Previously, there were major political concerns about the low participation of ethnic minorities in Danish higher education (HE). However, recent data show a significant increase in ethnic minorities entering HE, now comprising 7.1% of students, categorized as "non-western" immigrant descendants in Danish statistics (Dam, 2021), and often referred to as racialized minority students in the scholarly literature (Vertelytė & Staunæs, 2021). Despite this progress, the lack of official data on the academic outcome—how well the students perform in their education, whether they complete it, or how they think about their prospects—remains a challenge to understanding their experience in higher education (Isopahkala-Bouret et al., 2018). This paper explores the experiences of racially minoritized students in HE spaces, focusing on the development of their professional identities and future aspirations. The paper examines how racially minoritized students shape and construct their sense of belonging and aspiration within HE spaces in Denmark. Research across various national contexts shows that racialization significantly influences students' belonging and future aspirations, including transnational HE. These studies highlight how race, intersecting with gender and class, shapes aspirations in higher education, including decisions (not) to pursue certain programs or careers or to leave academia. Racialization is understood as the process by which phenotypical, cultural, and linguistic differences become significant (Murji & Solomos, 2005). Despite extensive documentation in comprehensive education limited research exists on racialization in Danish HE spaces and its impact on students' professional development and aspirations. This paper draws on the sociology of knowledge, black feminist theory, and spatial education research and asks: 1) How do the racially minoritized students experience Danish higher educational spaces? 2) How do the processes of racialization shape the students' sense of belonging and professional aspirations? This paper explores how students' professional aspirations are shaped through the intersections of racialization, gender, and class in the educational spaces. These spaces are often labeled 'color-blind' (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) or 'post-racial' (Lentin, 2020), yet they serve as significant contributors to the formation of racial dynamics (Duran et al., 2022). This paper is based on oral history interviews combined with walks in HE spaces to capture students' diverse experiences and aspirations in Danish HE.

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