Today’s big topic: University of Southern Denmark pauses admission of non-EU students
In numbers, SDU has admitted more students from the South Asian country than RUC. While there were 37 students from Bangladesh at SDU in 2020, the number rose to 241 in 2024.
What’s happening?
After strong criticism regarding universities’ admission of students from Bangladesh, the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is now implementing several measures to tighten access. About 700 students from non-EU countries have applied for admission to SDU in February. But even if they meet the formal admission requirements, they will all receive a rejection.
Rector Jens Ringsmose has decided to completely halt the winter admissions for this group of applicants: »We are taking a break to thoroughly analyze what exactly we are up against«, he says.
Why it matters!
SDU, like several other universities, has experienced an explosive increase in applicants from countries like Bangladesh and Nepal. The university suspects that some of the students who started in September this year and come from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Cameroon may have falsified their exam certificates. Therefore, all of them must have their original educational institution send a certificate to SDU.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) has earlier this month accused Roskilde University of »conducting immigration policy on its own terms«. In 2024, one in six new master’s students at RUC was from Bangladesh, but in numbers, SDU has admitted more students. While there were 37 students from Bangladesh at SDU in 2020, the number rose to 241 in 2024.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– Experts call proposal to fund free kindergartens »clearly illegal«
Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil (S), the Social Democratic candidate for Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, wants to make daycare centers in the capital free. Among other things, it is to be financed by quadrupling the fines collected from companies that provide a service but breach their contract with the municipality. However, experts believe the proposal is illegal because a municipality is obligated to act reasonably. According to professor of law Frederik Waage, it is not reasonable to quadruple a fine in a contract because the money is needed for free kindergartens.
Read the full article here.
– Denmark’s airspace closed to civilian drone flying for one week
All of Denmark’s airspace will be closed to civilian drone flights for one week following suspicious drone activity, the Ministry of Transport informed Ritzau. The airspace closure comes into effect on Monday, September 29, and will last until October 3. This coincides with the European Council meeting that Denmark is hosting in this week.
»The curse of hybrid warfare is that it can be about something completely different than drones the day after tomorrow«, says Politiken’s defense editor, Jakob Hvide Beim.
– Researchers recommend halting cod fishing in Denmark
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has, for the first time ever, recommended ceasing all cod fishing in Danish waters next year. Not all Danish cod stocks are under pressure, some are doing fine. However, other stocks are in such poor condition that the only viable option is to ban cod fishing in 2026, says Stefan Neuenfeldt, senior researcher at DTU Aqua and a member of one of ICES’s advisory panels.
Talk of town: Member of Parliament sails towards Gaza
A number of sailboats are attempting to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza so that the Palestinian civilian population can receive humanitarian aid.
On Saturday, Danish Member of Parliament for Enhedslisten, Victoria Velasquez, sailed from Catania, Italy towards Gaza. She is part of a so-called flotilla attempting to deliver aid to the Palestinians. Velasquez’s boat is one of two Danish vessels purchased with collected funds. Onboard are various activists. The politician is thus part of ’1000 Madleens to Gaza’, one of several flotillas heading to Gaza with humanitarian aid.
»It would be strange not to be concerned. At the same time, I think it’s a reflection of what we’re dealing with. Because what we’re worried about – and what my family is worried about – is that Israel doesn’t comply with international law«, Victoria Velasquez says in an interview with Politiken.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.