Danish students protest against cuts to the SU grant

The 'Enough is Enough' action in Copenhagen

On Wednesday, 4 November 2026, a student demonstration of many thousands is expected in Copenhagen against the government's plans to cut state student grants. Under the slogan 'Enough is Enough', 11 school and student associations will gather on City Hall Square from 12:30, after which the march will head to parliament. According to AFP, Copenhagen police said they plan to be visibly present at the action, and organisers stress that the protest will be 'peaceful'. According to the Association of Upper Secondary School Students of Denmark, about 10,000 young people are expected in the capital; in addition, demonstrations are planned in other parts of the country. The action takes place against the backdrop of a wave of student protests that began in France and spread to other European countries.

The essence of the proposed cuts

In the draft budget law, Denmark's governing centre-left government proposes abolishing the state SU grant for students living with their parents if the parents' combined annual income exceeds 700,000 Danish kroner (about 104,440 dollars). For students living with parents from families with an income of 419,589 to 700,000 kroner per year, a progressive reduction of payments is envisaged. Previously, all students over 18 received SU — both upper secondary school pupils and university students. The stated aim of the changes is to free up funds for increased defence spending. According to the Ministry of Higher Education, about 14,000 students will lose the grant entirely, while roughly 8,000 will receive it in a reduced amount. In addition, the government proposed paying unemployment benefits to recent university graduates only to those who worked at least 18 of the last 24 months of study.

What SU is and why touching it is painful

The SU system has been in operation since 1970 and is considered one of the cornerstones of Denmark's egalitarian education system: it makes education accessible regardless of parents' income. Currently, students living with their parents receive 1,154 kroner (about 173 dollars) per month, while those living independently receive 7,426 kroner (about 1,111 dollars). To grasp the scale of the changes: the complete abolition of payments for some students living with their parents affects precisely the category that already received the smallest amount, but for many families the threshold of 700,000 kroner in annual income means the loss of a previously guaranteed payment.

School pupils' strike and the government's reaction

About 30,000 school pupils from 40 schools plan to strike on Wednesday. Oscar Tonnesberg Hoffmann, president of the Association of Upper Secondary School Students of Denmark, said that 'when you deliberately choose to take money out of students' pockets, it is hard to see it as anything other than hostility towards education', and added that school organisations had tried to engage in dialogue with the government, but without success. Within the coalition, the Socialist People's Party and the Social Liberal Party had previously opposed any cuts in education, but supported the proposal. Interior and Economic Affairs Minister Pia Olsen Dyhr, who had previously promised that her party would not touch the grant system, had to explain herself: 'It is no secret that this initiative does not come from us. But we have made compromises in this government, and I take full responsibility for them,' AFP quotes her as saying. The leader of the Social Liberals, Industry Minister Martin Lidegaard, called the cuts 'unpleasant decisions' but 'economically responsible policy'.