Non-Danish students get one billion in SU grants

Over the last five years the cost of SU grants to international students has been doubled from a half a billion to now DKK 1.022 bn. This is according to a response from the Ministry of Education Morten Østergaard to a parliamentary committee, reports Danish newspaper MetroExpress.

And the figure will increase by at least DKK 200-300 million when the effect of recent EU rulings show up on the figures.

Mads Rørvig, SU spokesman for the Liberal Party is not happy with it, and wants restrictions.

Minister: International students, profit to Denmark

“It is a burden on society. We must recognise that we can’t afford to educate the whole of Europe. I wish the Minister of Education would not just accept the fact that the European court has opened the SU coffers for welfare tourists,” he says.

Minister of Education Østergaard rejects the criticism and says that Denmark will heed the European rulings. The expenses to foreign students is only one out of a total of DKK 20 bn to all students Danish and international.

Foreign students are a net profit to Denmark, he adds, and if even more of them stay to work after their studies, they will be even more profitable.

Read our guide: SU grant: Can you get it?

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