Apply for the Master's program

You can apply for the Master's program if you have a bachelor's degree from another artistic educational institution.

You must be able to speak and understand English at a level that makes it possible to participate in classes. Classes are taught in English.

You must upload a minimum of five and a maximum of eight independent works, which will be assessed by an admissions committee.

The Master's programme is a full-time program of 180 ECTS credits over 3 years.

Each academic year runs from September 15 to June 30, and the course content consists partly of independent work in studios and workshops, and partly of classes with compulsory attendance.

The program requires a high degree of independence and determination, as it is the individual, artistic process that is central to the program (student centered learning).

You can read more about the program here.

You can receive SU during the program if you are SU-eligible and have not used up your SU-clips.

Read more about SU rules here.

Among other things, the admissions committee emphasizes the following in the works you submit:

• The originality of the submitted work
• The strength of the idea behind the work and that the intentionality of the work is clear
• Coherence between form and content
• Your potential for artistic and professional development

The Schools of Visual Arts at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts holds an annual Open House event for applicants to the Master's programme. Changes to the program may occur.

Program for applicants to the Master's program - held in Danish
13.00-13.30: Welcome and introduction by Rector Lars Bent Petersen - NB: can also be livestreamed
13.30-14.00: Information about the admission process and Q&A - NOTE: can also be livestreamed
14.00-15.00: Tour of the Academy of Fine Arts by the students

There will be an event at 10:00 in Danish for applicants to the bachelor programme.

You must have a minimum of 5 works and a maximum of 8 independent works, as assessed by the admissions committee.

You will also be asked to upload a short CV and a motivation letter to be filled out in a template, which can be found under "CV and motivation letter".

The application is submitted electronically via the application portal Studieoptag.dk. Our programs will be available January 6, 2026.

The first time you apply, you need to create a user profile with your name and email. Through this profile you can view and edit your application. The system works best in Google Chrome.

Once you have created your user profile, you need to enter personal information such as your social security number or date of birth and possibly upload a profile picture. The profile picture is not a requirement.

Studieoptag.dk is the common application portal for all programs under the Ministry of Culture, and therefore you must choose which program you want to apply to when you start your application.

You must attach a CV to your application:

• Be typed into this template (link)
• Must be completed in English
• Maximum 2400 characters including spaces
• Must be able to fit on one A4 page
• Must be uploaded as a pdf file

You can adjust the size of the template as long as you adhere to the above.

You must also upload a motivation letter in your application:

• Must be written in our template (same as CV)
• Must be completed in English
• Must answer all fields in the template
• Maximum 2400 characters including spaces
• Must fit on one A4 page
• Must be uploaded as a pdf file

Your application must contain a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8 different works. You can upload up to 10 image files and up to 2 video files of the 5-8 works you are applying with.

Images:

• One work per image file. Do not put multiple images of the same work into one image file.
• Do not combine images of different works in one image file.
• Must be JPEG/JPG/PNG files
• Must not exceed 3 MB and 1920×1080 pixels
• Can document painting, sculpture, drawing, print, photo, installation, etc.
• If the work contains a large amount of non-digital text (e.g. handwriting), a digital image of the text must also be uploaded.

Videos:

• One work per file. Do not clip multiple works together.
• Can be video work, audio work or documentation of performance/installation
• QuickTime mpeg4/H264, 1920×1080 px
• Maximum 100 MB per video
• Maximum 2 minutes + a 5 second sign
• Must include a sign at the beginning of each video: White text on a black background containing your name, work title, audio yes/no, and if excerpt - the original length
• Example: Hans Hansen - "title", minus audio, original length: 6 min
• Videos without a sign are rejected

Below are examples of what you can and cannot do.

You must upload your bachelor's diploma when you apply for the master's program. If you graduate after the application deadline, you must upload a document that shows how far you have come, such as a transcript of records.

You will be asked to upload a photo of your passport so that we have proof of your identity.

It costs DKK 750 to apply and is non-refundable.

You can only submit your application once payment has been completed.

It is important to click "Submit" after payment, otherwise your application will be a draft. We have not received your application until you have paid and clicked "Submit". Remember to pay in good time so you don't risk submitting too late due to payment issues.

You will receive a confirmation email when your application has been received. This email is your confirmation that we have received your application. If you have not received a confirmation email, we have not received your application. It may take some time before you receive it, but check your spam filter.

The application system closes automatically at 12:00, even if you are in the process of paying. It is your responsibility to submit your application on time.

You can edit your application after you have paid and before you submit. Just remember to press "Submit" when you're done.

You can also edit your application after you've submitted it - if it's still before the application deadline. Then you need to withdraw your application, edit, and then remember to resubmit. Otherwise, the application will remain as a draft.

Admission is based on a specific artistic assessment of the submitted works.

The assessment is made by an admissions committee consisting of the rector or his/her deputy, representatives of the institution's professors and associate professors, at least one student representative and at least one external examiner. The rector or his/her deputy is the chairperson of the admissions committee.

Approximately 15 applicants will be invited for an interview. The interviews assess, among other things, the applicants' motivation and their ability to put their own works into perspective.

Each interview lasts approximately 10 minutes and you do not need to bring any works to the interview. The starting point for the interview will be your application.

The interview language is generally English, in order to test your language skills.

You will receive a response immediately after the admission process is completed. Applicants who are not offered a place will receive an indication of how far they have progressed in the process. It is not possible to get an individual reason.

If you are offered a study place, you are obliged to disclose any previous higher education at master's level that can be assumed to give credit.

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts must charge a tuition fee from international students who are not citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland.

The tuition fee is DKK 120,000.00 per academic year or DKK 60,000.00 for the fall semester (September 15 to January 31), and DKK 60,000.00 for the spring semester (February 1 to June 30).

The Academy of Fine Arts does not offer grants to cover tuition fees.

No, but the interview will be conducted in English and your English language skills will be assessed here. You must be able to hold a conversation about art in English.

If you don't have a bachelor's degree from an artistic educational institution, you can apply for an exemption.

You can do this by sending a CV and documents from the degree program(s) you have.

No, personalized feedback is not given. However, you can view general admission figures and assessment criteria

If you finish your bachelor's degree after the admission deadline but before September 1, simply send your bachelor's diploma as soon as possible after you graduate. If you graduate later than September, you will have to wait until the following year to apply for admission.

If you have problems uploading files, try using a different browser. We recommend Google Chrome. You should also check if the file has the right format and size. Contact us if you continue to have problems.

If your payment is not going through, you should first contact your bank. There may be a setup on your payment card that is blocking the payment. Therefore, it's a good idea to pay well in advance of the deadline