Norway Facilitates Admission Rules for Refugees Who Want to Pursue HigherEducation

The Norwegian government has announced that it has facilitated the admission rules at higher education institutions for refugees who left their homes for safety.

In a media release, the Ministry of Education notes that refugees can apply for a study place in Norway without having to meet all the existing study requirements, Erudera reports.

As part of the changes in the admission process in higher education and at vocational schools, institutions can, as a temporary scheme for the 2022/23 academic year, grant exemptions from the requirement for general studies to those who hold a residence permit according to the Immigration Act, Chapter 4, as well as to foreigners who seek asylum.

Previously, the government proposed to provide temporary protection to the people of Ukraine, including students, who were in Norway before the war, by extending the temporary collective protection scheme and including other groups too.

“An extension of the scheme of temporary collective protection will also include people who are in Norway as seasonal workers. This solution will help the group become asylum seekers,” the ministry of education had said.

Furthermore, the changes introduced by the government include educational institutions assessing each applicant individually about the education that the latter must pursue.

“In order to be admitted, the applicant must be considered qualified to complete the relevant study,” the statement reads.

State Secretary Oddmund Løkensgard Hoel said that many people who fled Ukraine and settled in Norway are at an age where they would like to start or continue studies at a higher education institution in the country, but they might not meet all the admission requirements.

“Therefore, we change the admission requirements temporarily from the autumn,” Hoel stressed.

The government has allocated NOK 48 million to universities and colleges to offer 1,000 study places from autumn this year. This support aims to provide more opportunities for refugees accessing higher education in Norway.

The ministry said there is great willingness among educational institutions to offer services to refugees and noted that refugees wanting to study in the country must apply through local admissions and the educational institutions that have offers and provide information in this regard on their websites.

In a previous press release, the Ministry of Education said that Norway is expected to welcome 35,000 refugees this year, most of them from Ukraine.

Lately, the government notified that it is continuing the scholarship scheme for students from Ukraine, which was established to offer scholarships to Ukrainians, Russian and Belarusian students. This time, the scheme has not been extended for students from Russia and Belarus.