How to Apply to a University in Norway

Norway is famous, among the international students, for its university free education. So, how to apply to a university in Norway?

The free education attracts, indeed, the attention of many potential students who want to study in an excellent foreign university without spending a large amount of money.

And the first step to join a university is to find the right institute that has the course you want to learn, and which suits your lifestyle. Norway has the best universities in the world. Today, we will tackle the steps of how to apply a Norway university for international students.

Choose the Right University

Norway has seven accredited universities, nine accredited specialized university institutions, 22 accredited university colleges, and 2 accredited national faculties of arts.

This is in addition to many higher education institutions, such as NHH Norwegian School of Economics in Oslo, Bergen University in Bergen, and the University of Agder in Kristiansand.

Check our article about the top universities in Norway.

Moreover, Norway has a website dedicated to the international students who are willing to pursue one of the educational programs in a Norwegian university inside Norway.

All degrees are centralized, with their details put inside tables. Use this website as much as possible, and you will find the answers to your questions through an email message or a phone call.

Where to Apply for a Norwegian Master’s Degree?

All the Norwegian universities have their own websites.

You will find there a full list of the Norwegian master’s programs, registration deadlines, and all that you need as per the selected university requirements, including information about the student accommodation.

Check our article about how to get a student accommodation in Norway.

Furthermore, the same conditions are applicable for PhD degrees. Students are advised to get information about the admission procedures, the programs names, deadlines and other requirements on the chosen university’s website.

Where to apply for a Bachelor’s Degree?

Admission for a Bachelor’s and any undergraduate degrees in a Norway university is handled by the NUCAS (the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service).

To be able to apply, students have to provide the proof they have completed secondary education at advanced level. This is the usual basic requirement for entry to a higher education institution in Norway.

However, students from some countries need to have at least done one-year university grade studies to be eligible.  

Moreover, some programs have specific requirements for admission. Don’t hesitate to contact the university you’d like to apply to get these specifics.

Learn more at the NUCAS website

Language Requirements

To study in Norway, you will need an English language proficiency certificate. Usually, universities accept the following certificates: TOEFL, IELTS, CAE, Pearson, and PTE.

It is important to ask in the program you choose about the grade you should acquire, to avoid any problems during registering your official application.

Language Levels

The Norwegian universities require the student to have a certain level of knowledge in both of the Norwegian and English languages.

If your level in these two languages is not enough, you will have to take special courses in the Norwegian language and culture.

These classes last for two semesters.

Required Documents for admission in a Norway University

The following are general rGeneral requirements to apply in a Norway University include: 

Application Deadlines

Each university has its precise calendar, and as an approximate guide, the following are some dates to bear in mind.

1 December-15 March: applications period for the international students who want to start their courses in the following Autumn.

August: Autumn courses start.

Some universities have deadlines on other dates preceding these. So, remember to search for them too on the relevant university’s website.

Final Steps After Receiving the Acceptance Letter

After accepting your application, you need to get a student residence permit.

Residence visas are issued for up to 90 days, while students who plan to stay in Norway for more than three months need to get this student residence permit.

The short list of documents for a student residence permit in Norway:

This is a guide for the general requirements. As we stated before, each university requires special documents before registering and admitting to it as an international student. This is our article about how to apply to a Norway university. See you on another topic.