Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1979, the Greenland Home Rule Act came into force. The law has meant that Greenland has taken over a large number of political, economic and social functions, which were previously regulated from Denmark.

Higher education in Greenland

Greenland has a limited supply of higher education. The University of Greenland offers a number of professional bachelor’s, bachelor’s and master’s programs. In addition, there are a few short higher educations in Greenland as an academy economist and process technician. Higher education, like the vocational education, is structured in the same way as the Danish higher education, and some of the education includes internships or stays at an educational institution in Denmark.

The academic year runs from September to June and is divided into two semesters.

Institutions

• The University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik) in Nuuk is a young university that only in 1989 got its own government law. Academic standards and objectives in connection with research and education are the same as at Danish universities, but the topics in teaching and research are oriented towards Greenland as well as the Arctic and North Atlantic areas. The University of Greenland offers – apart from theology – both bachelor’s and master’s programs in the social sciences, cultural and social history as well as the Greenlandic language, literature and media. In addition, the professional bachelor programs for journalist, teacher, social worker, nurse and translator. Finally, the university offers three pedagogical postgraduate programs
• The social worker education (Isumaginninnermik Siunnersortinngorniat Ilinniarfiat, ISI) offers a professional bachelor education for social workers as well as courses for skilled and unskilled people in the social field.
• The Social Pedagogical Seminar (Perorsaanermik Ilinniarfik) in Ilulissat offers the 3-year education for a social pedagogue.
• The Center for Arctic Technology in Sisimiut, in collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark, is offering the first 2 years of the 4-year Danish diploma engineering program for Arctic engineers.
• Greenland Business School (Niuernermik Ilinniarfik) offers a short higher education of 2 years duration within ‘International trade and marketing’ and ‘Economics and resource management’, respectively.
• INUILI in Narsaq offers short higher education courses of 2 years duration for food technicians and food inspectors.
• Greenland Business School (Niuernermik Ilinniarfik) in Qaqortoq offers a short higher education of 2 years duration for service economist.

Degrees at upper secondary level
You can obtain the following qualifications and degrees at upper secondary level in Greenland:

• Short higher education (2-2½ years)
• Professional bachelor’s degree (3-4½ years)
• Bachelor’s degree (3 years)
• Master’s degree (2 years after bachelor’s degree)
• PhD degree (3 years after master’s degree)

Other educations
Greenland’s Upper Secondary Schools are part of the Danish upper secondary school system and belong to the Danish Ministry of Education’s upper secondary school department. All upper secondary education therefore provides access to higher education in Denmark and abroad on an equal footing with Danish upper secondary education.

The Art School (Eqqumiitsuliornermik Ilinniarfik) in Nuuk organizes educational courses with a focus on drawing, graphic techniques, collage, painting and sculpture and lectures on Inuit history, language, storytelling, authorship, theater and art history.

The language center (Oqaatsinik Pikkorissarfik) in Sisimut offers language courses in Greenlandic, Danish

Application for higher education

You can get information about application procedures on the Greenland Home Rule Government’s website Sullisivik. Here you will also find application forms. You can apply for a maximum of two educations.

The Nordic co-operation agreement on higher education means that you as a Danish citizen are free to apply for admission to a higher education in another country in the Nordic region, including Greenland.

Admission
requirements The admission requirements for higher education are a high school education or other education at the same level.

If you are already in education, and you want to continue your education in Greenland, you can have your exams transferred to your new place of education.

Application
deadlines The application deadline for educations in Greenland is 1 March.

Language The
teaching takes place primarily in Danish. Greenlandic teachers are supplemented with foreign, primarily Danish / Nordic teachers.

Recognition of foreign educations
If you have completed a publicly recognized education abroad, you can have it assessed by the Danish Agency for Research and Education. See the application procedure.

Practical conditions

Housing
Education applicants can be allocated a dormitory room via the educational institution and KAF, the Dormitory Administration’s Joint Office, located in Nuuk.

Facts about Greenland

Population: Approx. 56,000

Languages: Greenlandic and Danish

Employment: Unemployment is 9.8% (2012), but it is very unevenly distributed, lowest in Nuuk (Statistics Greenland)