Institutions that are not accredited/publicly recognised in Denmark

An institution belongs to the Danish higher education system only if it is publicly recognised in at least one of the following ways:

• The institution or education at the institution is accredited under the Danish accreditation legislation for higher education.
• The institution is defined as a higher education institution by law.
• The institution is defined as a higher education institution by the relevant ministry.
• The institution has been approved by the relevant ministry to provide one or more higher education programmes, i.e. study programmes offered on the basis of legislation, under public supervision, and with entry requirements including at least a general upper secondary qualification or a complete vocational education and training qualification.

Institutions without the above-mentioned public recognition do not belong to the Danish higher education system, and credentials awarded by them are not qualifications of the Danish higher education system. Such institutions are not subject to Danish higher education legislation and are not monitored or quality assured by Danish authorities.

To check if an institution is part of the Danish higher education system, please use our list:

• Danish recognised higher education institutions

See also:

• Accreditation in Denmark – The Danish Accreditation Institution
• Links: Accreditation, verification, diploma mills, etc.

The university title is protected

In Denmark, the title of "universitet", the equivalent term in other languages and their abbreviations may be used only by universities under the Universities Act and by institutions authorised to use the title under other Danish legislation. Some educational and research institutions that are recognised by foreign law or international law etc. are not covered by the restriction.

The restriction applies only where the term university is part of an institution's title or name etc. and the institution is engaged in activities that are likely to be confused with education and university activities. For example, the restriction does affect a café with the name "University Café".

The protection of the university title is laid down in the University Act (section 33 a):

• University Act – Retsinformation (in Danish)