7 institutions and portals to check out if you want to study in Norway.
Are you an immigrants thinking of taking a short or long term university level education in Norway? Here are 7 institutions / portals that can provide the resources to make your journey easier:
1) Study in Norway.no: This is an information portal that makes it super easy for you to find information about English taught university level programmes in Norway. Most of the programmes listed on the portal have an early deadline, but as a resident of Norway you might qualify for the later deadline (check the university programme page to confirm). For programmes listed on this portal, you do not need to worry about fulfilling the Norwegian language requirement. We however believe that you should invest in learning Norwegian and here are our 10 reasons why as well as 10 free resources for learning Norwegian.
2) Utdanning.no: Utdanning.no is a full package information portal that gives you information about various professions in Norway as well as a list of higher institutions that provide training programme in that field. The portal also provides links to relevant bodies or unions related to that profession as well as the average annual salary for people in that profession. Click here to browse find more information about your profession of interest.
3) Samordna opptak: Samordna opptak, known in English as The Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (NUCAS), coordinates the admission to undergraduate study programmes at all universities, state university colleges and some private university colleges in Norway.
The undergraduate application opens 1st of February and usually closes on the 15th of April of the admission year. Some programmes like admissions to the police academy, aviation academy etc. have an earlier deadline of March 1 of the admission year.
If you will complete your qualification after the 15th April deadline or you wish to reprioritize your programme of choice, you have until the 1st of July to do that. You will receive the result of your application by the 20th of July.
For more personalize guidelines for applying on Samordna opptak, contact our guidance service, attend our monthly information events or contact Samordna opptak advisors here
Inter-Nationals is currently offering an upskilling programme, a public policy influencer programme and an intensive Norwegian exam preparatory class. Click here to learn more.
4) The university websites and admission office: As earlier mentioned, Samordna opptak only processes admissions at undergraduate level. For postgraduate level courses, you would have to apply directly through the university website. Utdanning.no is an important tool to find out which universities to start your search from.
5) Lånekassen: Lånekassen, known in English as The Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund, is the government agency that administers education loans and grants to Norwegians and qualifying foreign residents.
Although Norway is a tuition free country (there are plans to change the rule in 2023 but we believe it will not affect foreign residents in Norway, we will come back with more information as soon as we have it), having a study loan allows you to focus on your studies and worry less about money to pay bills. If you meet certain economic and academic requirements, some of your loan can be converted into a grant. Click here to find out if you meet the requirements for the loan / grant.
6) NOKUT: NOKUT is the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. NOKUT’s role is to assure the quality of higher education in Norway, and assess and provide information about the quality of courses in other countries.
For you who have education from abroad, NOKUT role is mostly to assess and approve the equivalence of your higher education from abroad with the Norwegian system.
NOKUT assessment is free and voluntary. There are many people who take the initiative to get their foreign education assessed by NOKUT. Be aware however that you do not need NOKUT certification to apply to universities in Norway, because the university admissions office do the assessment themselves. Experience from our members and users have shown that NOKUT certification does not exponentially increase your chances of getting a job.
From January 1 2023, the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) will take over this assessment and approval role from NOKUT. Click here to apply for assessment.
7) Inter-Nationals Skillup Project: Inter-Nationals Skillup project aims to support educated immigrants to reskill and upskill such that they can both develop personally and get their desired job in Norway.
Through this project we provide both individualized and group guidance to those interested in taking up long or short term university level courses in Norway. We offer the following:
- 8 weeks of intensive B1/B2 preparatory classes before every Norskprøve
- Monthly hybrid Q&A session on a specific theme related to studying in Norway.
- Dedicated email address where you can ask questions: skillup(at)inter-nationals.com
- Monthly follow up from a mentor in your university and/or field (during and after admission)
For more information about the project, information materials and upcoming events, click here.