Universities
Traditionally there were only four universities in Norway, located in Oslo (since 1811), Bergen (1948), Trondheim (1968) and Tromsø (1972). Since 2005 any college offering five master programs and four doctoral programs can title themselves a university, leading to the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Stavanger University College and Agder University College converting to universities.
The public universities of Norway are:
Nord University (Several campuses in North Trøndelag and Nordland counties)
Norwegian University of Life Sciences (Ås)
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim, Ålesund and Gjøvik)
University of Agder (Kristiansand, Grimstad and Arendal)
University of Bergen
University of Oslo
University of Stavanger
University of Tromsø
Currently there are no private universities in Norway, although BI Norwegian Business School has tried to advance to a full university.
Specialised universities
There are six public and three private specialised universities in Norway, each functioning as a national competence centre for the field they represent. Six are located in Oslo, one is in Molde, one is in Bergen and one in Stavanger. The Norwegian Institute of Technology and the Norwegian College of Agriculture have converted to full universities.
The public specialised universities in Norway are:
Oslo School of Architecture and Design, or Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo
Molde University College, or Høgskolen i Molde
Norwegian School of Economics, or Norges Handelshøyskole
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, or Norges idrettshøgskole
Norwegian Academy of Music, or Norges musikkhøgskole
Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, or Norges vetrinærhøgskole
The private specialised universities are:
MF Norwegian School of Theology, or Det teologiske Menighetsfakultet
School of Mission and Theology in Stavanger, or Misjonshøgskolen
University colleges
The 23 university colleges in Norway are responsible for regional education of primarily bachelor level education within the fields of nursing, teaching, business management, engineering and information technology, though most colleges also offer a number of other educations as well.
The public university colleges in Norway consist of:
Bergen National Academy of the Arts, or Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen
Bergen University College, or Høgskolen i Bergen
Hedmark University College, or Høgskolen i Hedmark
Lillehammer University College, or Høgskolen i Lillehammer
Norwegian Police University College, or Politihøgskolen
Oslo National Academy of the Arts, or Kunsthøgskolen i Oslo
Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, or Høgskolen i Oslo og Akershus
Sámi University of Applied Sciences, or Samisk høgskole
Sogn og Fjordane University College, or Høgskolen i Sogn of Fjordane
Southeast Norway University College, or Høgskolen i Sørøst-Norge
Stord/Haugesund University College, or Høgskolen i Stord/Haugesund
Volda University College, or Høgskolen i Volda
Østfold University College, or Høgskolen i Østfold
The accredited private university colleges in Norway are:
BI Norwegian Business School, or Handelshøyskolen BI Dronning Mauds Minne Høgskole
Diakonhjemmet University College, or Diakonhjemmet Høgskole
NLA University College, or NLA Høgskolen
Queen Maud University College or Dronning Mauds Minne Høgskole
Private institutions
There are a number of private higher education institutions in Norway, although the public institution cover more than ninety per cent of the student population in the country, meaning that less than ten per cent of students attend private institutions.
The private institutions offer primarily programs and courses within popular fields of study where the number of public places is limited or offering accelerated courses. However some provide specialised courses not found in the public institutions such as Noroff University College in Kristiansand.
Most of the private institutions are foundations, either autonomous (like the BI Norwegian Business School and Campus Kristiania) or part of various religious societies, like the School of Missions and Theology or Queen Maud University College.
Students attending private institutions may have to pay school fees equivalent to the entire cost of operating the education, though the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund will grant loans to cover the tuition fees.