Denmark is facing a challenge with declining interest in major welfare education programs, according to Danish University Colleges. The organization released a statement noting a slight decrease in quota 1 applicants for pedagogy, nursing, teaching, and social work programs across the country’s six university colleges.

Overall, applications to these four educational paths have seen a 2% decrease compared to the previous year.

Specifically, social work and nursing programs experienced declines of 2% and 8%, respectively.

Conversely, pedagogy and teacher education programs saw slight increases of 1% and 4%, respectively.

The deadline for quota 1 applications, which are based solely on grade point average, was Saturday at 12:00.

Camilla Wang, chairperson of Danish University Colleges, stated that this trend is “worrying, but not unexpected.”

Despite the overall decrease, Wang remains optimistic due to a political agreement from the spring that will invest almost two billion kroner into reforming education at the university colleges. This reform, to be fully implemented by 2032, includes shortening some professional educations by three months. Students can also anticipate more weekly hours in smaller groups, along with increased guidance and feedback.

Wang emphasized that reversing the current trend will be a “long, hard pull,” particularly considering the shrinking size of youth education programs. The four major welfare education programs have been experiencing falling application numbers since 2020.

Applicants will receive notification of their admission status on July 28.