A record number of applicants have received study places in Norway for the 2026/2027 academic year. A total of 117,099 people were offered admission through the country’s coordinated application system, Samordna opptak, an increase of 4 percent compared with last year.
More than 60 percent of applicants were admitted to their first-choice programme, according to figures published on 23 July. This was the second-highest proportion recorded, behind only the 2025 admissions round, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse, HK-dir) told Universitetsavisa.
“To our new students: Congratulations on your study place, we need every one of you,” said Minister of Research and Higher Education (forsknings- og høyere utdanningsminister) Sigrun Aasland, from the Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet).
Record study places in Norway do not solve every shortage
The overall admissions record comes as the Norwegian government seeks to increase recruitment in sectors facing long-term staffing needs, particularly healthcare and education.
However, the figures vary considerably between programmes. 9,421 applicants received an offer to study nursing, more than 200 fewer than in 2025. Aasland said the number had nevertheless stabilised at a high level following last year’s growth.
“We will need many nurses in the years ahead,” she said.
Admissions to primary and lower-secondary teacher education also declined slightly. 3,936 applicants received an offer, compared with 3,982 last year. The reduction follows a substantial increase in 2025, while several teacher-training programmes continue to have places available.
The pattern illustrates a recurring challenge for Norwegian education policy. Increasing the total number of people admitted to higher education does not necessarily direct more students towards the professions with the greatest labour shortages.
More applicants choose kindergarten and upper-secondary teaching
Other areas of teacher education recorded stronger growth.
A total of 2,301 applicants were offered places in kindergarten teacher education, an increase of 11 percent after several years of declining admissions. Another 1,641 applicants received offers for lektor programmes, which prepare teachers primarily for lower- and upper-secondary education. This was also an increase of 11 percent.
Minister of Education (kunnskapsminister) Kari Nessa Nordtun said working conditions would be central to sustaining recruitment.
“The most important thing we can do to increase recruitment further is to improve conditions for those working in the profession. People primarily apply for a profession, not an education,” she said.
The Norwegian Union of Students in Teacher Education (Lærerstudentene) has argued that the increase in admissions to longer lektor programmes challenges the idea that teacher education has become too lengthy or academically demanding. Its leader, Joanna Melby Myhre, said recruitment policies should instead focus on teaching practice, supervision and working conditions.
Medical admissions have risen by nearly half since 2023
Medicine recorded the largest increase among healthcare programmes. 1,474 applicants received an offer, 104 more than last year and an increase of approximately 8 percent.
The number admitted to medical education has risen by 48 percent since 2023. The government says it has created 255 additional medical study places since taking office in 2021 as part of an effort to train more doctors domestically and support healthcare services across the country.
Despite the expansion, medicine remains the most competitive field in Norway. The autumn medical programme at the University of Oslo had the highest threshold in the ordinary admissions quota, at 69 points.
It was followed by medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, NTNU) and the professional psychology programme at the University of Oslo, both requiring 68.2 points.
The five highest thresholds in the ordinary quota were:
- Medicine, University of Oslo, autumn: 69 points
- Medicine, NTNU: 68.2 points
- Psychology, University of Oslo, autumn: 68.2 points
- Industrial economics and technology management, NTNU: 67.8 points
- Medicine, University of Oslo and Kristiansand, autumn: 67.6 points
Among applicants using the first-time school-leaver quota, industrial economics and technology management at NTNU was the most selective programme, with a threshold of 61.2 points.
Technology capacity grows despite recruitment concerns
Norwegian universities and colleges have also expanded capacity in technology-related fields. The number of planned places in information and communication technology increased from 710 to 745, while places in broader technology programmes rose from 5,553 to 5,680.
The number of applicants has not increased at the same pace. Professional organisations including Tekna and NITO have warned that weaker interest in ICT and natural sciences could conflict with employers’ growing demand for engineers, digital specialists and artificial intelligence expertise.
The share of women admitted to ICT programmes nevertheless increased from 23 to 28 percent, according to figures reported by Universitetsavisa.
Norway’s record admissions therefore provide more people with access to higher education, but the distribution of applicants remains politically important. The coming years will show whether additional study places are accompanied by sustained recruitment to nursing, teaching, technology and other professions needed to maintain Norway’s welfare services and economic competitiveness.
