Dear Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen,

We, the signatories of this open letter,  current and former students in Denmark, are here to make an appeal regarding the future of english-taught higher education programs in Denmark. We recently read in the Danish media about the fact that you are being pressured to reduce the number of these programs and in that regard, we decided  to organize, in the good Danish fashion, in order to stimulate a fair and insightful debate. We hereby urge you to please consider our insights into your decision-making process. As direct beneficiaries of these programs, we understand the good and the bad aspects, and could provide valuable facts that could lead to a well-targeted reform aimed at increasing the quality and efficiency of the English-taught education in the Danish system. 

Therefore, we decided to take the first step. We publicly invite you to join a virtual town hall meeting with the people that benefited from the introduction of higher education taught in English. You will be able to hear our stories and understand the human aspect behind all the statistics. During the meeting, we will leave no stone unturned, by looking at every façade of an international student life in Denmark, as well as the value that we as graduates provide to the Danish local society.

Before that meeting, please read our arguments on why it is worth preserving the existing English-taught educations in Denmark:

• The upbringing of the students (up until the arrival moment) has been covered by their home country (if they decide to stay after their studies in Denmark, that represents a lost investment by the home country)
• In the first year of arrival, an international student is investing money from their home country into accommodation and living costs. That is a direct investment of foreign capital into the Danish economy. For some international students, the investment period continues until the end of studies.
• The students that arrive speak English (proven with certifications), have a good school record and are brave enough to move to another country (therefore you obtain young people with initiative that are connected to the world - fact also reflected in the high number of international students becoming entrepreneurs) (by attracting the best talents to Denmark you deprive other countries of their pool talent)
• If an international student is lucky enough to find a part-time job then it qualifies for SU. From this moment, the student becomes a taxpayer. Therefore, the SU is invested back into the Danish economy.
• The SU opportunity allows bright students coming from poor backgrounds to also study in Denmark. There are many examples of students that today contribute to the Danish economy and society, which could have never afforded to complete their education in Denmark without SU.
• Once the international student graduates, it becomes part of the highly educated workforce adapted to Danish society. Compared with a talent from abroad that comes directly into a job here, the former international student has the advantage of having social circles established. The former international student is more likely to stay longer in Denmark. 
• The dream of an international graduate is to find a decent job in Denmark. Leaving is only considered, after looking for a job here for a long time without success.  
• If an international graduate finds a job in Denmark, then it settles here. Invests in a home, starts a family and becomes an active part of the community. Denmark faces a pension crisis this decade. It needs all the young people it can attract to maintain the welfare society. 
• All developed countries around the world compete for a limited pool of international talent. They do this purely to extract economic benefit from this pool of talent. The global average for 5 years+ retention of students attracted to any new country is around 11%. Denmark is at around 24%, which is a world leading performance.
• Diversity is proven to increase creativity, productivity and innovation across many industries - leading to growth.
• English is the language of science, technology and large corporations. Through this program, you attract future young professionals with a high proficiency in English, that also benefits their Danish colleagues. In today’s world, a country’s strength is measured by the number of science and tech talents it has.
• The presence of international students adds to the multiculturalism and diversity of the general student population and reinforces a global perspective and exchange of ideas. Mutually, international and domestic students develop global cultural skills necessary for success in an increasingly global environment and diverse workforce.
• “Internationalization at home” is being boosted by giving the Danish students the opportunity to meet people from other nationalities and cultures.
• Closing international courses results in less funding for the educational institutions making them even more financially pressed. 
• Every international student contributes on average with 100,000 to 300,000 kr. to the Danish economy, according to a report made by UFM in 2018.