Study in Norway

Higher education in Norway

All higher education in Norway is subject to Act No. 22 of 12 May 1995 relating to Universities and Colleges. Public higher education in Norway includes 7 universities, 5 specialised university institutions, 24 state university colleges and two national university colleges of the arts. These institutions carry out research and offer university level instruction at undergraduate, post-graduate and doctorate levels, leading to academic degrees.

Norwegian institutions of higher education participate in international exchange programmes allowing students to take part of their degrees abroad.

Diploma Supplement

Diploma Supplement (DS) is an international document provided with a diploma to give a detailed description of the qualifications attained by a candidate. It does not replace the diploma, but supplements it.

At AAUC, all candidates who complete a study programme of at least 60 ECTS credits receive a DS in English with their final diploma. The DS is free of charge.

See more information about DS here: www.nokut.no

Accreditation and evaluation

All institutions of higher education are subject to the authority of the Ministry of Education and Research. An independent national agency for the accreditation and evaluation of higher education in Norway (NOKUT) is responsible for assessing the quality of programmes and institutions.

Admission requirements for higher education

The minimum requirement for admission is successful completion of Norwegian upper secondary education. Admission may also be gained with other qualifications recognised as being on par with the general matriculation standard. The Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate is based on 13 years of schooling.

Degrees and qualifications

The Bachelor degree is awarded by all the state universities, specialized university institutions, university colleges and a good number of the other higher education institutions, both private and public. It is obtained after three years of study.

The Master degree is awarded by the state universities and specialised university institutions, several university colleges and some private institutions. The degree is obtained after 1.5 -2 years of study.

Foreigners who have completed university studies in their home countries may apply to have these studies evaluated for possible credit within the Norwegian degree system. The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) facilitates and coordinates the evaluation of individual applications for recognition of foreign credentials.

Credit system and grading

The academic year normally runs from mid-August to mid-June and lasts for 10 months. Courses are measured in “studiepoeng” equalling the ECTS standard (European Credit Transfer System credits). The full-time workload for one academic year is 60 ECTS credits.

Grades for undergraduate and postgraduate examinations are awarded according to a graded scale from A to F.

• A - Excellent
• B - Very good
• C - Good
• D - Fair
• E - Sufficient
• F - Fail

The grade Passed/Not Passed is used in some courses