By Kim Rathcke Jensen and Jakob Elkjær
AAU Communication & Public Affairs

Despite shrinking youth cohorts, the number of young people applying for engineering degrees at Aalborg University has stabilized following several years of decline. This is evident from this year's application figures for higher education programmes at Aalborg University.

The development is good news for the business community, which is expected to face a shortage of thousands of engineers in the coming years.

"We are very pleased that applications to our engineering programmes have stabilized and are now showing signs of growth. This is an excellent result at a time when youth cohorts are shrinking. We educate engineers for all of Denmark, but we know that many graduates choose to remain in the region where they studied. That is why it is vital that we continue to educate engineers in North Jutland. This is essential if companies in the region are to recruit the skilled labour they need," says Pro-rector Anne Marie Kanstrup.

She also notes that the overall number of applications to Aalborg University remains stable.

For several years, applications to engineering programmes declined, but that trend has now come to an end, with applicant numbers rising slightly compared with last year. The strongest growth has been seen in the traditional engineering disciplines, including Mechanics and Production, Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology.

In addition to offering excellent career prospects, the engineering programmes give students the opportunity to work on major societal challenges related to areas such as space exploration, environmental sustainability, energy, construction and food production.

"The application figures show that young people are paying attention to developments in society. We can see growing interest in the traditional engineering disciplines within construction, mechanical engineering, mechanics, materials and production, chemistry, biotechnology and energy. Perhaps these subjects resonate particularly strongly in the age of AI," says Pro-rector Anne Marie Kanstrup.

Aalborg University has received a total of 12,581 applications this year.

AAU is recognised as one of the world's leading engineering universities and is ranked third in Europe, behind ETH Zurich and Imperial College London.

Students therefore enroll at an institution that offers research-based education, alongside world-class teaching and facilities.

Anne Marie Kanstrup also highlights the problem-based learning approach that characterises AAU's engineering programmes, where students work closely with companies and public institutions to solve real-world challenges. Projects may range from building a race car and developing new enzymes to creating wearable technologies with embedded digital solutions.

"Many students are attracted by the opportunity to work on concrete projects that matter to both industry and society," says Anne Marie Kanstrup.

The number of first-choice applicants to engineering programmes in Aalborg rose from 761 in 2025 to 787 in 2026, reversing a decline from 891 applicants in 2023. First-choice applicants are those who rank a programme as their preferred option.

Engineering programmes also saw strong growth in the spring admissions round (Quota 2). For several of the traditional engineering programmes, the number of first-choice applicants increased by more than 60 per cent compared with last year.

The new English-taught degree programme Energy Engineering in Esbjerg has also made a promising start, attracting 26 first-choice applicants and 134 applicants overall.

Overall, Aalborg University has maintained a stable level of interest compared with last year, receiving 12,581 applications in total, including 4,121 first-choice applications.

Read more about AAU's Engineering Programmes.