Admission requirements for studies at university in Norway

General requirements

First cycle studies (bachelor's)

If you have successfully completed upper secondary studies in one of the signatory countries of the Lisbon Convention, are in possession of a valid school leaving certificate and qualify for higher education studies in your home country, you may also qualify for higher education studies in Norway. However, you are requested to prove your level of English and/or Norwegian. In some cases, you are also requested to take additional qualifying courses.

When applying for first cycle programs in Norway, you will need to meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for higher education studies. To verify your eligibility, higher education institutions will use the GSU list. The GSU list is a document that contains information on what requirements you will need to meet depending on your country.

[Download the GSU list with country specific information]

Second cycle studies (master's)

If you are applying for a master's program at an institution in Norway, you are required to be in possession of a relevant bachelor's or equivalent degree diploma. In some cases, you may also need to show your work experience.

Third cycle studies (PhD)

In the event you are applying for doctoral studies at an institution in Norway, you are required to be in possession of a relevant diploma or master's degree program.

Language requirements to study at university in Norway

Norwegian

If the language of instruction of your program is Norwegian, you will need a certain level of command of Norwegian. You can prove your level of Norwegian with one of the following:

• The Norwegian Language Test - Advanced Level (Test i norsk, høyere nivå), with a minimum of 450 points.
• Level 3 in the Introductory Program for Foreign Students at Universities (Trinn 3 i norsk for utenlandske studenter ved universitetene).
• Norwegian in upper secondary school, with a minimum grade of 2 in the Norwegian scale.
• One year program in Norwegian Language and Civilization for foreign students.

In general, you should always check the language requirement with your institution because it may vary depending on the study program you will be taking.

English

You may also be requested to take course a in English if you don't have the necessary level of command to successfully complete the selected study program. You should therefore check with your host university if your current level of English is sufficient.

In general, higher education institutions in Europe request students to have a level of command of the language of instruction equivalent to a B1/B2 according to the scale of the European language passport.

Minimum grade point requirement

Students may be ranked based on their grade point average from their previous studies. Therefore, always check with the university or college of your choice about the minimum passing grade point you need to meet.

You may use the European grades comparison chart to learn how you would score in Europe.

Source: Samordna Opptak (The Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service)