Free Danish lessons: how to find and use Danish language courses (DU1, DU2, DU3)

Who is entitled to free Danish lessons?

You are entitled to free danskuddannelse if you are a foreigner living, working or studying in Denmark, you have a CPR number and you are 18 or over. How long the right lasts does not turn on your arrival date: the offer runs for up to five years from the point when you can begin the course, and your referral letter (henvisningsbrev) from the municipality documents when that clock started Dansk og prøver Studieskolen.

What you are referred into depends on your grounds of residence, not on registration alone. Refugees and people family-reunified with a refugee are referred as part of an integration programme; foreign workers and students are referred separately and are not obliged to take up the offer Dansk og prøver. Most foreigners with a normal CPR number are covered, but there are exceptions: holders of an administrative CPR number, for example diplomats, are not entitled Studieskolen. It is your municipality that decides.

One warning: if you receive social benefits, attendance is compulsory, and your benefits can be reduced if you fail to turn up Københavns Kommune.

What are the DU1, DU2 and DU3 tracks?

There are three official programmes, and they are aimed at different educational backgrounds Dansk og prøver.

• Danskuddannelse 1 (DU1) - for learners who cannot read and write in their own language, or who do not know the Latin script. Five modules.
• Danskuddannelse 2 (DU2) - for learners with a short school and education background. Six modules.
• Danskuddannelse 3 (DU3) - for learners with a medium or long school and education background who are expected to pick Danish up quickly. Five modules, plus a sixth aimed at people who plan to study in Danish.

Most professionals who move here for work end up on DU3. That is not a compliment to you personally; it is a placement based on how much school you have behind you Dansk og prøver.

How does the school decide which track you join?

You do not choose. Before teaching starts, the language centre interviews you and assesses your background and language skills, then places you on the track that fits Københavns Kommune Dansk og prøver.

Practically, bring details of your education. If you have a degree but no documents with you, say so at the interview, because placement is largely based on your schooling. If the placement feels wrong after a few weeks, ask the school to reassess you rather than drifting through a module that is too easy.

What are the modules and exams?

Each track is split into modules, and each module ends with a module test. You must pass the module test to move on to the next module Dansk og prøver.

The tracks finish with an official exam Dansk og prøver:

• Prøve i Dansk 1 (PD1) - concludes DU1.
• Prøve i Dansk 2 (PD2) - concludes DU2.
• Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3) - concludes DU3 after module 5.
• Studieprøven (SP) - concludes DU3 after module 6, and is the highest level, for people heading into Danish-language higher education.

Passing each module test is what lets you move on to the next module; only the official prøver provide the documentation accepted for residence permits and citizenship Dansk og prøver.

What does each exam unlock?

This is the practical reason to keep going.

• PD1 is basic functional Danish, and is useful as evidence of language ability in job applications. Family reunification has its own Danish language requirements and deadlines, so check the current rules at Nyidanmark rather than assuming PD1 settles them.
• PD2 is a requirement for a permanent residence permit. You must pass Prøve i Dansk 2 or a test at an equivalent or higher level Nyidanmark.
• PD3 satisfies one of the four supplementary requirements for permanent residence. You need the basic requirements plus at least two of the four supplementary ones, and if you meet all four you can apply after four years of legal residence instead of eight Nyidanmark.
• PD3 is also part of the requirements for Danish citizenship, alongside the citizenship test and the other conditions Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet.
• PD3 and Studieprøven open the door to jobs that require Danish and to studying in Danish.

Roughly speaking, module 3 or 4 of DU3 is where everyday work conversation starts to be possible, and PD2 is the minimum for permanent residence.

What if you are not entitled, and what does it cost?

If you are not entitled - because your five years have run out, or because your residence status does not qualify - you can still take the courses and pay for them yourself.

Prices depend on the school and the module. As of 2026, one Copenhagen school lists self-payer prices per module of about DKK 5,250 to DKK 9,995 on DU3 and about DKK 7,495 to DKK 8,995 on DU2. DU1, which needs far more teaching hours, is the most expensive at about DKK 13,595 to DKK 13,995 per module Speak.

You can usually pay per module, per week or per lesson, and paying for a whole module is the cheapest option Speak.

How do you enrol, and how long do you have?

1. Get your CPR number and register your address. Nothing starts before this Dansk og prøver.
2. Your municipality sends you a referral letter (henvisningsbrev) once you are registered. This letter is what documents when your five years begin Dansk og prøver.
3. Contact a language centre - in Copenhagen, for example, Sprogcenter København, Studieskolen or UCplus - and book the assessment interview Studieskolen UCplus.
4. If you are self-supporting, pay the DKK 2,000 deposit before you start. Au pairs and people covered by the integration act do not pay it Københavns Kommune.

The deadline pressure is real. The offer applies for up to five years from the point you could begin, and language centres are required to plan the teaching so the course can be completed within three years Dansk og prøver. If you are self-supporting you may pause the course, but your five years keep running and you must tell your language centre first Københavns Kommune. Life gets busy; people who leave it two years usually regret it.

The deposit has its own deadlines: you get it back when you pass the module tests within the module’s window. For danskuddannelse 1, 2 and 3 the window is 6 months for modules 1 and 2, 7 months for module 3, 8 months for module 4, and 9 months for modules 5 and 6. If you do not pass within the window you can keep attending on the same deposit, but you must pay a new DKK 2,000 deposit when you are referred to a new module Dansk og prøver.

Evening or daytime, and are there waiting lists?

Language centres run both, and most people with a job take evening classes. Daytime classes fill faster and are often the only option for people who are unemployed, since attendance may be part of their obligations.

Waiting lists are common in Copenhagen for popular times, especially evening DU3 classes. Book the assessment early and take the first slot you can realistically attend.

What free options exist online, and can you learn through your job?

Online tools are useful supplements and bad substitutes: on their own they will not get you to PD2. The official prøver test reading, writing, listening and speaking to a set standard, and you can only sit them through an approved test centre. You can also register for PD1, PD2, PD3 or Studieprøven as a self-study candidate (selvstuderende), whether or not you are entitled to free tuition: you must register with an approved test centre at least ten weeks before a test term begins, show valid ID and, as a self-study candidate, pay the centre’s exam fee Dansk og prøver.

What helps alongside classes:

• DR and Danish podcasts for listening.
• Library language cafés and conversation groups, which most Copenhagen libraries run.
• Your workplace. Many Danish employers pay for Danish lessons or run lunchtime classes, especially in tech, engineering and life science. Ask HR.
• The job centre, which can refer or require you to attend Danish lessons if you are unemployed.

How long to a useful level if you work full time?

Danskuddannelsen is designed so the whole programme can be completed within three years, and it is a part-time course Dansk og prøver. Two evening lessons a week is a realistic load alongside a full-time job.

Progress varies with your starting level and how consistently you attend. The programme is designed to be completed within three years; missing modules and waiting for a better class are what stretch it out.

What it costs and how long it takes

Common mistakes

• Waiting until you are settled. The five-year clock starts when you can begin, not when you feel ready.
• Assuming you can choose DU3. Placement is decided by the language centre.
• Skipping the module tests. You cannot move on, and you lose that module’s deposit refund.
• Treating a module test as an exam. Only PD1, PD2, PD3 and Studieprøven count for residence and citizenship.
• Never telling the school you are pausing. You keep using your entitlement while you are away.

If something goes wrong

If your referral letter never arrives, contact your municipality’s Borgerservice. The letter documents when your five years began, which may be earlier than the date you receive it, so chase it rather than waiting Københavns Kommune.

If you think you are on the wrong track, ask for a reassessment. Placement decisions are made by schools, not by the ministry, and they can be revisited Dansk og prøver.

If you lose your deposit because of illness or a move, ask the centre what documentation they accept; deadlines are administered by the school within the national rules Dansk og prøver.