Top universities in Denmark

We have broken down the top five universities in Denmark, according to the QS World University Rankings 2024, to help you decide where to study. 

The QS World University Rankings shine a light on the best universities in the world and are based on nine indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty to student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, international research network, employment outcomes and sustainability. Find out more details about the methodology behind the world university rankings.  

The top five universities in Denmark 

5.Aalborg University

Photo: Aalborg University

Dropping one place in this year’s rankings, we have Aalborg University in fifth place in Denmark and taking joint 336th globally. One of the university’s highest scores is for the international research network, thanks to the university’s international research partnerships. The second highest is for the international student ratio with over 12 percent of the university’s student population being international students.  

Although its main campus is in Aalborg, the university has campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen too. The university offers students a real-world approach to learning, backed up with world-class research.

4. University of Southern Denmark

Moving up one place since last year, the University of Southern Denmark ranks fourth among the top five universities. SDU has risen 27 places in the QS World University Rankings 2024 to joint 326th place. The university earns its highest score in the sustainability indicator and is ranked100th globally for its commitment to a more sustainable world.  

The University of Southern Denmark helps students think critically and develop transferrable skills, which can be used in many different industries. The university has campuses in several cities across Denmark, including Odense, Slagelse, Kolding, Esbjerg, Sønderborg and Copenhagen. 

3. Aarhus University

FreeImages: Henrik Hedegaard

With a noteworthy improvement in this year’s world university rankings, Aarhus University has managed to go up four places and be ranked joint 143rd worldwide. The university is also ranked joint 18th globally for their commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Aarhus University’s research output is globally renowned and their curriculum focuses on research-based learning. This has facilitated the institution’s ranking as second in Denmark for their international research network. The school performs well across a range of subjects in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 - particularly Archaeology, where it ranks 19th in the world. 

2. Technical University of Denmark

Photo: DTU

In second place we have the Technical University of Denmark, dropping slightly by 18 places globally to 121st position in this year’s ranking. The university performs well in most of the indicators, particularly the student-faculty ratio (ranking 27th in the world) and international faculty -(53rd). This reflects the university’s ability to attract and retain world-class faculty members.  

The Technical University of Denmark aims to develop and create value with their natural sciences and technical science programmes, resulting in a top 50 position worldwide for its Environmental Science course, which is ranked 38th in the world in 2023. 

1.University of Copenhagen

Photo: Heine Pedersen 

Coming out on top in the list of the best universities in Denmark – once again – is the University of Copenhagen which also ranks joint 107th globally in the QS World University Rankings 2024. The University of Copenhagen earns a perfect score in the faculty-student ratio indicator, with a near perfect score in the international research network indicator. The university also has a strong reputation for having produced nine Nobel Prize winning researchers. 

Established in 1479, University of Copenhagen is one of the oldest universities in Denmark. They use research-based teaching to prepare their 30,300 students for life beyond university. The university also boasts one of the world’s greenest campuses and aims to leave as little environmental footprint as possible.