With a record-breaking number of applicants for DTU's study programmes, DTU has had to base admission on grade point average for all programmes except for one. This is the highest number of applications for the BEng and BSc programmes at DTU in recent years.
No less than 2,041 young people can now log on to optag.dtu.dk and read their letter of admission from DTU. This means that once again, there is an impressive increase in the intake of students at DTU, which breaks down into an increase of 6 per cent on the BEng programme and just under 1 per cent on the BSc programme.
Generally speaking, this also means that it is more difficult to get one of the popular places on the study programmes at DTU. The grade point average has increased in connection with most study programmes—on the BEng as well as the BSc programmes.
"For the first time ever, we have had to base admission to all study programmes—except for one—on grade point average. And the figures send a clear signal that the engineering programmes and DTU in general have become more popular among young people. Denmark needs more engineers, so we are pleased that the interest in becoming an engineer seems to be growing," says Martin Vigild, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Student Affairs.
For seven out of 16 BSc study programmes, you now need a grade point average of at least 9.0 to be admitted, and a grade point average of 8.0 for the BEng study programmes. However, there are a lot of people who apply but don't get in—young people with the potential of becoming good engineers without necessarily having a grade point average of 9.0 or higher, says Martin Vigild and continues:
"DTU has experienced an increase in the number of applicants over the last few years, and we are delighted about this trend. But the fact is that in ten years, Denmark will be short of 13,500 engineers and MSc graduates, and we have to actively contribute to solving this problem. Next year, we will therefore work to create more places on the programmes to ensure that more people can be admitted to the study programme of their dreams."
Construction remains popular among young people
The most popular BEng study programmes this year are Building and Civil Engineering, Architectural Engineering and Software Technology, while Chemistry and Technology, Environmental Engineering and Strategic Analysis as well as Systems Design are the most popular BSc study programmes.
"In our experience, not only hardcore engineering nerds apply for admission to DTU. Among the applicants, we also find engineering nerds with a keen interest in sustainability and social responsibility as well as a new group of students—management engineering nerds, you could call them—who aim for jobs with large management responsibility. At DTU we are looking forward to welcoming all the new students to the two DTU campuses in Ballerup and Lyngby, respectively, and already in the last week of August, DTU President Anders Bjarklev and I will visit the newly admitted students on their freshers' trip," says Martin Vigild.