Cuts 4,500 study places in the city
The Danish Parliament approved the autumn plan «More and better educational opportunities throughout Denmark». According to the plan, student enrollment in the major cities in the country should be reduced by 10 percent.
On 12 January, eight Danish universities had a deadline to submit their cutback plans. According to the plans that have been submitted, at least 4,500 study places must be closed down or moved out of the city.
On Wednesday, students demonstrated at Christiansborg Castle Square in Copenhagen against the relocation plans.
Strong cut in Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen has sent in the largest cut proposal measured in the number of study places. There are plans to reduce by 1590 study places by 2030, corresponding to 10 percent of the annual enrollment.
40 percent of the cut will be taken from the humanities, but in addition, theology and science will lose places. The reason for taking these subjects is that these candidates have the highest unemployment. Approximately 200 places will be moved to a medical education in Køge outside Copenhagen.
– It is expensive and difficult to move university education to the province and get the researchers to move with it. We will probably not avoid completing any education. Unfortunately, this will also mean that some of the associated research environments will be discontinued, said KU Rector Henrik C. Wegener, according to the newspaper sciencereport.dk.
Like Khrono, the University of Copenhagen has written an exception for 30 percent of the cut.
CBS cuts 6 educations
Copenhagen Business School (CBS) cuts six programs with 334 study places from 2023. Among these is a bachelor’s degree in business and philosophy, a master’s degree in the same subject, as well as four other master’s programs, reports science report.
– For CBS, the government’s plan will mean a loss of NOK 45 to 55 million a year. That is why we have to close down educations, because this has a far greater saving effect than if we cut study places in several places at CBS, the acting principal, Inger Askehave has said, according to Politiken.
– Have not put the side effects
Former rector of NTNU, Gunnar Bovim, sits on the board at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), and has reviewed this situation among the metropolitan universities in our neighboring country in the south. CBS is a folk high school with a strong international perspective, but also active and engaged in dancing community debates, also in an international perspective.
– CBS is a business school with a clear conscience for how the Danish business community should grow, and they deliver at all levels within higher education, says Bovim.
The starting point for the decision in the Danish Folketing is that over time it has been stated that it has been difficult to recruit for the educations in the districts, that you experience a constant relocation to the big cities, and that you want to reverse the migration flow.
In that sense, it is entirely possible to understand the thinking behind the Folketing’s decision to force the universities in the big cities to move the educational offers out, but has probably not been ready to say all the side effects of such a decision, says Bovim.
Bovim points out that it may seem that the Danish politicians have set out to take some study places from several educations to move out, but at the same time keep studies within the same study area in the city.
– But it is a solution that can not be implemented financially. This is the reason why CBS has chosen to close down six fields of study, and these are other offers that are being established in the districts, Bovim points out.
Bovim also points out in the Folketing in his decision has been very concerned about where individual graduates who come from universities and colleges get jobs after education, and that this must also be leading for what you choose to focus on.
– Forgot to ask the students
– The combination of study places in the districts where there are already vacant study places, combined with requirements to emphasize educations where candidates are quick for jobs, means that small important national subjects, perhaps especially in the humanities, suffer. To me, it seems to be a short-term strategy, as I am not sure that the politicians have put all the side effects of their decisions and the consequences for the nation Denmark in the long run, says Bovim.
Bovim points out that the board at CBS has decided to initially reduce by 5 percent of the study places centrally, and then the board wants to look at the impact of these initiatives, and perhaps they will come to the conclusion.
Khrono interviewed Gunnar Bovim in November on the occasion of another case, as he was on his way to the board meeting at CBS. He said that he was used to whether they were met with such large demonstrations that they would not be able to complete the meeting.
– It went well, but the students have had several demonstrations against the board both at CBS and at other universities. In my opinion, the students should direct their protests against the Folketing rather than the boards at the universities, but in practice it is we who must make the cuts, so I see that side as well, says Bovim.
– There are vacancies in the Danish districts today, right?
– The Folketing has unfortunately forgotten to ask students what they want. Young Danes apply to the big cities to study. Now it is becoming more difficult to get a place at the big universities in the cities, Bovim points out.
Aalborg closes 18 educations
Aalborg University announced 12 January in a press release that they complete 18 educations with a total of 768 students. The cut is taken from the humanities and at the university campus in Copenhagen, it is said. Two educations are moved to Esbjerg and Hjørring.
– We are assigned a task by the politicians. A task that we have not wanted, but which we have tried to solve in terms of what in the circumstances will be best for Aalborg University. We have therefore not used the cheese grater method, but have based the solution on some strategic choices, says Rector Per Michael Johansen in the press release.
Also hoping for discount
According to a press release on the university’s website move out 10 percent of the study place in Odense, corresponding to 665 study places.
Like the University of Copenhagen, the University of Southern Denmark, to get a “discount” on the cut plans. The university points out that 20 percent of the study places are already located outside Odense, in the cities of Sønderborg, Slagelse, Kolding or Esbjerg.
– Already today, SDU overfills the political agreement’s intentions for regional educational activities, writes Rector Jens Ringsmose.
At Aarhus University, the management proposes to close down 745 study places, spread over five faculties, while Roskilde University will reduce the enrollment on its main campus by three to five percent, corresponding to 144 study places, writes Science Report.
In addition, Roskilde University has plans to set up a branch outside the main campus.
Need for more engineers
The Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby outside Copenhagen will move out 299 study places and create 300 new ones in regions outside large cities.
– DT’s starting point for relocation of educations is that there is a need for all the engineers that DTU and other higher education institutions can educate. It is therefore vacant engineer that the initiatives as initiated increase interest in the engineering subject and search for the engineering subject, which is special outside Greater Copenhagen has many places, says Rector of DTU, Anders Bjarklev in a news release on the university’s website.
Asks for more study places
In contrast to the other seven, the IT University has reported that they want to increase the number of study places, and that by 200 places during 2024. This is wanted to come to the university after having been in dialogue with companies and interest organizations, including Danish Industry, writes sciencereport.dk.
The university is part of the agreement partners in the Folketing can agree to the expansion, possibly to maintain the current number of study places. If it does not succeed, the university will reduce enrollment by 5 percent during 2030. The cuts will be educated distributed across virtually everyone.