Language Requirements

Applicants for English-taught programmes at the Royal Danish Academy must have proficiency in English equal to the level English B in Danish secondary school.

The Academy accepts the following proofs of English proficiency and does not make exceptions to these requirements or to the submission deadline 1 March:

  • Language test. See list of accepted tests below
  • High school degrees from Nordic countries and IB. See list of required levels below
  • Bachelor degrees or high school degrees from English-speaking countries. See list of countries below

The Academy does not accept

  • A Bachelor degree or similar with English as language of instruction from a non English-speaking country
  • English test that is not on our list of approved tests

It is not possible to apply for a dispensation for this requirement, and the Academy cannot offer individual assessments of English qualifications.

Approved language tests and test scores

  • TOEFL iBT, Home and Paper Edition: 83 (minimum score in each section must be 20)
  • IELTS Academic and IELTS Online: 6.5
  • Cambridge English C1 Advanced: 180
  • Cambridge English C2 Proficiency: 180 

TOEFL; valid for 2 years and must be valid at the time of applying. We will accept a scanned copy of the official test result allowing us to validate the result in the test providers database. Make sure to inform the TOEFL test center of our institutional code: 6398. 

IELTS; valid for 2 years and must be valid at the time of applying. We will accept a scanned copy of the official test report allowing us to validate the result in the test providers database.

Cambridge English C1 and C2; does not expire - please make sure to include Candidate's ID number and secret number (appears on your Confirmation of Entry) when applying with us allowing us to validate the result online.

A bachelor degree or a high school degree from an English-speaking country
A bachelor degree or a high-school degree with English at the highest level from one of the following English-speaking countries will waive a language test: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, UK, USA. 

High school degrees from Nordic countries and IB
Applicants with a high school degree from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland or an International Baccalaureate who have passed the equivalent of English at B-level in Denmark, must submit diploma and transcript. Applicants, who do not have the required level, must take a language test.

The following levels of English are considered the equivalent of English at B-level in Denmark:

  • Finland
    Ylioppilastutkintotodistus/Studentexamensbetyg
    minimum 8 courses in A or B English
  • Iceland
    Studentsprof with 15 einigar in English
  • IB
    English B (SL)
  • Norway
    Vitnemål with Internationalt engelsk (SPR3008+3009)
    or Vitnemål with Engelsk 1 (Spr3029+SPR3030)
  • Sweden
    Slutbetyg
    English kurs C (before 2014) or English steg 7 (after 2014)
     

Danish taught programmes at the Academy
Admission to a Danish taught programme requires Danish language proficiency at an academic level. Applicants must document Danish language qualifications corresponding to Danish at A-level, either from a Danish upper secondary school exam (high school), or by successfully completing the Danish proficiency test 'Studieprøven i dansk' with a minimum grade of 2 in each discipline