Quotas when applying for the BSc in General Engineering

What is a quota, and which quota should I apply through?

When applying for admission to the BSc in General Engineering, you can apply through two different quotas. Which quota you can and should apply through depends on the type of exam you are applying on the basis of and whether or not you need a study visa to be able to study in Denmark. If you need a study visa in order to study in Denmark and we can guarantee you admission, other deadlines apply to you. You can find further information on Application deadlines. 

Quota 1

Quota 1 is for qualified applicants who wish to be assessed based on their GPA (grade point average) alone. Please be aware that it is only possible to apply through this quota if you have a Danish upper secondary exam, an IB exam or an upper secondary exam from a Nordic or EU/EEA country. However, British exams will from 2021-2023 still be assessed in quota 1 as a transitional arrangement. 

The assessment in quota 1 is based on the applicants' GPAs. That means the applicant with the highest GPA will be admitted first, then the applicant with the second highest GPA and so forth. The GPA of the last applicant offered a study place is known as the GPA cut-off and is therefore not known until the entire admission process is completed on 28 July. As the cut-off GPA equals the GPA of the last admitted person through quota 1, it can also vary, sometimes hugely, from year to year, depending on the number of study places offered, the number of qualified applicants and the GPAs of those same applicants.

Quota 2

    1. You have to apply through this quota if your upper secondary exam is from outside the EU/EEA, and you do not need a study visa to study in Denmark.
    2. You should apply through this quota if you have a Danish or EU/EEA/IB upper secondary school exam and wish for an overall assessment of your application.
    3. You have to apply through this quota if your exam only gives access through quota 2.

    All quota 2 applicants must fulfil both the general and specific admission requirements and meet the quota 2 deadlines. 

    How am I assessed in quota 2?

    The process of assessing and prioritizing quota 2 applicants can be compared to the process that usually takes place when choosing candidates for a job. At DTU, we assess which applicants are best qualified and has the greatest potential to become an engineer.

    In the overall assessment of each applicant, we look at the following criteria:

    1. Motivation
      We place great emphasis on your motivation for applying to the study programme. It is, therefore, important that you attach a well-thought-out personal statement. In the personal statement, you should talk about why you wish to be admitted to the study programme you are applying for, what special qualifications you have, and what you want to use the programme for. In addition, you should tell us how your experience and qualifications match the study programme you are applying for.

      The personal statement should be written in English as you are applying for an English-taught programme.
    2. Grades and levels in selected subjects
      Your abilities in mathematics and natural science are essential when you want to train as an engineer. We, therefore, attach considerable importance to your results in the following subjects: mathematics, physics and chemistry. Your abilities in subjects like biology and computer science may also come into consideration.
    3. Work experience
      If you have undertaken study-related work which may have contributed positively to enhance your professional or personal qualifications, it will be included in the assessment.
    4. Other education
      If, in addition to your qualifying education, you have completed an academically relevant study programme or parts of an academically relevant study programme, it will be included in the assessment.
    5. Other activities
      If you have completed activities or obtained experience which may have a positive influence on your suitability for the study programme, you should remember to draw attention to this in your personal statement. It could, for example, be activities such as university studies with relevant academic content, voluntary work, civic duties or other service, stays abroad or language skills. You can include activities in your personal statement which you have not yet completed. You just need to describe your activities in your application and then send the documentation for the activities before the application deadline for quota 1 expires. 

    If you have applied for admission to DTU through quota 2, you are automatically assessed in quota 1 as well as long as you have an upper secondary school examination from an EU/EEA country, the Faroe Islands or Greenland.

    At Optagelse.dk, it is not possible to indicate whether you are applying for admission in quota 1 or quota 2. If you apply for admission before 15 March but you only want to be assessed in quota 1, you can attach a document to your application stating which quotas you would like to be assessed in.

    Which documentation should I include in my quota 2 application?

    Please see the required documentation for further information.

     

    What information should I include in my personal statement? 

    When applying for admission to DTU through quota 2, you have to enclose a personal statement and CV with your application. Both your personal statement and CV must be written in English.

    The personal statement should contain your reasons why we should admit you to DTU. We attach importance to three overall matters in the personal statement:

    1. Why have you chosen to apply for admission to the study programme in question?
      You should give your reasons for applying to General Engineering. You may also want to show that you are familiar with what the programme is all about.
    2. How have you improved your qualifications since you took your qualifying exam?
      Think about the relationship between your qualifications and the BSc in General Engineering. You can talk about what you have done to make yourself more qualified for the study programme.
    3. Do you have an international profile?
      The BSc in General Engineering is taught exclusively in English, and you will be part of an international study environment as well as a degree programme that prepares you for a career in a global labour market. Therefore please describe any international experience you may have from either living, working or studying abroad and how it is relevant and qualifies you for the BSc in General Engineering. 

    The personal statement should not contain information on everything you have done. It should only contain information regarding activities relevant to studying the BSc in General Engineering.

    As a guideline, your personal statement should not exceed 1 - 2 A4 pages.

     

    Applying through quota 2, if you earn your diploma the same year you apply for admission

    If you earn your diploma the same year as you apply for admission, you can still apply through quota 2. At DTU, however, it is relevant only if you have relevant work experience, leisure or educational experience of a significant extent prior to or during the duration of your upper secondary/high school exam.

    Mature applicants who have diverse, relevant experience will typically be prioritized higher than young applicants who have primarily completed their schooling and only have limited, short-term, relevant experience.

    Please be aware whether you are required to apply before the quota 2 deadline, even though you do not have other relevant experience, but because your exam can only be assessed in quota 2.