Mogadishu, Somalia – A young Somali student has been disqualified from a fully funded Erasmus Mundus scholarship after Danish authorities refused to recognize his Somali passport as a valid travel document, effectively barring him from studying at the University of Copenhagen.
The student, whose name has been withheld for privacy reasons, had earned the prestigious scholarship earlier this year after an intensive selection process involving thousands of applicants across the globe. The Erasmus Mundus program, funded by the European Union, offers students from developing countries the chance to pursue joint master’s degrees at top European universities.
According to the student, the setback came after months of preparation and communication with the university.
Denmark is among a handful of European countries that do not accept Somali passports due to long-standing concerns about document authenticity and the absence of a centralized verification system. Despite Somalia’s recent progress in issuing biometric passports and strengthening border control institutions, some EU states continue to rely on outdated policies.
The Erasmus Mundus program’s central office expressed regret but said there was little it could do since visa and entry decisions lie solely with individual host countries.
For the Somali student, however, the experience has been devastating.
Human rights and education advocates have criticized the decision, calling it discriminatory and contrary to the spirit of international academic cooperation.
The case has reignited calls for the European Union and member states like Denmark to harmonize their recognition policies, particularly for students from fragile states such as Somalia. Somali officials have repeatedly appealed to European partners to update their stance, arguing that the country’s passport system now meets international standards.