Entry requirements for bachelor and master programmes
Admission to Norwegian Universities is highly competitive. You must meet certain academic requirements and language requirements.
The requirements vary based on your educational background and what you are applying for.
Interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Norway?
- The Higher Education Entrance Qualification (GSU) is the basic requirement for admission to Higher Education in Norway.
- What GSU corresponds to in your country, can be found in the GSU-list.
- Additional requirements may apply in specific academic fields, as for instance technical and artistic subjects. Read at the specific study programme.
- Most Bachelor programmes are taught in Norwegian, but there are also some which are taught in English. Search for these under Study opportunities.
- Language requirements depend on language of instruction. Read more about how you can document your language skills.
- Admission to bachelor’s degrees taught in English, are done through the institutions own systems.
- Admissions to bachelor’s degrees taught in Norwegian is done through Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (NUCAS).
Interested in pursuing a master’s degree in Norway?
- You must have an undergraduate/ bachelor’s degree comparable to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS).
- Your undergraduate degree must be issued by an officially recognized and accredited university.
- Your undergraduate degree must include courses equal to at least 1 ½ years of full-time studies in a subject relevant to the master’s programme.
- Some study programmes require you to have a minimum grade average.
- This page will give you more information about recognition of foreign education in Norway.
What about the language requirements?
- For all degrees taught in English you must document your English language skills according to the requirements set by the higher education institution. Beware that different English tests and scores may vary from institution to institution, and sometimes from study programme to study programme.
- If you want to study in Norwegian, you must document proficiency in the Norwegian language to be eligible for admission. Learn more about language requirements at bachelor’s level at "Krav til norsk og engelsk - Samordna opptak" (external link)
- If you are from Denmark or Sweden, documented Danish/Swedish language skills may be sufficient. Read more about the specific requirements at "Utenlandsk utdanning - universitet og høgskole - Samordna opptak" (external link) and choose your country from the list.
Want to learn some Norwegian?
- NoW is a free online Norwegian course (external link) offered by the Norwegian University of Science and Tecnology (NTNU)
- Duolingo (external link) is another option to learn some Norwegian
- The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) runs Norwegian language tests for those which are already in Norway