Over 1,100 nursing study places remain vacant in Denmark

More than 1,100 places on Denmark’s nursing degree programmes are still unfilled, despite a slight rise in applications, according to figures from the Danish Nurses’ Council.

The shortfall represents roughly one in four available spots, even as nearly 60,000 applicants nationwide have now received offers for higher-education places. Other welfare-focused programmes—primary-school teaching, social work, and pedagogy—also report empty seats.

Cecilie Elstrøm Rasmussen, chair of the National Association of Nursing Students, noted a 3 % increase in nursing applicants this year. “If you look very closely, this is a positive story,” she said, adding that more people now see themselves in the profession. Yet she acknowledged disappointment that so many places remain open: “If it were up to me, every spot would be filled.”

Official data from the Coordinated Enrolment system show nursing programmes in Aarhus and Frederiksberg are fully subscribed, but vacancies persist elsewhere. Overall, 11,023 students have been admitted to the four main welfare programmes, up from 10,797 last year—a trend Noemi Katznelson, professor of youth and education research at Aalborg University, called “cautiously optimistic.”

“Society has a problem here,” Katznelson said, pointing to years of declining interest in these fields. Politicians have recently shifted messaging, she noted, urging students to pursue careers the country needs, such as teaching, nursing, or social work.

However, the current uptick does not yet match enrolment levels seen in 2022–2024. The Ministry of Research, Education, and Digitalisation reports over 16,000 unfilled places across all programmes, and institutions may continue to accept late applications after 28 July at their discretion.