Educational formalities

Anyone over the age of 17½ years can attend a folk high school (the Youth folk high schools admit young people between 16 and 19 years of age) – no matter their educational background.

Folk high school is for everybody

The courses are meant to broaden general, social and democratic competences. This means that you can meet young people at 18 who just finished high school; students at the universities taking a year off, 25-year-olds who still do not know what to do with their lives, adults with an education exploring new sides of themselves etc.

Please be advised that in order to attend a Danish folk high school you must be able to participate in the education provided. This means that you have to be able to understand and speak the language the course is conducted in, which most likely would be Danish or English.

Youth Folk High Schools for Ages 16-19

If you are between 16 and 19 years old, you have the opportunity to attend a youth folk high school. There are two youth folk high schools in Denmark: Egå Youth Folk High School and Ribe Ungdomshøjskole.

See which courses the youth folk high schools offer.

Higher education

The education at the Danish folk high schools is non-formal and does generally not qualify for higher education.

A folk high school is a non-formal residential school offering learning opportunities in almost any subject such as  history, arts, music, sports, philosophy, theatre, photography etc. The schools decide individually on the content of the courses and there are no tests or exams at the end of the term.

Even though the schools receive financial support from the state and belong under the Ministry of Culture they are not part of the formal educational system in Denmark. Therefore, you will not be accepted at universities, colleges or the like after following courses at a folk high school.

Thus, a course at a folk high school does not qualify for admission to a higher education and does not give access to further education or residence in Denmark.

However, it is possible to follow courses at a folk high school preparing you for a specific professional career.

You can find courses aimed at training specific skills that will lead you into a future career e.g.:

  • an actor
  • a policeman
  • a nurse
  • a journalist
  • an architect

Diploma

For courses longer than four weeks, a certificate is normally issued.

However, please note that the certificate is mere proof of your attendance of the course. The certificate does not qualify you for admission to any other form of education in Denmark!