Roskilde University Scholarships 2027: Tuition Fee Waiver Plus DKK 7,800 a Month

Roskilde University scholarships for international students come as a package: a full tuition fee waiver plus DKK 7,800 a month for living costs, for up to 22 months. They are Danish state awards that Roskilde University (RUC) hands out to a limited number of highly talented master’s applicants from outside the EU and EEA who must pay tuition fees. Only some programmes take part, and RUC names them before each admission round.

The Deadline for September 2027 entry is 15 January 2027 at 11:59 pm CET, the normal master’s deadline for fee-paying applicants. There is no separate scholarship form. Instead, you upload a one-page motivational letter and a CV with your master’s application; if they are missing when you submit, RUC will not consider you for a waiver or scholarship.

Roskilde University tuition fee waivers and scholarships at a glance

What the Roskilde scholarship covers

The award has two parts. The tuition fee waiver removes the whole fee for the programme. The scholarship pays DKK 7,800 a month, which RUC says is meant to cover your living expenses in Denmark. Both run for at most 22 months on a September-start programme, which is a normal two-year master’s.

To see what the waiver is worth, here are RUC’s tuition fees for non-EU/EEA master’s students entering in September 2026, for the four programmes that offered awards that year:

Add 22 months at DKK 7,800 (about DKK 171,600) and the full package on Computer Science or Environmental Science is worth well over EUR 50,000. RUC says fees can change, so check the tuition fee rates page for 2027 figures.

Which programmes offer Roskilde scholarships for 2027?

RUC chooses the programmes before each admission round. For September 2026 entry they were:

• Master in Media and Communication
• Master in Environmental Science
• Master in Nordic Urban Planning Studies
• Master in Computer Science

RUC says the 2027 list will go up on its scholarship page before the non-EU/EEA round opens on 15 December 2026. The list can change from year to year, so do not assume a 2026 programme will be on it. If the programme you want is not listed, you cannot get the award on it, even if you are admitted.

Note that RUC marks several English-taught master’s (for example Business Administration and Leadership, Chemical Biology and International Politics and Governance) as “legal right only” admission, so they are generally closed to outside applicants. The scholarship programmes for 2026 were all open-admission programmes.

Roskilde University scholarship eligibility

• Fee status: you are a non-EU/EEA citizen who has to pay tuition fees. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens pay no fees and cannot apply. Holders of some Danish residence permits (for example permanent residence) are also exempt from fees and so cannot apply.
• Programme: you apply to one of the master’s programmes on that year’s scholarship list.
• Admission: you meet the programme’s entry requirements and are admitted.
• Residence permit: the scheme targets students who need a Danish residence permit to study.

RUC is clear that meeting these conditions does not guarantee an award. The scholarship is competitive.

Entry requirements you must meet first

• Bachelor’s degree: equal in level to a Danish bachelor’s (180 ECTS) and matching the programme’s academic requirements. RUC assesses each applicant individually.
• English: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with at least 6.5 in writing and speaking, or TOEFL iBT (83 overall with 20 in writing and speaking on the old scale; 4.5 overall, 4.5 writing and 4.0 speaking on the new scale from 21 January 2026), or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency. Tests must be under two years old.
• What RUC does not accept: native-speaker status, an English-medium degree, a letter from your university, IELTS Online, IELTS One Skill Retake and TOEFL MyBest scores.

That English rule catches many applicants from English-speaking countries, including much of Africa and South Asia, who are used to medium-of-instruction letters. At RUC you need a real test score uploaded by 15 January.

How RUC selects scholarship holders

RUC ranks applicants on three things:

RUC says family or social background is not considered, so financial need does not help or hurt you. Since grades are fixed by now, your letter and CV are where you can still make a difference.

How to apply for Roskilde University scholarships, step by step

1. Check the 2027 list: from mid-December 2026, confirm your programme is on the scholarship list on RUC’s Step 5 page.
2. Check the entry requirements: read the programme’s academic requirements and make sure your bachelor’s fits. RUC can offer conditional admission if you lack no more than 10 ECTS, with summer prerequisite courses, but prerequisite study is not open to non-EU students who need a study residence permit.
3. Take IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge: early enough that your score report is ready before 15 January 2027.
4. Pay the application fee: EUR 165 (DKK 1,230) by bank transfer to Roskilde University at Danske Bank, with your full name as the reference. One payment covers up to three RUC applications. Scholarship applicants must pay too.
5. Prepare your documents: diploma and transcript (or a current transcript plus a letter giving your expected completion date), official English or Danish translations if needed, passport ID page, English test report and the payment receipt.
6. Write two letters: the Statement of Academic Interest that every English-programme applicant submits (one A4 page), and the separate one-page scholarship motivational letter with your CV.
7. Apply online in DANS: RUC’s digital application system opens about a month before the deadline (15 December 2026). Upload everything, with multi-page documents as one file.
8. Submit by 15 January 2027, 11:59 pm CET: RUC does not accept late applications.

Writing the scholarship motivational letter and CV

You get one page, so every line has to work. Structure it like this:

• First paragraph: what you want to study and the question or problem behind it, linked to the programme by name.
• Second paragraph: your academic proof: grades, class rank, thesis topic, research or awards. Use figures.
• Third paragraph: work experience and what it taught you that matters for this programme. Remember work experience is one of RUC’s three criteria.
• Last paragraph: your plan after graduating and why the scholarship makes this possible.

RUC teaches through problem-oriented project work in groups, so showing you can work on real problems with other people fits the university well. An example opening for an urban planning applicant: “For two years I helped map informal settlements for my city’s planning office, and I saw how plans fail when residents are left out. Nordic Urban Planning Studies at Roskilde, with its group projects on real cases, is where I want to learn to do it better.”

For the CV, keep it to one or two pages: education with grades, work experience with dates and responsibilities, research, skills and languages. The Europass format is fine; our Europass CV guide shows how to fill it in.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the scholarship letter: the Statement of Academic Interest is not the scholarship letter. Upload both.
• Applying to a programme not on the list: no list, no award.
• Relying on a medium-of-instruction letter: RUC rejects it. Get a test score.
• Using IELTS Online: not accepted.
• Not paying the fee: your application will not be processed until RUC confirms payment.
• Missing messages in DANS: document requests can have very short deadlines. Check your email and DANS often.

After you apply: results, acceptance and residence permit

For the 15 January deadline, RUC sends admission decisions in mid-March through DANS, with an email telling you to log in. You usually have one week to accept; if RUC hears nothing, the offer lapses. A welcome letter follows in late March if you accept, and studies start on 1 September.

If you are admitted without a full waiver, RUC needs your first-semester tuition and proof of your completed bachelor’s by 1 June before it can process your residence permit. Fees are paid per semester in full, with no instalments.

For the permit itself, SIRI’s 2026 rules asked students to show DKK 7,426 for each month of study, up to 12 months (DKK 89,112), and charged a DKK 3,060 processing fee. A scholarship counts as proof of funds. Students can work 90 hours a month during the academic year and full time in summer.

Keeping the scholarship

RUC’s condition is that you follow your study plan and avoid delays. It does not publish an exact credit threshold, so pass your courses on time. Enrolled students cannot apply for a waiver or scholarship later, so you get one chance: at the point of admission.

Costs the Roskilde scholarship does not cover

• Application fee: EUR 165, refunded only if you are admitted and registered by 1 September, and then deducted from your second-semester fee.
• English test: IELTS or TOEFL fees in your country.
• Residence permit fee: DKK 3,060 in 2026.
• Rent above the grant: DKK 7,800 a month is tight if you live in Copenhagen; rents in Roskilde itself are usually lower.
• Flights and settling in: deposit, furniture and winter clothes.

Roskilde compared with similar scholarships

For more choices across the continent, read our list of scholarships in Europe for international students.

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you have strong grades, some relevant work experience, a real interest in one of the listed programmes, and an IELTS or TOEFL score that meets RUC’s bar. RUC’s award is one of the better Danish packages because it adds a monthly grant to the full waiver.

Skip it if your field is not on the list, or if you cannot get an accepted English test done by January. And if you need far more than DKK 7,800 a month to live (for example, if you plan to bring family), work out your budget first, because the grant will not stretch that far.

FAQs

Is the Roskilde University scholarship fully funded?

It comes close: a full tuition waiver plus DKK 7,800 a month for up to 22 months. Flights, the residence permit fee and any living costs above the grant are yours to cover.

Do I need a separate application for the Roskilde tuition fee waiver?

No separate form, but you must upload a one-page motivational letter and a CV with your master’s application. Without them RUC will not consider you.

When is the Roskilde University scholarship deadline for 2027?

The Deadline is 15 January 2027 at 11:59 pm CET for September 2027 entry. Applications open on 15 December 2026.

Can I use a medium-of-instruction letter instead of IELTS at Roskilde?

No. RUC does not accept English-medium degrees or university statements as proof; it wants IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or a Cambridge C1 or C2 certificate.

Sources and updates

I started from Scholars4Dev’s “Danish State Tuition Fee Waivers and Scholarships at Roskilde University” article (published 12 November 2025, still describing the 2026 round, with a 2025 deadline left in its meta description). Every fact was checked on Roskilde University’s own pages: Step 5: tuition fees, waivers and scholarships (DKK 7,800, 22 months, criteria, 2026 programmes, 2027 list due before 15 December 2026), Step 1 application deadlines (15 January, 11:59 pm CET), Step 2 admission requirements (English tests and scores), Step 3 required documentation, Step 4 application fee (EUR 165), Step 7 process after submission (mid-March decisions, one-week reply, 1 June fee and diploma deadline), the tuition fee rates page and the payment terms page. Residence permit figures come from SIRI’s higher education page on nyidanmark.dk. RUC has not published the 2027 programme list, the 2027 fee rates, the number of awards or an exact credit rule for keeping the award. Checked 25 October 2026.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.