Expensive IT project leaves Danish universities in limbo

A new shared study programme administration IT system for Danish universities has ended up DKK 480 million over budget and is now delayed by at least four and a half years. In 2023, the project was projected to cost DKK 1.2 billion.

Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund (Moderates Party) attended a consultation Tuesday 1 April in the Danish parliament to give her account of the case which, back in November 2024, had triggered sharp criticism from the Danish National Audit Agency towards her ministry.

The system has yet to be put into use — neither at the University of Copenhagen nor the six other universities involved (Aarhus University has opted out of the collaboration). But according to Rie Snekkerup, Deputy Director for Education at UCPH and a member of the national programme steering group for the IT project, progress is being made.

»We are deep into development and design, and we expect the first university — Technical University of Denmark DTU — will start using the system in November this year. At UCPH, we anticipate implementation to begin in summer 2026, with full rollout in autumn 2027,« she says.

Promises better service

The new system is to replace the current study programme administration system, which dates back to the 1990s. It is used to manage data on students, including their academic progress and exam results.

»The system we have today is stable and robust, but it is outdated. We are dreaming of a technological quantum leap that will make things easier for both students and our administrative staff,« says Rie Snekkerup.

According to Snekkerup, the development of new and modern processes and improved support starts with replacing the system’s core structure. From there, the hope is that artificial intelligence will play a key role. The design of the new IT system, she explains, is based on a student-centric approach.

The improvements we had looked forward to will take longer to arrive

Rie Snekkerup, Deputy Director for Education at UCPH

»We want to offer a service where students, for instance, can easily see their academic progress, apply for credit transfers digitally, or receive suggestions on how to structure their degree programme to achieve a specific competence profile. It’s about user-friendliness and overview,« she says.

Administratively, she also sees major potential. At present, data is often moved manually between systems and spreadsheets — a practice that, according to Snekkerup, is inefficient and error-prone. The new system aims to automate a number of workflows and create better data integration across the university.

UCPH: No consequences from delay — apart from stalled benefits

Although the system is several years delayed, it has not had any consequences in a traditional sense, according to Rie Snekkerup.

»Students are still able to register for courses and take exams. But the improvements we had looked forward to will take longer to arrive. So the delay mainly means we have not yet reaped the benefits we had anticipated,« she says.

She does acknowledge, however, that the old system causes frustration in practice.

»We are well aware that many students, for example, set up Facebook groups to get an overview of their timetables, because our systems are not well integrated. This is one of the key areas where we hope for major improvements with the new system,« says Rie Snekkerup.

Ministry had to give up

The parliamentary consultation 1 April is after sharp criticism of the IT project from the national auditors. Their criticism particularly concerns the period when the project was managed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, before the universities themselves took over responsibility in December 2021.

Now it’s in our hands. That gives us new energy and a different pace

Rie Snekkerup, Deputy Director for Education at UCPH

»It’s important to understand that the criticism refers to the time before the project was handed over to the universities. We were involved, but we weren’t the ones calling the shots. Now we are — and that has made a difference,« says Rie Snekkerup.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science is also criticised for not having sufficiently monitored the project after it was transferred to the universities. ‘Sharp criticism’ is the second most severe category of censure that the National Audit Agency can issue.

According to Rie Snekkerup, the universities have allocated more staff to the project in an effort to avoid further delays.

»Now it’s in our hands. That gives us new energy and a different pace. That doesn’t mean everything is easy. But there is momentum, and we’re starting to see the outlines of a really strong system,« she says.

Risk of further delays?

When asked whether the system could face further delays — and additional costs — the answer is neither a clear yes nor no:

»With large IT projects, you can never be entirely sure. Unexpected issues can always arise. But we have contingency reserves and scenarios in place, and we are doing everything we can to stay on course. Right now, things are looking positive,« says Rie Snekkerup.

She emphasises that the collaboration between the seven universities is working well, and that the relationship with the ministry — which still has a role in certain areas — is also satisfactory.

Once the system is finally in place, Rie Snekkerup hopes it will become a cornerstone in creating a more digital and service-oriented university.

»We need to be able to offer students digital support, so they can focus their energy on academics, student life and learning — not on navigating convoluted systems. That is what we’re aiming for. And even though it has taken a long time, I believe we’re going to get there,« she says.