residents in Denmark may earn a certain amount of money each year before having to pay tax. As a scholarship recipient, you earn more than what your tax exemption card allows you to, and you will therefore get a primary tax card and a secondary tax card. You must inform Aarhus University Salaries Office whether to use your primary or secondary tax card for the payment of your monthly scholarship. We urge you to read about the difference between primary and secondary tax card here.
If you do not actively inform Aarhus University about your preferred tax card, your monthly scholarship will automatically be connected to your secondary tax card. Please be aware that if you do not have a second income (e.g. a part-time job), this may not be the best solution for you.
We do not expect you have set up a Danish Easy Account before your first scholarship payment is due. Instead, your first scholarship payment will be paid to your international bank account. Aarhus University will contact you well in advance of your first monthly payment and ask you for the banking information needed to make a bank transfer to your specific country.
The first payment cannot be made until the last work day before the first day of your official scholarship period. All other monthly payments will also be made in advance.
You are expected to set up a Danish Easy Account as soon as possible after your arrival in Denmark, and after that, your monthly payment will be transferred to your Easy Account.
As a rule, all scholarship holders must pay regular Danish income tax. Read about taxation in Denmark.
Scholarship holders from so-called developing countries may be exempted from paying income tax from their scholarship.
The income tax will be deducted before the monthly payout. If you do not have a tax card in Denmark, you must contact a tax centre to obtain one. As long as you do not have a tax card, 55 % per cent of your monthly grant will be withheld as tax, but regulated later when you have received your tax card.
Too much deducted tax will be reimbursed by Aarhus University and transferred to your Easy bank account.
You must renew your tax card for the following year at the end of each year to avoid a 55 % taxation of your scholarship from January the year after.
Read more about taxation when setting up life in Denmark.
Apply for your tax card and possible tax exemption at your local Tax Centre.
Tax Centre Aarhus (Skattecenter Aarhus)
Lyseng Alle 1, DK - 8270 Højbjerg
Office hours (may be subject to change) | |
Monday | 10:00 - 16:00 |
Tuesday - Friday | 10:00 - 14:00 |
Telephone hours (may be subject to change) | |
Monday | 9.00 - 17.00 |
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | 9.00 - 16.00 |
Friday | 9.00 - 14.00 |
Tel: (+45) 7222 1818 (press 8 for information in English) – www.skat.dk
Please find contact information for the Danish tax authorities on their website: https://skat.dk/en-us/contact-us/individuals
Please notify your salary administrator when all the formalities regarding your permanent CPR number, Easy Account and tax card are completed, allowing your salary administrator to acquire your tax information electronically from the tax authorities and transfer your future payments to your Easy Account.
Your monthly scholarship will subsequently be regulated in accordance with your tax card and paid to your Easy account every month in advance.
Contact AU Salaries office by email: lonaa.hr@au.dk
Please always contact AU Salaries Office directly by email or telephone with any questions or problems regarding the payment of your scholarship.
Questions regarding the conditions of your scholarship should be sent to ma.admission@au.dk.
