New figures from the Ministry for Education and Research show the number of foreigners receiving Danish students grants (SU) has increased more than sevenfold, from 546 in January 2013 to 3,945 in January 2015.
Since 2013, when the EU declared that all EU and EEA citizens are entitled to SU while studying in Denmark providing they work 12 hours per week, the number of people moving to Denmark with the main purpose of studying has skyrocketed.
An estimated additional 200 million kroner for SU-related expenses was included in the SU reform package in 2013, which all the political parties in Parliament, with the exception of Enhedslisten, agreed upon.
This adjustment means that about 390 million kroner will be granted to foreigners receiving SU.
Mostly from Romania and Lithuania
Romanian and Lithuanian nationals were the two most represented among the foreign students on SU in 2014, with 998 Romanians and 698 Lithuanians getting the grant.
In comparison, only 178 Swedes and 52 Norwegians were part of the Danish SU system.
Other highly represented countries were Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Poland and Latvia.
In total, 5,357 non-Danish citizens were registered in the SU system in 2014. The monthly grant amounts to 5,903 kroner before tax.
