Last Updated: April 10, 2022
Universities in Norway
Norway is one of the most scenic study destinations in Europe for international students. This country offers both domestic and international candidates free education in their public universities except for the nominal amount they have to pay as part of the student fund. Students will be able to take up bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs in the country along with professional programs, 10year associate programs, and other certification programs.
Most of the programs offered here are in English and since the locals are quite familiar with the language, candidates don't need to learn Norwegian if they wish to stay in the country. Students who live here will be able to easily get part-time jobs during their stay. They will also be able to use the degrees to build their career anywhere in the world due to the practical nature of the programs taught here. Since most of the universities are research-driven, students will be able to easily enter the research field irrespective of their chosen subject in any of the universities here.
Higher Education in Norway
The higher education system in Norway follows the Bologna system which offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs with a duration of 3, 2, and 3 years respectively. This system has been put in place to standardize higher education across Europe, especially so that non-EU candidates can easily transfer to EU countries. Education is offered through public and private universities with the country having 22 educational institutions in all. The public institutions have been split into 9 universities, 5 scientific colleges, and 8 university colleges in all.
Apart from the standard durations that programs have, students will be able to find 2-year degree programs, 1.5-year professional masters programs, 6-year professional programs, and even 5-year BA + MA programs in different fields of study. English-speaking students attending universities in Norway will be able to choose from many English-taught undergraduate programs and more than 200 master’s programs.
Documents and Eligibility Requirements for Universities
The documents and eligibility requirements for universities vary from institution to institution and often even from department to department. So, it is ideal for students to contact their respective departments to know the list of documents they require while applying to the college. Though requirements are mostly different, there are general requirements that most universities will have irrespective of the program they are applying to. These general requirements include-
Top Universities in Norway
The top universities in Norway include-
University of Bergen
This university was established in the year 1946 and is a state university that is focused on research. It has a student population of over 18,000 along with over 4,000 administrative staff. The university has faculties for fine art, music & design, humanities, law, mathematics & natural sciences, medicine, psychology, and social sciences. The programs offered under these faculties include comparative politics, sociology, clinical medicine, clinical dentistry, geobiology, space science, informatics, chemistry, medieval studies, etc. it offers programs at undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels.
The priority areas for research in this university include marine research, climate & energy transition, and global challenges. Apart from these areas, doctoral programs are offered through all faculties in the university.
University of Trondheim
This university is part of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and is located in Trondheim which is the biggest campus of the university. It is the largest university in the country and was established in the year 1760. It is a public university and has a student population of over 42,000. This university has faculties for engineering, information technology & electrical engineering, natural sciences, architecture & design, economics & management, medicine & health sciences, social & educational sciences, humanities, etc.
Their research areas include energy, sustainability, health, oceans, etc. and they promote interdisciplinary research in general among departments.
University of Tromso
This university is called The Arctic University of Norway and is a publicly funded university that was established in the year 1968. It has a student population of over 17,000 alone with over 3,000 staff. They have departments for health sciences, medical biology, psychology, education, humanities, social sciences, language & linguistics, biosciences, fishery science, history & religious studies, etc. They offer undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs to all candidates.
The key areas for research they offer include technology, energy, climate, society & environment, sustainable use of resources, community development & democratization, health, welfare & quality of life, etc.
University of Oslo
This university is primarily focused on research though they also offer undergraduate and graduate programs. It was established in the year 1811 and has a student population of over 28,000 along with over 7,000 academic staff. The faculties here include theology, law, medicine, humanities, mathematics & natural sciences, dentistry, social sciences, education, etc. The university has separate libraries for medicine & health sciences, humanities & social sciences, law, and mathematics.
The research areas they focus on include biotechnology, gender, molecular life science, climate & environmental research, traumatic stress studies, holocaust, etc.
Oppland College
The Oppland College or the Lillehammer University College was established in the year 1970 and renamed in 1994. The university has been merged with Hedmark University College and is now known as the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. It has a student population of 15,000 along with over 1,000 academic staff. It offers undergraduate programs, graduate programs, and teacher training programs in different subjects.
The research areas that the university focuses on include applied economy, audio-visual media, game sciences, teaching, child development, etc.
Aalesund University College
This university was established in the year 1994 and is a publicly funded university that was merged into the NTNU in 2016. It has 5 faculties in all which include health sciences, international marketing, life sciences, engineering & natural sciences, and maritime technology & operations. It has a student population of over 2,000 along with over 200 academic staff. They offer 1-year programs, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees along with research programs through this university.
The research areas they focus on include ocean space operations & construction technology, international business operations, health sciences, biological subjects, and ICT & science.
University of Agder
This university was established as Agder College in 1839 and was renamed in 2007. It is a public university with a student population of 11,000 along with over 1,000 administrative staff. The faculties offered here include business & law, social sciences, fine arts, health & sports sciences, humanities & education, engineering & science, and teacher education. They offer undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs through these faculties.
The main research areas in this university include education, literature, languages, climate change, mechatronics, multimodality & cultural change, e-health, etc.
Ostfold University College
This university college was established in the year 1994 and is a publicly funded college. It has a student population of over 7,000 and it offers both associate and bachelor's degrees at the undergraduate level along with other master’s programs and doctoral programs. The faculties offered here include business, social sciences, foreign languages, computer sciences, education, engineering, health & social studies, etc.
The research areas offered include health, welfare & organization, information technology, engineering & economics, teacher education, performing arts, digital society, etc.
Volda University College
This university college was established in the year 1994. The faculties offered here include humanities & education, fine & performing arts, social sciences & history, and media journalism. They offer undergraduate and graduate programs along with other 1-year programs.
The research areas offered here include media, journalism, cultural encounters, education, applied arts, etc.
Study Residence Permit for non-EU/EEA Students
A student visa is required for those who plan to study in Norway for more than three months. Students will be able to apply for the visa they require based on the duration of the program they have enrolled for. There is a processing fee for each application, which varies based on the student's country of origin. When applying for a student visa, they must submit the application to a Norwegian embassy or consulate in their country, or country of residence during the past six months.
Upon arrival in Norway, the students will be able to change their student visa to a student resident card. The resident card will be valid only for one year after which the student will have to renew it if their course is longer than one year.
