How Denmark converts your IB

What a Danish requirement means in IB terms

Danish A, B and C are levels of study, not grades. A is the highest, and a higher level always covers a lower one.

Every requirement a programme here asks for (22)

Danish A, B and C are levels of study, not grades. A is the highest level a subject can be taken at and C the lowest, and a higher level always covers a lower one. So when a programme asks for English B, it means English at B level — not the IB course English B, although English B SL is one way to meet it. Any IB English means any English A or English B course — not English ab initio.

Every subject a programme on this site asks for, read through the Agency's handbook. SL or HL means either level meets it. Where a university publishes its own additions, they are named under the national answer.

Danish requirement	In IB terms	Asked for by
Biology A Biologi A	Biology HL	1 programme
Biotechnology A	No IB equivalent. The handbook publishes no equivalent for this subject.	8 programmes
Business Economics C	Economics or Business Management (SL or HL)	1 programme
Chemistry B Kemi B	Chemistry (SL or HL)	4 programmes
Chemistry C	Chemistry (SL or HL)	5 programmes
Contemporary History B	History HL	15 programmes
Danish A Dansk A	Danish A (SL or HL) At SL the handbook formally counts this as Danish B. Universities normally accept it for Danish A because it sits above the Studieprøven test. Confirm with the university before you rely on it. The handbook names Danish A Literature, not Language and Literature, so whether this counts is not established. Ask the institution before you rely on it.	1 programme
Economics C	Economics or Business Management (SL or HL)	1 programme
English A Engelsk A	English B HL or English A	7 programmes
English B Engelsk B	Any IB English	56 programmes
English C	Any IB English	2 programmes
Geoscience A Geovidenskab A	No IB equivalent. The official handbook leaves the IB column blank for Geoscience A. IB Geography HL is not automatically accepted; you would normally need a Danish supplementary course.	18 programmes
History B Historie B	History (SL or HL)	15 programmes
History of Ideas B	No IB equivalent. The handbook publishes no equivalent for this subject.	15 programmes
International Economics B	Economics or Business Management (SL or HL)	10 programmes
Mathematics A Matematik A	Maths HL (AA or AI)	27 programmes
Mathematics B Matematik B	Any IB Maths	18 programmes
Mathematics C Matematik C	Any IB Maths	5 programmes
Physics B Fysik B	Physics (SL or HL)	19 programmes
Physics C	Physics (SL or HL)	1 programme
Second Foreign Language B	Language ab initio SL or Another language	1 programme
Social Studies B	No national IB equivalent. Denmark publishes no fixed equivalence for Social Studies, so it is decided university by university. AU: Global Politics HL, or Global Politics SL with Economics CBS: Business Management, Economics, Global Politics or History (SL or HL), or Geography HL or Anthropology HL	14 programmes

A minimum grade is converted with the single-grade table: the lowest IB grade that converts to the Danish minimum or above. The handbook's full subject table is under subjects and levels.

Total points to Danish grade average

The number you compete on in quota 1. There is no bonus on top of it, and it is re-issued every year.

The table, 18 to 45 points

This is the number you compete on in quota 1. It is re-issued every year — the table below is labelled Statistisk omregning 2026, Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen, and the version for the summer 2027 intake is published by 1 March 2027.

There is no bonus on top of it. The admission order in force for universities (Adgangsbekendtgørelsen, BEK nr 288 of 17 February 2026, § 17) ranks quota 1 on the exam average — for an IB Diploma, the converted average in this table — and contains no multiplier for applying soon after school. So a programme's cut-off and your converted average compare directly, and the IB points shown beside a cut-off on this site are read straight off this table. The same § 17 converts an exam only if it is from an EU or EEA country. § 18 puts applicants whose exam is from outside the EU/EEA in quota 2 only. An IB Diploma taken at a school in Denmark is converted like this.

Graduates up to and including 2019, and from 2023 onwards — which includes everyone sitting the May 2027 session.
IB total	Danish average
18	2.4
19	2.7
20	3.0
21	3.3
22	3.7
23	4.0
24	4.4
25	4.7
26	5.2
27	5.6
28	6.0
29	6.4
30	6.9
31	7.3
32	7.7
33	8.1
34	8.5
35	8.9
36	9.3
37	9.7
38	10.0
39	10.4
40	10.7
41	11.0
42	11.3
43	11.6
44	12.0
45	12.7

Single subject grades

Used only where a programme sets a minimum grade in a named subject. Never used to build your average.

IB grade 1–7 to the Danish scale

Used only where a programme sets a minimum grade in a named subject — Aalborg's Mathematics A at 4.0, or Copenhagen Business School's English B at 6.0. It is never used to build your average.

Only for programmes that set a minimum grade in a named subject. It is not used to build your average.
IB grade	Descriptor	Danish grade
7	Excellent	12
6	Very good	10
5	Good	7
4	Satisfactory	4
3	Mediocre	2
2	Poor	0
1	Very poor	-3

Where a subject was completed at several levels, the highest grade at or above the required level is used. A grade at a level below the one required does not count at all.

Subjects and levels: the handbook in full

39 Danish subject levels and the IB courses that meet each, plus the rule for other languages.

The full table

Prepared by the Danish Ministry of Children and Education. Danish levels are A (highest), B and C — they are levels of study, not grades.

IB subject and level to Danish subject level
Danish subject	Level	IB equivalent
Matematik	A	Mathematics HL Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation HL
Matematik	B	Mathematics SL (formerly Mathematical Methods SL) Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation SL
Matematik	C	Mathematical Studies SL
Engelsk	A	English A1 / A2 / B HL English A1 or A2 SL English A Literature HL or SL (from 2013) English A Language and Literature HL or SL (from 2013)
Engelsk	B	English B SL
Fysik	A	Physics HL
Fysik	B	Physics SL
Kemi	A	Chemistry HL
Kemi	B	Chemistry SL
Biologi	A	Biology HL
Biologi	B	Biology SL
Geografi / naturgeografi	B	Geography SL
Geovidenskab	A	No IB equivalent listed. The handbook lists no IB equivalent for Geoscience A. If a programme requires Geoscience A you will normally need a Danish supplementary course.
Historie / historie med samfundskundskab / samtidshistorie	A	History HL The subject may appear as History Europe, History Asia and so on depending on where it was taken.
Historie	B	History SL
Virksomhedsøkonomi A / International økonomi A / Afsætning A	A	Economics HL Business and Management HL
Virksomhedsøkonomi B / International økonomi B / Afsætning B / Erhvervsøkonomi C	B	Economics SL Business and Management SL
Psykologi	A	Psychology HL
Psykologi	B	Psychology SL
Filosofi	A	Philosophy HL
Filosofi	B	Philosophy SL
Datalogi / informatik / informationsteknologi / programmering	A	Computer Science HL ITGS HL
Datalogi / informatik / informationsteknologi / programmering	B	Computer Science SL ITGS SL
Billedkunst	A	Visual Arts HL
Billedkunst	B	Visual Arts SL
Design	A	Visual Arts HL
Design	B	Visual Arts SL
Dramatik	A	Theatre HL
Dramatik	B	Theatre SL
Musik	A	Music HL
Musik	B	Music SL
Latin	A	Latin HL
Latin	B	Latin SL
Græsk	A	Classical Greek HL
Græsk	B	Classical Greek SL
Dansk	A	Danish A1 HL Danish A Literature HL (from 2013)
Dansk	B	Danish A1 SL Danish A Literature SL (from 2013) Danish A1 SL / A Literature SL is normally accepted as meeting a Danish A entry requirement at university, because it sits above the Studieprøven language test.
Dansk som andetsprog	A	Danish B HL
Dansk som andetsprog	B	Danish B SL

Other languages

French, Italian, Spanish, German
Danish level	IB equivalent
Beginner language A (begyndersprog A)	Language ab initio
Continuation language B (fortsættersprog B)	Language ab initio
Continuation language A (fortsættersprog A)	B SL or B HL
Above any level offered in Danish upper secondary school	A Language and Literature HL/SL, A2 HL/SL, A Literature HL/SL, A1 HL/SL

Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Turkish
Danish level	IB equivalent
Beginner language A (begyndersprog A)	Language ab initio, B SL or B HL
Above any level offered in Danish upper secondary school	A Language and Literature HL/SL, A2 HL/SL, A1 HL/SL, A Literature HL/SL

The awkward cases

Global Politics, Theory of Knowledge, Danish ab initio and Geoscience A: no straightforward equivalent, and what to do about it.

All 4

Global Politics — No fixed national equivalence. Some universities publish their own rule.

Global Politics is 150 hours at SL and 240 at HL. Danish Social Studies (samfundsfag) B covers sociology, economics, politics and method; A adds international politics. Global Politics goes far deeper into international politics than Danish Social Studies A, but does not cover the sociology and economics that the Danish subject includes. Institutions decide case by case whether it meets Social Studies C, B or A — sometimes only in combination with another social science subject.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) — No Danish equivalent.

TOK does not correspond to any subject in the Danish upper secondary system. Depending on what you covered, it may earn credit towards small parts of certain Danish subjects, but it does not satisfy a subject requirement.

Danish ab initio — Equivalent to nothing in the Danish-as-a-second-language ladder.

Danish ab initio, Danish B HL and Danish B SL are foreign-language subjects aimed at listening, speaking, reading and writing Danish. Whether Danish ab initio or Danish B HL can replace Danish A as the Danish-language requirement is left to each institution.

Geoscience A (Geovidenskab A) — No IB equivalent listed.

The handbook explicitly leaves the IB column blank for Geoscience A. IB Geography HL is not automatically accepted; the agency publishes a separate note comparing the two.

What qualifies you

An IB Diploma with 24 points or more: every programme, if you also meet its subject requirements.
DP Course Results, 18 points or more, every grade 3 or above, three at HL: academy profession and professional bachelor programmes. A university bachelor also needs two subject-level raises.
A retake: Denmark converts your original result, not the improved one.

Every case, and the retake rule

An IB Diploma with 24 points or more gives access to every higher education programme in Denmark, provided you also meet the programme's specific subject requirements.
What you hold	Gives access to	Detail
IB Diploma	All higher education programmes	There is no requirement that every subject be passed with at least 3. A grade of 2 may appear in an IB Diploma, as long as the IB's own conditions for awarding the Diploma were met. This is a genuine and useful difference from what several Danish university pages say. The agency's handbook is the governing source.
DP Course Results / IB Certificate, at least 18 points, minimum grade 3 in all six subjects, at least 3 subjects at HL	Academy profession and professional bachelor programmes (through quota 1 and quota 2)	Treated on equal terms with the two-year hf examination without the overbygning extension.
DP Course Results / IB Certificate as above, plus supplementary upper-secondary subjects	University bachelor programmes	The supplement must consist of two successive raises of subject level, at least one of them to A-level. If you already hold an A-level subject other than Danish, two raises to B-level are enough. Supplementary subjects are taken as hf-enkeltfag, or as a self-study candidate, and are taught in Danish. A retake of the full IB Diploma is the alternative route. GSK cannot be used for this: the Agency states plainly that an IB student cannot use gymnasial supplering to raise their education level. GSK is for somebody whose examination already qualifies them and who is missing a specific subject level — so it is the right tool for a full Diploma holder needing Mathematics A, and the wrong one for Course Results trying to reach a university bachelor. A GSK subject taken to meet a specific requirement for an erhvervsakademi or professionsbachelor programme does stay valid if you later switch to a university bachelor.
DP Course Results under 18 points, or containing any grade of 1 or 2	Nothing — not a qualifying examination in Denmark

Danish language

Most Danish bachelor programmes are taught in Danish, and for those you must document Danish at A level.

The four ways to meet it

Danish A1 HL / Danish A Literature HL — meets Danish A.
Danish A1 SL / Danish A Literature SL — normally accepted for Danish A at university, because it sits above the Studieprøven test.
Studieprøven i dansk — the national Danish language test for higher education. Universities may allow it in place of Danish A for applicants with a non-Nordic qualification.
Danish B HL or Danish ab initio — decided institution by institution. Ask in writing.

Studieprøven is not an upper-secondary subject, so it can never be used to meet a subject grade requirement — only the language requirement.

Sources

4 official sources, as of 2026-09-22.

Show them

Eksamenshåndbogen — International Baccalaureate (Eksaminer, Fagniveauer, Karakterer) — checked 2026-09-22. Select 'International Baccalaureate' in the country/examination dropdown. Danish only.
Optagelse af IB-elever og supplering af Diploma Programme (DP) Course Results — checked 2026-09-22
Karakteromregning — general rules for converting foreign grades — checked 2026-09-22
Vurdering af fagniveauer — Danish subject levels and teaching hours — checked 2026-09-22