Studiestart 2020, DTU Diplom. Foto: Thomas Hjort Jensen.

More than 80 per cent of DTU study programmes full

Impressive intake to DTU’s 36 study programmes again this year. A total of 2,386 new students have today been told that they can start their studies in September.

Last year admissions totalled 2,641 as a result of the agreement between the Danish government and parliament to increase the number of study places in higher education in the light of COVID-19, which meant that DTU increased its intake by 330 compared to 2019. This year, an additional intake of only 35 has been allowed on our BSc Eng programme as a result of the so-called STEM funds.

The absence of the additional COVID-19 study places means that this year more qualified applicants have been turned down than last year, which is why we are seeing a general increase in the minimum grade point averages (GPAs) required for admission in Denmark. This also applies at DTU, where the highest GPAs are for admission to our BSc Eng programmes in General Engineering (9.0) and Artificial Intelligence and Data (8.9).

“If truth be told, we didn’t know until the applications started coming in whether last year’s corona crisis would impact DTU—except, of course, that we were well aware that our intake would go down without the additional COVID-19 study places. We’re extremely pleased to see that so many talented young people have applied to study at DTU again this year. In fact, only two of our BSc Eng programmes and five of our BEng programmes have available places,” explains Dean Lars D. Christoffersen, and continues:

“And I’m also proud that we’re succeeding in maintaining a healthy gender balance compared to what is normal in engineering education, with women accounting for 36% of students on our BSc Eng programmes, and 28% on our BEng programmes.”

Increasing GPAs

This year, DTU has offered a study place to a total of 1,416 new BSc Eng students compared to 1,623 last year, and a total of 970 young BEng students compared to 1,018 last year. On nine of DTU’s BSc Eng programmes, the GPAs are above 8.0 this year, while 11 of DTU's BEng programmes close with GPAs above 5.5.

DTU’s new BSc Eng programme in Life Science Engineering, which is the result of an amalgamation of the three former specializations in Biotechnology, Human Life Science Engineering, and Quantitative Biology and Disease Modelling, has got off to a good start with full intake and a GPA of 8.5, according to Lars D. Christoffersen.

With regard to the BEng programmes, Lars D. Christoffersen highlights that the Software Technology programme, which this year is increasing its intake by 20 due to a high number of applicants, ends with a GPA of 6.9. Software Technology thus tops the list among DTU’s BEng programmes, together with the Architectural Engineering (7.7) and IT and Economics (6.7) programmes.

“We’re also extremely pleased that the two DTU programmes offered in Sisimiut, Greenland, have again attracted many qualified applicants,” he says.

The Arctic Civil Engineering programme is full, and the admission of seven students to the Fisheries Technology programme is on a par with last year’s intake.

The many new engineering students will be welcomed to DTU on Friday 20 August and will be given a broad introduction to life as a student of engineering during the intro days being held on the campuses at the weekend and during the following week. The new academic year starts on Monday 30 August, which is also when classes start for all new DTU students.

Vacant study places can be applied for from 28 July
At DTU, 29 out of 36 programmes are full, and no places are thus available on these programmes. From Wednesday 28 July 2021, applicants are welcome to apply for a place on one of the seven programmes on which places are still available. Apply via dtu.dk. The deadline for applying is 7 August, and applicants will be told whether they have been accepted on 16 August.