Step 1. Who can apply?
You must have a qualifying degree in order to apply for admission to the design programme.
The following degrees qualify for admission:
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General Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate (STX)
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Vocational Upper Secondary Certificate (EUX). An EUX Part 1 certificate is equivalent to a Higher Preparatory Examination (HF) without the advanced supplementary year
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Higher Preparatory Examination (HF), with or without the advanced supplementary year
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Steiner HF (eligible for quota 2 only)
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Higher Commercial Examination (HHX)
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Higher Technical Examination (HTX)
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Upper secondary bridging courses for refugees and immigrants (GIF)
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Faroese Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate; Greenlandic Upper Secondary Education; Faroese Higher Preparatory Examination; Faroese Higher Commercial Examination; the vocational upper secondary Higher Commercial Examination from Greenland; Faroese Higher Technical Examination; the vocational upper secondary Higher Technical Examination from Greenland
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School Leaving Examination from Duborg-Skolen and A.P. Møller Skolen
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Danish/French Baccalaureate (DFB), European Baccalaureate (EB), International Baccalaureate (IB) with IB Diploma, Baccalauréat Français International (BFI), and the Danish-German Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate (DIAP)
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International Baccalaureate (IB) with IB Course Results totalling at least 18 points is considered equivalent to an upper secondary qualification, provided the applicant has achieved at least grade 3 in each of the six IB subjects
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Other international qualifications comparable to a Danish upper secondary qualification. Applicants holding qualifications from outside the EU/EEA (e.g. the USA or the UK) may apply for admission through quota 2 only.
If you have a foreign degree and you are unsure whether it qualifies you for admission, you can check the examinations manual via link below.
Language requirements: Foreign applicants who do not have a Danish or Nordic entrance examination must have passed the Danish study test in all subjects. Documentation of a passed study test must be uploaded via optagelse.dk no later than 5 July at 12:00.
This year’s students: If you complete your qualifying degree after 15 March 2026, you must add this information to your application. When you have passed your final exam, you must upload your diploma to your application at www.optagelse.dk no later than 5 July 2026 at 12.00.
Exemption from a qualifying degree
If you are granted an exemption, this means that you can take part in the admission process on an equal footing with the other applicants. If you are not granted an exemption, you are ineligible for admission.
The exemption request must include:
An answer to the following brief: “Use words and images to describe and put into perspective one of your own design projects, while comparing it to a similar project that you are familiar with.”
Your answer to the brief must include a text explaining your own thoughts regarding your design solutions / products:
In your opinion:
- Why is your idea and the purpose of your idea a good choice?
- Why is the solution constructed the way it is?
- What have you chosen to include/not include in terms of the solution’s shape, colour, material, size, purpose etc.?
- Why have you chosen to compare these projects?
- What works and what doesn’t work in terms of the two projects?
Your submission must not exceed three pages in total, divided as follows: one page of written text and two pages of illustrations (photographs, sketches or drawings).
You must also submit a CV and a personal statement. In your personal statement, please explain why you are applying for the Design programme and describe your previous experience and activities. The personal statement and CV together must not exceed three A4 pages.
Please include documentation of any qualifications you have completed.
Your application for exemption must demonstrate your ability to work and communicate visually. We use it to assess your talent and development potential as a future designer. We will also assess whether your written communication skills are at the same level as those of an applicant holding a qualifying upper secondary examination.
You must upload your exemption application as an attachment to your main application.
Application deadline
The application deadline is 15 March at 12 noon. Remember to tick the box “I am applying for admission by special permission” in your application.
If you have already been granted exemption from the qualifying examination requirement for the Design programme at Kolding School of Design in 2024 or 2025, you do not need to submit a new exemption application.
Please remember to upload a copy of the email granting you exemption as an attachment to your application.
You will receive a decision regarding your exemption application no later than 8 May 2026. Exemption applications are assessed by Kolding School of Design.
Language requirements for international applicants
Our Bachelor programme is almost entirely taught in Danish, and applicants must document Danish language proficiency comparable to the Danish “A level”. International applicants, whose qualifying examination does not have an element of Danish language, must have passed a test in Danish language proficiency. The test is called ‘Studieprøven’ or ‘Higher Education Examination of Danish as a Second Language.’ The test must be passed in each discipline.
The requirement of ‘Danish A’ is automatically fulfilled by Norwegians, Swedes, Icelanders, Fins, Faroese, and Greenlanders by having passed Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian at the equivalent, highest level from upper secondary school. Icelandic applicants can also meet the ‘Danish A’ requirement, by having passed Icelandic at an equivalent level.