Requirements for recognition

The foreign education must meet the requirements of the regulations to be recognized. The main principle is that an education should be recognized unless there are substantial differences between the foreign education and Norwegian higher education. These principles are enshrined in the Lisbon Recognition Convention and the Global Recognition Convention and incorporated into the Act relating to universities and university colleges § 9-7.

1. Application and documentation

Your education must be sufficiently documented by the institution or educational authorities in the country where you studied, following § 3-1 of the regulation to the General Recognition of Foreign Higher Education.

2. Accreditation or official recognition

Your education must be accredited or officially recognized as higher education, following § 2-2 of the regulations. We base our assessment on the system of accreditation or official recognition in the country of origin. The specific requirements for accreditation or official recognition approval may therefore vary across countries.

3. Level

Your education must be at the level of Norwegian higher education. We compare the education systems in Norway and the country where you studied to assess the level of your education, following § 2-2 of the regulations.

If there are substantial differences, the foreign education may not be fully approved. Only higher education exceeding the requirements for Higher Education Entrance Qualification for Persons with Foreign Education (the GSU list) can be recognized as higher education.

4. Scope/workload

Your education is normally recognized based on the principle that one year of standard study time in the country of education is equivalent to one year of standard study time (60 ECTS) in Norway. The minimum requirement for scope is one semester/half a year,following § 2-2 of the regulations.

5. Interrupted education

Only completed semesters/half years can be recognized. Your education will be recognized in whole and half academic years if degree equivalence cannot be given, following § 2-2 of the regulations.

Requirements for degree equivalence

The requirements for degree equivalence are in addition to the requirements for general recognition. All the requirements for degree equivalence must be met for your foreign higher education to be equated with an accredited Norwegian higher education degree, following § 2-2 of the regulations.

University college candidate degree

Scope: minimum 2 years that can be recognized as higher education.

Must be a completed degree or study programme.

Bachelor’s degree

Scope: minimum 3 years that can be recognized as higher education.
Must be a completed degree.

Should normally give access to second cycle studies in the country of origin.

Shorter master’s degree

Scope: minimum 1 year.

Must be a completed degree.

Should normally be based on a completed bachelor’s degree or comparable degree, and have a minimum of three years full time study as admission requirement.

Can give access to third cycle studies in the country of origin.

One-and-a-half-year master’s degree

Scope: 1,5 years.

Must be a completed degree.

Should normally be based on a completed a bachelor’s degree or comparable degree, and have a minimum of three years full time study as admission requirement.

Can give access to third cycle studies in the country of origin.
Must comprise a piece of independent work.

Two-year master’s degree

Scope: 2 years.

Must be a completed degree.

Should normally be based on a completed a bachelor’s degree or comparable degree, and have a minimum of three years full time study as admission requirement.

Must give access to third cycle studies in the country of origin.

Must comprise a piece of independent work.

Longer integrated master’s degrees

Scope: minimum 4,5 years¹

Must be a completed degree.

Must give access to third cycle studies in the country of origin.

Must comprise a piece of independent work.

Doctoral degree (PhD) – Minimum requirements recognition and criteria equivalency

1. Accreditation/official recognition and level

The education must be a completed and officially recognized doctoral degree from an institution that has been officially recognized/accredited to offer doctoral degrees within the specific field of study. A doctoral degree is defined as research education in the educational system in the country of origin (third level in the degree structure).

2. Scope/workload

Standard duration of study should be a minimum of three (3) years.

3. Independent research

The main component of the doctoral degree is a work of independent research, carried out under academic supervision, and which leads to an approved scientific doctoral thesis. The duration of the work on the doctoral thesis must be minimum (2) years.

4. Expert committee

The doctoral dissertation must be assessed and approved by an expert committee.

Additional requirements for equivalency to a Norwegian PhD

1. For countries with a qualification framework

• Doctoral degrees from countries with QF-EHEA/EQF: The education must be on level eight (8) in EQF.
• Doctoral degrees from countries with a qualification framework comparable to EQF: The education must be on a level equivalent to level eight (8) in EQF.
• Doctoral degrees from the countries mentioned above, from the time before the framework was introduced: The doctoral degree, together with prior higher education, must have a total course of study of preferably eight (8) years, in some cases seven (7) years.

2. For countries without a qualification framework and without GSU-requirements of either one (1) or two (2) years of higher education in addition to upper secondary school

• The doctoral degree must have a total course of study of eight (8) years, including the years of prior higher education.

3. For countries with centrally regulated doctoral degrees and alternative admission requirements for the doctoral degree

• The doctoral degree together with prior higher education must have a total course of study of eight (8) years.

4. For countries where the GSU-requirements are one (1) or two (2) years of higher education in addition to upper secondary school

• The doctoral degree is assessed individually.

5. For countries with doctoral degrees where the nominal length of study is not regulated

• The doctoral degree is assessed individually.

6. For countries that do not fall under categories 1–5

• The doctoral degree is assessed individually.

7. Recognition procedure for completed and approvable doctoral degrees that do not meet the requirements for degree equivalency.

• The doctoral degree can be recognized in full and half academic years.

8. Recognition procedure for incomplete doctoral degrees

We can only assess incomplete doctoral degrees which contain successfully completed credit awarding courses. These courses can be recognized in full and half academic years.

Explanation of terms

QF-EHEA: Qualifications Frameworks in the European Higher Education Area, the Bologna framework, describes the three cycles: bachelor, master and PhD.

EQF: European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning

GSU: Higher Education Entrance Qualification for Persons with Foreign Education

Recognition of specific educational programmes

1. Postgraduate studies

We can grant recognition of foreign postgraduate studies if they are part of the system of academic higher education in the country of origin.

2. Distance learning and internet-based education

We can recognize a foreign qualification obtained through distance learning/internet-based education, provided that:

• it is awarded by an accredited/recognized institution of higher education
• it is a part of the country’s educational system
• it has the same admission requirements, and grants the holder the same rights, as campus-based qualifications
• it is subject to satisfactory quality assurance.

3. Transnational Education

Transnational education is a type of education where the student spends large parts of his or her period of study in a country other than that which awards the degree. The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills can recognize this type of education when the institution awarding the degree is an accredited or officially recognized institution of higher education, and the transnational education is subject to satisfactory quality assurance, cf. Code of good practice in the provision of transnational education, UNESCO/European Council 2001.

4. Special cooperation agreements between recognized and non-recognized institutions

We can determine specific guidelines for evaluation of education given by special cooperation agreements between accredited or officially recognized and non-recognized educational institutions.

Legal Basis

• Act relating to universities and university colleges (lovdata.no)
• Regulation to the General Recognition of Foreign Higher Education (lovdata.no)