How to Apply for Study in Norway

Studying in Norway is one of the best decisions for students who want to study abroad. Norway is a great place to study and live. It provides an attractive environment for international students with many great universities and beautiful landscapes. If you want to study and live in Norway, you will first need to get admission in one of its universities. Applying for admission in a foreign country can be a little difficult for students. Because you are not in Norway, you have to complete whole admission procedure over the internet. This article will guide you how to apply for study in Norway. Learn whole admission application process from selecting a program and providing all required documents to getting acceptance letter.

1 - Select Study Programs

Before doing anything else, students should select at least three programs that they might enjoy studying. Selecting more than one program is important. It often happens that student doesn’t get admission in applied program because of merit or eligibility criteria. In that case, student should have alternative study program which he/ she would like to pursue. Not deciding alternative programs in advance can cause you to lose a year or selection of a wrong study field that you may regret later.

Make sure that the study field you have chosen is the right field for you. If you are confuse about it then talk to student counselor or some senior. Study field you choose should be your passion and something you want to do on long term basis. Students are given the option to select alternative programs in the form when applying for admission. In case you don’t get admission in first program, you will automatically be considered for second program.

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2 - Selecting University

Selecting right university is also as important as selecting a program. If you select an institute that is not according to your requirement or imagination, you will pay for it for next 2 – 4 years. University becomes like a second home for students where teachers and friends are family. It is really important that university has good teachers in your study field and also has a proper environment for students. Visit http://www.studyinnorway.no/ to search for Master programs and Bachelor programs taught in English and their institutes.

You should search about all the universities in Norway that have good reviews or ranking in your selected study fields. Search about the universities on YouTube and read any news related to them. Try to reach current students or alumni of selected universities and get their reviews. Select at least 3 universities and apply in all of them. The best of them will be your first priority but it is also more difficult to admission in such universities. If you don’t get admission in one university then you also have alternatives. If you apply in only one institute and get rejected, you will lose a whole year. Here see Latest Top Ranked Universities of Norway.

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3 - Check Eligibility Requirements

Each university can have different requirements so you have to see it on the official website of the institute. Also check the admission merit of last year of that university for your program. One special requirement for admission into Bachelors degree in Norway is at least one year of university education from Pakistan after your intermediate studies. If you are not a Pakistani you should see the GSU-list, the Norwegian database for country-specific information. In addition, usually certain programs require past education in its relevant study field.

It is really important to check eligibility requirements of selected universities. Every university has an eligibility or merit criteria that one must pass to get admission in the university. Some universities may be too out of league or have some special condition that you can’t fulfill. If you don’t fit in eligibility criteria then don’t waste time on that university.

4 - Where to Apply?

After selecting a university in Norway visit its official website to apply for admission. Norwegian universities may use third party links to register and take your application. For example Samordnaopptak.No is a website where you can submit your application to any Norwegian university if you are applying for bachelors studies. For postgraduate programs, you will find exact deadline, details and links on the website of university.

5 - Required Documents

Following are the general documents required by the university to be submitted along with the application. These documents may be uploaded online with application form or posted using mail service. Make sure that you have collected all documents and attested them in advance.

1. Academic certificates/ transcripts and copies attested from HEC or relevant board and from Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2. English translated Birth Certificate attested from Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Copy certified by Notary Public.

3. Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC). Copy certified by Notary Public.

4. Valid Passport. First page of copy certified by Notary Public.

5. Experience letter (if any). Copy certified by Notary Public.

6. Recent passport size photo.

7. IELTS or TOEFL with 5.5 or 6.0 over-all-band, depending on the requirements of the institute. Certified by Notary Public.

8. At least two Reference/ Recommendation letters from teachers and employers. (at least one from your former teacher) with the name, email address and/or phone numbers of the recommender are indicated on the letter. Certified by Notary Public.

9. Motivation letter/ Statement of purpose.

10. Bank statement of around 13 Lac Rupees.

11. If any document is not in English, then submit the official credentials in original language and a certified translation in English as well.

12. Resume/CV (not compulsory).

6 - University Application Deadlines

It is before the application deadline that student have to submit the application form with all required documents. Exact application deadline is decided by the university officials. It is necessary that you must visit the official website of the university and see the dates. In general, the deadline for application of international students is between December 1 to March 15 for Autumn courses starting in August.

7 - After Receiving Acceptance Letter

After you have been accepted as student, university will send acceptance letter as proof. When you apply for student visa of Norway, you will have to submit acceptance letter along with other required documents. It is based only on this letter that you get student visa. Norwegian Student visa is only given to those students that are enrolled in a regular study program of a recognized university. Acceptance letter shows all your academic details including selected program and its duration.