Data Protection - Danish Student and Graduate Survey

Here you can read more about how the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science process your personal data.

In connection with the collection of questionnaire answers from The Danish Student Survey and The Danish Graduate Survey 2025, the Ministry of Higher Education and Science and the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education will process your personal data. Further, your personal data will be transferred to your educational institution if your educational institution so wishes, c.f. Section 7 on transfers of personal data, and in that case, your educational institution will also process your personal data. The processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with the rules in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act.

Below, you can read more about the processing of personal data, in connection with:

1. The initial contact with you, for the purpose of participating in the questionnaire survey.
2. The collection and processing of your answers from the questionnaire survey.

1. Collection of Contact Information and Personal Data

The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science have obtained personal data from your educational institution, such as your name, address, e-mail address, phone number, CPR-number and information about the education that you are/were enrolled in (education code), in order to be able to contact you about your participation in the survey. The Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science will use this information to contact you about your participation in The Danish Student Survey via e-mail, digital mail and text message.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science and the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science have the authority to obtain contact information of students and graduates, in accordance with Article 6 (1) (e) of the Regulation, if the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller, or if the processing falls under Article 10 (1) of the Data Protection Act.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Higher Education and Science has legal authority to obtain contact information of students and graduates based on the following provisions:

  • Universities: Article 8 (b) of the University Act, c.f. Statuary Order No. 778 of 7 August 2019.
  • University Colleges: Article 45 (a) of the Law on University Colleges for Higher Educations, c.f. Statuary Order No. 779 of 8 August 2019.
  • Business Academies: Article 44 (a) of the Law on Business Academies for Higher Educations, c.f. Statuary Order No. 776 of 8 August 2019.
  • Maritime educational institutions: Article 23 (b) (2) in the Law of Maritime Educations, c.f. Statuary Order No. 781 of 8 August 2019.
  • Artistic educational institutions: Article 15 (d) in the Law of Higher Artistic Educational Institutions, c.f. Statuary Order No. 787 of 8 August 2019.
  • The School of Media and Journalism: Article 39 (a) in the Law of Media and Journalism, c.f. Statuary Order No. 780 of 8 August 2019.

If you choose to participate in the questionnaire survey, your personal data will be processed in accordance with the description below.  

2. Data Controller

The Ministry of Higher Education and Science and the Danish Agency of Higher Education and Science are the responsible data controllers for the processing of personal data that the Ministry and the Agency have obtained from you.

The following is their respective contact information:

Ministry of Higher Education and Science
Bredgade 40-42
DK-1260 Copenhagen K
CVR-No.: 16805408
Telephone: +45 3392 9700
E-mail: ufm@ufm.dk


Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science
Haraldsgade 53
DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø
CVR-No.: 19918440
Telephone No.: +45 7231 7800
E-mail: ufs@ufm.dk 

3. Contact Details of the Data Protection Officer

If you have questions concerning the processing of your personal data, you are always welcome to contact the Ministry and Agency’s data protection officer:

Via e-mail: dpo@ufm.dk
Via telephone: + 45 7231 8909
Via letter to the Ministry, please include: “Att. Data Protection Officer”

Please contact your educational institution for contact details of the data protection officer at your institution.

4. Purpose and Legal Basis

'The overall purpose of the study is to gain new knowledge about the educational programs and the students’ ‘student life’, as well as the graduates’ assessment of the transition to the labour market, based on analysis of the received answers. The knowledge gained in this regard will, among other things, be used to improve the quality of education and provide an opportunity to make better educational choices by:

  • Giving the educational institutions financial incentives to improve the quality of education.
  • Contributing to the well-being of students and the teaching environment at your place of education.
  • Helping future students to make their educational choices, through the guidance website: www.uddannelseszoom.dk.

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data:

  • Article 6 (1) (e) in the General Data Protection Regulation states that processing of personal data is lawful if it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
  • Article 10 (1) in the Data Protection Act allows the processing of sensitive personal data, without the data subject’s consent, if the processing takes place solely for the purpose of carrying out statistical or scientific studies of significant social importance. 

5. Categories of Personal Data

The following categories of personal data will be processed:

  • Contact and identification data, i.e. name, address, zip code, telephone number, e-mail address, education, institution, main area (general personal information) and CPR-number (confidential information).
  • Answers to the questionnaire survey regarding information on learning environment, study environment, learning approach and time consumption (general personal information).
  • Answers to the questionnaire survey regarding information on well-being, including stress, sexism and loneliness (general and sensitive personal information).
  • Answers to the questionnaire survey regarding potential impairments and disabilities (sensitive personal information).
  • Background information on e.g. gender, age and your parents’ level of education (general personal information).

6. Where does the Personal Data come from?

You can read about where your personal data is obtained from, below:

  • Contact and identification data is obtained from your institution.
  • Answers to the questionnaire survey come from you.
  • Background information used in the Ministry’s / Agency’s processing at Statistics Denmark comes from registers at Statistics Denmark.
  • Background information used by the institution comes from the institution.

7. Transfers of Personal Data

Your answers to the questionnaire survey will be passed on to your educational institution, if the institution so wishes, as it can contribute to the development of the institution’s educations.

If personal data is passed on to your educational institution, c.f. Section 7 on transfers of personal data, the educational institution will be the responsible data controller for the processing of your personal data, which is carried out at the institution.

The answers from the questionnaire survey will be processed by the Ministry / Agency at Statistics Denmark.

When data is transferred to Statistics Denmark, for scientific research and statistical purposes, Statistics Denmark will become the responsible data controller.   

8. Transfers of Personal Data to Third Countries

Your personal data will not be passed on to third countries.

9. Storing of Personal Data

In order to be able to follow the development of your educational institution over time, your answers will be kept and stored for as long as it is relevant to follow the development in the conditions included in the questionnaire and make relevant analyses thereof.

In order to be able to contact you about participating in the questionnaire survey, your contact information will first be deleted three months after the project is completed.

In addition, your answers will be transferred to the National Archives in accordance with the rules of the archive legislation following the end of the record period in which the case has been closed (approximately every 5 years).

10. Your Rights

You have a number of rights in relation to the processing of your personal data. If you want to make use of your rights, you must contact the Ministry, the Agency or your educational institution, as your institution can also provide you with further information about your rights.

Read more about your rights below:

A: Right of Access by the Data Subject

You have the right to obtain confirmation from the controller as to whether or not personal data about you are being processed, and, if that is the case, be allowed access to view the personal data. This means that, with certain exceptions, you have the right to know whether the Ministry, the Agency and your educational institution process information about you, and if so, to see the information.

B: Right to Rectification

You have the right to get incorrect information about you rectified.

C: Right to Erasure

In certain cases, you have the right to have information about you deleted ahead of the authority’s general deletion.

D: Right to Restriction of Processing

In certain cases, you have the right to have the processing of your personal data restricted. Should processing be restricted, the Ministry, the Agency and the educational institution may in the future only process personal information, with the exception of storage, with your consent or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the Union or for a Member State. 

E: Right to Object

In certain cases, you have the right to object to an authority’s otherwise lawful processing of your personal data.

You can read more about your rights in the Danish Data Protection Agency’s guide on the rights of the data subjects, which you will find at www.datatilsynet.dk/english 

11. Complaint to the Danish Protection Agency

You have the right to complain to the Danish Data Protection Agency if you are dissatisfied with the way your personal data is processed.

See contact information on the Danish Data Protection Agency’s website