Norway Makes It Easier for Refugees to Study in the Country

In a statement released on June 30, the government also stressed that this temporary agreement would allow people for whom it is unsafe to return and remain in their home country to apply for a study place without the need to meet all the existing study qualifications, AtoZSerwisPlus.comreports.

In this regard, the Secretary of State Oddmund Løkensgard Hoel said that the war in Ukraine has made many people flee their homes, adding that some of them who have come to Norway are at an age where they would like to start or continue schooling, but not everyone fulfills all the requirements.

“Therefore, we change the admission requirements temporarily from the autumn,” he also pointed out.

As a result, the government presented the changes included in the Higher Education Admission Regulation and the Vocational School Regulation, which are as follows:

• For persons who have a residence permit according to the Migration Law, universities, colleges, and professional colleges, as a temporary scheme for the academic year 2022-2023, can grant exemption from the requirement for general study competence, Chapter 4, i.e., foreigners who need for protection (asylum).
• Educational institutions must also evaluate each applicant individually against the education they can offer. However, to be accepted, the applicant must be considered qualified to complete the relevant study.
• The changes will take effect immediately.

In order to give refugees the opportunity for good offers of higher education, the government last month allocated money to universities and colleges corresponding to 1000 new places from the fall of 2022.

“There is a great willingness among educational institutions to offer services to refugees. The refugees must apply through local admissions and the educational institutions that offer information about this on their websites,” the statement reads.

The Minister of Research and Higher Education, Ola Borten Moe, said that since the second world war, we are now facing the biggest refugee crisis in Europe. According to her, education and work are the keys to integration.

She also added that it is being proposed to adjust the admission regulations for this group. The changes will give universities, colleges, and vocational colleges as much flexibility as possible to assess the individual application for admission in the next academic year.