Significant increase in quota 2 applicants to academies of professional higher education

This year saw 52,396 applicants to higher education via quota 2 – an increase of five per cent compared to 2013, which also saw record numbers.

Academies of professional higher education will be particular busy sorting through the quota 2 applicants as they have received a total of 7,895 priority 1 applications this year – 17 percent more than in 2013.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s final account for quota 2 applicants shows that six per cent more students applied to professional bachelor’s degree programmes via quota 2 this year. Meanwhile, the numbers remain steady for applicants to university programmes.

Minister for Higher Education and Science Sofie Carsten Nielsen believes quota 2 gives educational institutions far better opportunities for choosing the most motivated students and encourages them to make better use of the quota 2 opportunities.  

- I would like to see more applicants admitted via quota 2. Instead of just looking at grade point averages on diplomas, institutions could use interviews, tests and other tools to source the most motivated, interested and engaged applicants. More programmes are increasingly seeing the benefits of admitting more students via quota 2, says Sofie Carsten Nielsen.

The minister stresses that quota 2 can help ensure a good match between students and education. 

- The aim is for students to choose the right education. An interview or a test challenges the student to consider their choice more carefully, while institutions can use quota 2 to send a clear signal that they prioritise and value the most suitable candidates. I would therefore recommend that all education programmes examine their enrolment methods and be inspired by the positive experience of others, says Sofie Carsten Nielsen.

The minister also encourages all applicants to consider their educational options carefully as they apply via quota 1 (deadline 5 July 2014), as they have a better chance of success if they broaden their subject and geographic search.

15 March application deadline

• By 15 March, higher education institutions received 52,395 priority 1 applications, which is about 2,300 more than the record numbers in 2013. Applicant numbers are therefore five per cent more than the same time last year. Since 2009, the number of applications via quota 2 has more than doubled
• Professional bachelor’s degree programmes received the most applications (ca. 24,000), university bachelor’s degree programmes received around 20,000 and programmes at academies of professional higher education received almost 8,000 applications.
•  The final account of applications received by 15 March includes applicants applying via quota 2, applicants with international qualifications and applicants to programmes requiring an admittance exam, interview, etc. Furthermore, programmes and institutions with short or medium-long programmes that do not use the quota system for admittance can also have a 15 March deadline. 
• An increase in the number of 15 March applications does not necessarily lead to a similar increase in the overall numbers of applications, when the quota 1 applications are tallied after 5 July. It is just a rough indicator of expected development in the numbers of applicants.

Application and enrolment to higher education

Applicants apply via the self-service system www.optagelse.dk.

• 15 March 2014: Deadline for applications via quota 2, as well as applicants with international qualifications and applicants to programmes with admittance test/interview.
• 5 July 2014: Deadline for applications via quota 1. The overall tally of applications to higher education will be made after 5 July.
• 30 July 2014: All applicants receive response to their application.  

For further information please contact:

Head of division Jens Storm, tel: 7231 7982, e-mail: jst@uds.dk

Press officer Carina Elkott, tel: 5090 0549, e-mail: care@ufm.dk