Discover Funding and Scholarship Opportunities at AU for Indonesian Students
Denmark is known for being one of the happiest countries in the world, and the Danish education system is renowned globally for its high quality.
This blog was original posted in 2023 by Mutia, It was updated in 2025 by Dinda.
Aarhus University is a prime example of this, offering many international study programmes fully taught in English. I believe studying in Denmark can provide students with a great opportunity to learn about the Danish way of life and potentially establish a career in the country.
After I chose Aarhus University as my study destination, I also started searching for different scholarship and funding opportunities, so I could pursue my master's degree in Denmark. I would love to share how I and fellow Indonesian students at Aarhus University have been able to find different ways to fund our studies as there are various scholarship options, with some being available for all international students and other just for students of Indonesian nationality.
Danish Government Scholarship
Aarhus University offers a limited number of scholarships for non-EU students, including Indonesia. The scholarship is financed by the Danish state. There are different types of grants based on the programme the students apply for:
- Faculty of Arts: Tuition fee waiver + monthly grant towards living expenses
- Aarhus BSS: Tuition fee waiver + monthly grant towards living expenses
- Faculty of Natural Sciences: Tuition fee waiver
- Faculty of Technical Sciences: Tuition fee waiver
How do I apply for a Danish Government Scholarship in AU?
When you apply for admission, your application will automatically be assessed with a view to a possible scholarship, along with our academic assessment of your qualifications. The scholarship that is connected to a study programme cannot be shifted to another program.
If you get the Danish Government scholarship to study at Aarhus University, you are allowed to work a part-time job for up to 90 hours/month on top of your scholarship grant. However, you will have to be aware that you need to register a tax account if you get the living expense grant and part-time income, so that your income will not automatically have 50% deducted by the Danish tax agency.
I myself receive a tuition fee waiver + monthly grant towards living expenses, as I am studying my Master of Arts in Sustainable Heritage Management from August 2021 until June 2023. As a general rule with the scholarship grant, I need to pass every exam and course that I take every semester. If there are some kind of extenuating circumstances which mean that you need to postpone your semester in the middle of your study (e.g. serious illness, accidents, etc.) you need to talk to international admission at Aarhus University regarding your grant. You can see more information about the grant from Danish Government Scholarship here. You can reach me personally through the student ambassador platform Unibuddy here.
Meet Farhad Zamani and Najlaa, Danish Government Scholarship recipients for Natural and Technical Sciences
Farhad Zamani is currently an Indonesian Master's student of Bioinformatics at Aarhus University since September 2022, and Najlaa is currently a Master's student of Chemical Engineering at Aarhus University since February 2023. Both of them get tuition fee waivers for their studies and are allowed to have part-time jobs for a maximum of 90 hours/month. Currently, along with being a project student intern, Farhad has a part-time job in Aarhus to cover his living expenses. Biking and cooking are some of the options to save money on transportation expenses in Aarhus. You may be interested on how to live the best possible cheap life in Aarhus, and if so then you may want to read our blog about it here, and you can hear more about biking in Denmark here.
LPDP (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan) Scholarship
LPDP is a scholarship funded by the Indonesian government for Indonesian students to pursue higher education both domestically and internationally. Aarhus University is one of the universities registered for all master's programs for Indonesian students. You can learn more about the LPDP application page here.
How do I apply LPDP to study at Aarhus University?
Choose Regular Scholarship on the LPDP Homepage: You can select the Regular Scholarship on the LPDP homepage to view the rules and information available, and apply through the application portal here.
Apply with Letter of Acceptance (LoA): If you already have a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) from Aarhus University, you do not need to take the Academic Potential Test (TPA) during the LPDP application process. Simply attach the LoA from Aarhus University as 'unconditional acceptance' on the LPDP application portal.
Apply without LoA: If the LoA has not been issued when the LPDP registration opens, you can still apply and take the Academic Potential Test (TPA) according to the LPDP procedures. Don’t worry, even if the LoA is issued after the LPDP registration closes, you can still proceed with the application without the LoA, and you can submit the LoA once you receive the scholarship.
Pay Attention to Schedule and Procedures: Please note that the LPDP registration schedule does not always align with the admission process at Aarhus University. Therefore, the LoA may be issued either before or after the LPDP registration period. Aarhus University is also unable to postpone the offer made in the year of registration to the next semester or academic year.
The schedule and procedures for the LPDP application may change every year. See more schedules and updates here.
Meet Erika, an LPDP awardee for Arts in Aarhus University
Erika has been granted a full scholarship from LPDP and has lived in Aarhus since September 2022. She is currently studying a full Master’s degree in Intercultural Studies at Aarhus University. As an LPDP awardee in Aarhus, she receives the grant directly, and has the option to receive the money either through her Indonesian account, her Danish bank account, or another digital bank account. Other than that, she does not need to apply for a Danish tax card as her visa is listed as ‘self-accommodate’ and not receiving income from any Danish institute.
Erika applied for LPDP with a Letter of Acceptance that allowed her not to take the Test Potential Academic (TPA) process. During her application process between Aarhus University and LPDP, she was in contact with the admission office of Aarhus University to negotiate her tuition fee payment schedule, as her LPDP grant had not arrived yet. Aarhus University thus granted her extra time following her LPDP schedule to pay the tuition fee.