Technical University of Denmark
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
Denmark's polytechnic, founded by H.C. Ørsted, with one English-taught bachelor's and a project-heavy culture.
- Students
- 13,813
- 7,280 undergraduates
- Student–faculty
- 4:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- €15,000
- 2027-28
- Founded
- 1829
About DTU
DTU was founded in 1829 on the initiative of the physicist Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, modelled on the École Polytechnique in Paris. Today its main campus sits in Kongens Lyngby, about 15 km north of Copenhagen, on a 106-hectare wooded site, with further campuses at Ballerup, Risø, Hirtshals and Sisimiut in Greenland. It enrols about 13,800 students on its bachelor's and master's programmes and employs around 2,500 researchers and educators.
DTU is organised into subject departments rather than faculties, among them DTU Compute, DTU Wind, DTU Space, DTU Health Tech, DTU Energy and DTU Chemical Engineering. For international school-leavers the key fact is that DTU offers exactly one English-taught bachelor's degree, the three-year BSc in General Engineering, which takes 150 students a year. All other bachelor's programmes (BSc Eng and the 3.5-year BEng with a built-in internship) are taught in Danish; the master's programmes are taught in English.
Teaching is heavily project-based: first-years in General Engineering work on design-build projects from the start and choose one of four specialisations, Living Systems, Advanced Materials, Cyber Systems or Future Energy. DTU suits students with strong mathematics and physics who like group work and building things, and who want a direct route into an English-taught MSc in Denmark.
Why students choose DTU
The English-taught BSc in General Engineering is DTU's only English-taught bachelor's, with 150 places, and lets you specialise in Living Systems, Advanced Materials, Cyber Systems or Future Energy.
EU/EEA citizens pay no tuition, and non-EU students pay a flat EUR 15,000 a year.
DTU Skylab, the innovation hub on the Lyngby campus, supports student start-ups, and DTU reported 117 new start-ups in 2025.
Credit-bearing student projects include engineering solutions for the Roskilde Festival and the annual Green Challenge (Grøn Dyst) student conference.
Admissions
Entry August/September 2027
Selectivity
Denmark has no single admit rate. In quota 1, applicants with Danish, IB, Nordic or EU/EEA qualifications are ranked purely on grade point average and the cut-off is only known on 28 July; in quota 2 (all applicants with non-EU/EEA qualifications) DTU makes an overall assessment. General Engineering has 150 places.
Typical entry requirements
| Danish upper secondary level | An exam equivalent to the Danish upper secondary exam, with Mathematics A, Physics B, Chemistry B and English B (General Engineering) |
|---|---|
| IB Diploma | At least 24 points qualifies for all BSc Eng and BEng programmes, subject to the specific subject levels; IB results count in quota 1 |
| Other international qualifications | Assessed individually by DTU's bachelor admissions team; a free pre-assessment can be requested between 1 September and 1 November |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 88 TOEFL iBT 88, or 4.5 for tests taken after 21 January 2026; IELTS Academic 6.5; Cambridge C1/C2 180. Results must be verifiable online (DTU TOEFL code 1684). Having English B at school does not by itself exempt you. |
Deadlines
- Quota 2 and all international qualifications Non-binding Next deadline · In ~5 months15 March 2027, 12 noon (Danish time)
Applies to all applicants with an international exam (EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA), IB applicants in quota 1 or 2, and Danish applicants using quota 2. The EUR 100 non-EU/EEA application fee and signature page are due by the same time.
- Quota 1 (Danish qualifying exam only) Non-binding In ~9 months5 July 2027, 12 noon (Danish time)
Only for applicants with a Danish qualifying exam. Offers of admission appear on UnistartDTU on 28 July and must be accepted by 3 August.
DTU publishes these as fixed annual dates (optagelse.dk opens 1 February, 15 March and 5 July at noon, results on 28 July); they apply to the 2027 intake. Final diplomas can be submitted until 5 July.
How to apply
Apply through the national portal optagelse.dk (opens 1 February; up to eight programmes across Danish universities). Upload documents, fill in the statement of hours form, and if you have no Danish CPR number upload a signed signature page to UnistartDTU by 15 March, 12 noon. Quota 2 applicants add an English motivational letter (1-2 pages) and CV. Non-EU/EEA applicants pay a EUR 100 application fee by 15 March.
What admissions looks for
- Motivation: DTU puts great emphasis on a well-written English personal statement explaining why you want this programme and how your experience fits it.
- Grades and levels in mathematics, physics and chemistry, with biology and computer science also considered.
- Study-related work experience and any relevant further education completed since school.
- Other activities that show suitability, such as relevant university courses, voluntary work, stays abroad or language skills.
Tips for applying to DTU
- 1 If you are from outside the EU/EEA, you apply in quota 2, so your motivational letter and CV (both in English) carry real weight alongside your maths and science grades.
- 2 Pay the EUR 100 application fee in the DTU web shop and upload your signature page to UnistartDTU before 15 March at noon: DTU cannot see your application until the signature page arrives.
- 3 Request a pre-assessment between 1 September and 1 November if you are unsure whether your school subjects meet the Mathematics A and Physics/Chemistry B levels.
- 4 IB students must ask their IB coordinator to release results to DTU before 1 June.
- 5 Apart from General Engineering, DTU's bachelor's programmes are taught in Danish, so international students usually plan on General Engineering followed by an English-taught MSc.
Costs & financial aid
2027-28 · figures in EUR
DTU offers no scholarships or tuition fee waivers at undergraduate level. EU/EEA citizens pay no tuition, and some non-EU citizens (for example holders of permanent residence) are exempt from fees. The EUR 100 application fee is deducted from the first tuition payment if you enrol.
- None offered by DTU
- Undergraduate scholarships or fee waivers
- EUR 100, due by 15 March
- Application fee (non-EU/EEA)
Academics
Academic calendar: Two 13-week semesters (autumn and spring), each followed by exams, plus 3-week intensive periods in January, June, July and August
BSc in General Engineering
DTU's only English-taught bachelor's: 150 places, design-build projects from year one and four specialisations.
Future Energy specialisation
Covers wind and solar power, electrolysis and applied chemistry, backed by DTU Wind's test sites at Risø, Høvsøre and Østerild.
Cyber Systems specialisation
Computers, AI, analytics, modelling, hardware and software, linked to DTU Compute.
Bachelor of Engineering (BEng, in Danish)
A 3.5-year applied programme that includes a six-month internship in a Danish or international company.
MSc Eng programmes
32 master's programmes taught in English, the natural next step after General Engineering.
Research
- DTU published 5,413 papers in 2025 with a normalised citation impact 54% above the world average; 17% were among the top 10% most cited.
- DTU Wind operates wind turbine test sites at Risø, Test Centre Høvsøre and Test Centre Østerild, with 16 test stands rented by turbine manufacturers.
- DTU's ocean-going research vessel Dana is based at Hirtshals, where DTU researches aquaculture and fisheries technology.
- In 2025 DTU registered 56 patents and ran 1,463 projects with industry.
Schools & faculties
- DTU Compute
- DTU Wind
- DTU Space
- DTU Health Tech
- DTU Energy
- DTU Chemical Engineering
- DTU Construct
- DTU Electro
- DTU Physics
- DTU Bioengineering
- DTU Sustain
- DTU Management
Student life
Student life centres on the Lyngby campus, where the student union Polyteknisk Forening (PF) runs Friday bars and the S-Huset venue. The year is marked by big campus parties: the Late Summer Party in tents at the start of the autumn semester and the Annual Commemoration Day in April or May, where the President welcomes royalty. Teaching is informal, with professors on first-name terms with students and most assignments done in groups. Outdoors you can sail on the Øresund, play rugby or run the campus jogging trail.
- Polyteknisk Forening's Fun Run on the Friday before the autumn holidays.
- Annual Commemoration Day with speeches, awards, banquet and dancing.
- Close to 100 DTU students work on engineering solutions for the Roskilde Festival each year.
- More than 100 nationalities are represented on campus.
Housing. International students can apply to residences run by the non-profit Boligfonden DTU, mostly on the Lyngby campus; DTU's example budget puts campus rent at EUR 800-900 a month.
Location
Kongens Lyngby is a green suburb about 15 km north of central Copenhagen, and the campus is surrounded by woods and sports fields. Trains and buses connect it with the city, and a Rejsekort trip to Copenhagen costs about EUR 4-5 each way. Denmark is safe and English is widely spoken, but rent is expensive, especially closer to central Copenhagen.
Nearest airport: Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (CPH)
Notable alumni
- HD Henrik DamNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering vitamin K; chemistry degree from the Polytechnic Institute (now DTU)
- MM Morten Meldal2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for click chemistry; BS and PhD in chemical engineering from DTU
- OA Ove ArupStructural engineer and founder of Arup; studied engineering at DTU
- AH Anders HejlsbergCreator of Turbo Pascal and Delphi, lead architect of C# and TypeScript; studied electrical engineering at DTU
- JN Jakob NielsenWeb usability pioneer; PhD in human-computer interaction from DTU
- HT Haldor TopsøeFounder of the catalysis company Haldor Topsøe; MSc in chemical engineering from DTU
- PH Poul HenningsenDesigner of the PH lamps, writer and critic; studied at DTU without graduating
Frequently asked questions
Can I study a bachelor's at DTU in English?
Yes, but only one: the three-year BSc in General Engineering, with 150 places. All other bachelor's programmes are taught in Danish, while the master's programmes are in English.
How much does DTU cost for international students?
EU/EEA citizens pay no tuition. Non-EU/EEA citizens pay EUR 15,000 a year (EUR 7,500 per semester) plus a EUR 100 application fee, and DTU offers no undergraduate scholarships or fee waivers.
What is the DTU application deadline for 2027?
15 March 2027 at 12 noon via optagelse.dk for anyone with an international or IB qualification and for all quota 2 applicants. The 5 July deadline is only for quota 1 applicants with a Danish exam.
What IELTS or TOEFL score does DTU require?
IELTS Academic 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 88 (4.5 on the new scale for tests after 21 January 2026), or 180 in Cambridge C1/C2. IB and Nordic school-leavers are among those exempt.
How does DTU choose quota 2 applicants?
It makes an overall assessment of your motivational letter, your grades in mathematics, physics and chemistry, relevant work experience, other education and activities.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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