Danish students and EU citizens who receive the state’s student grant will no longer be eligible if they study in Russia or Belarus, according to the Danish government.
According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, the measure exempts all students in Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Russia and Belarus studies from receiving state grants, which the government allocates to students who attend full-time higher education.
However, if the Reform Commission’s recommendation is approved, the grant can be converted into a loan of €1,680. Furthermore, the Commission wishes to maintain grants for undergraduate students and those pursuing vocational qualifications. Furthermore, as the Commission’s head, Nina Smith, has stated, state savings should be invested in education.
“We are proposing more and better education. Not less education, if anyone should have the silly idea of interpreting this as such. This is an investment exercise, not a cost-cutting exercise,”
Smith said.
According to The Local, opponents of the proposal believe it will discourage people who do not earn as much from pursuing higher education because those with a master’s degree earn more. The Statens Uddannelsesstte (SU) grant was first introduced in Denmark to assist people with financial difficulties in pursuing higher education. The grant has been a success, as the system has seen an increase in enrollment in universities of nearly 3% over the year.
The Danish Education Ministry previously revealed that the number of people applying for higher education through Quota 2 has dropped to 48,801, a substantial decrease from the previous year. Application rates were down by 19.6 per cent in particular. The Coronavirus is thought to be to blame for such levels, as students from low-income families had fewer options.
“One reason for this [high applications records] was that the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the closure of institutions and numerous restrictions, made it difficult for people to take up jobs, to study abroad, or go on higher education placements abroad,”
the Ministry’s press release read.
The cumulative number of applications received by Danish authorities will be announced on July 5, which is also the deadline for applications via Quote 1, with applicants receiving a response by July 28.
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