Statistikk innhold
Statistics about
Students in higher education
The statistics include all students registered in higher education as of October 1. Persons enrolled in doctoral programs (PhD) are not included. Students taking an entire study program abroad are included, whereas exchange students are excluded. Statistics on new students in higher education are updated in June.
Updated: 5 April 2024
Next update: 27 March 2025
Selected figures from this statistics
- Students in higher education in Norway and abroadDownload table as ...Students in higher education in Norway and abroad
2013 2022 2023 Students Total 269 063 310 934 311 765 Males 109 700 123 830 122 827 Females 159 363 187 104 188 938 Student proportion among 19-24 year olds Total 33.7 37.4 36.7 Males 27.5 29.4 28.8 Females 40.1 45.9 45.1 Student proportion among 25-29 year olds Total 15.0 16.6 17.0 Males 13.3 14.2 14.6 Females 16.8 19.0 19.6 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Resident students in Norway by immigration category and ageDownload table as ...Resident students in Norway by immigration category and age
2023 Total Immigrants Norwegian-born to immigrant parents Other population Males Females Males Females Males Females Males Females Total, 19-34 years 98 228 140 253 11 873 16 498 6 487 8 423 79 868 115 332 19 years 4 191 7 270 592 831 549 869 3 050 5 570 20 years 8 476 14 693 917 1 435 865 1 288 6 694 11 970 21 years 11 831 18 414 1 036 1 635 998 1 359 9 797 15 420 22 years 12 216 17 539 1 048 1 501 856 1 064 10 312 14 974 23 years 12 222 16 377 1 025 1 510 776 992 10 421 13 875 24 years 10 287 13 487 991 1 330 600 722 8 696 11 435 25 years 8 353 10 542 895 1 126 434 506 7 024 8 910 26 years 6 444 8 232 860 1 077 329 390 5 255 6 765 27 years 5 241 6 659 831 965 276 291 4 134 5 403 28 years 4 171 5 359 679 874 227 264 3 265 4 221 29 years 3 363 4 473 547 730 186 200 2 630 3 543 30-34 years 11 433 17 208 2 452 3 484 391 478 8 590 13 246 Proportion registered in higher education Total, 19-34 years 16.4 24.6 9.9 14.0 26.3 36.6 17.6 26.9 19 years 12.4 22.8 13.0 20.5 24.3 39.6 11.3 21.7 20 years 25.5 46.1 21.1 33.0 39.1 61.7 25.1 47.0 21 years 36.1 58.3 22.9 36.0 49.1 69.2 37.4 61.5 22 years 36.0 54.6 20.5 32.6 44.4 61.1 38.4 58.1 23 years 34.1 48.9 17.6 29.2 41.2 54.8 37.0 52.4 24 years 28.4 39.9 15.9 23.7 34.7 45.1 30.8 42.9 25 years 23.1 30.7 13.3 17.6 27.7 36.0 25.2 33.6 26 years 17.3 23.3 12.1 15.5 22.7 28.0 18.3 25.0 27 years 13.6 18.1 11.0 12.5 18.7 21.1 14.1 19.6 28 years 10.8 14.6 8.5 10.9 15.5 19.9 11.2 15.4 29 years 8.7 12.1 6.5 8.5 13.5 16.7 9.1 13.0 30-34 years 5.6 8.8 4.8 6.7 7.4 9.7 5.9 9.6 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Students by educational institutionDownload table as ...Students by educational institution
Students 2023 Both sexes Males Females Educational institutions, total 311 765 122 827 188 938 Nord university 10 892 3 829 7 063 Norwegian University of Life Sciences 7 408 2 869 4 539 Norwegian University of Science and Technology 43 194 20 492 22 702 Oslo Metropolitan University 22 438 6 847 15 591 UiT - The Arctic University of Norway 16 193 6 660 9 533 University of Agder 13 753 5 637 8 116 University of Bergen 19 549 7 538 12 011 University of Oslo 25 792 9 989 15 803 University of Stavanger 12 592 5 189 7 403 University of South-Eastern Norway 17 106 6 408 10 698 The Oslo School of Architecture and Design 844 321 523 BI Norwegian Business School 20 456 10 305 10 151 Molde University College - Specialised University of Logistics 3 646 1 560 2 086 Oslo National Academy of the Arts 609 190 419 MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society 937 336 601 Norwegian School of Economics 4 094 2 360 1 734 Norwegian School of Sport Sciences 1 572 776 796 Norwegian Academy of Music 866 433 433 VID Specialised University 5 607 961 4 646 Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences 14 486 4 638 9 848 Østfold University College 6 900 2 492 4 408 Volda University College 3 854 1 178 2 676 Western Norway University of Applied Sciences 16 126 5 708 10 418 Sámi University of Applied Sciences 200 39 161 Oslo New University College 2 870 645 2 225 Queen Maud University College 1 106 186 920 Kristiania University College 14 648 5 260 9 388 NLA University College 2 676 1 013 1 663 Norwegian Police University College 3 302 1 619 1 683 Military University Colleges 864 681 183 Other University Colleges 4 482 1 738 2 744 Abroad 12 703 4 930 7 773 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Field of education for students in Norway and abroadDownload table as ...Field of education for students in Norway and abroad
Numbers Per cent Total Males Females 2013 2022 2023 2013 2022 2023 2013 2022 2023 Fields of Education Students in Norway 253 317 297 775 299 062 40.9 39.8 39.4 59.2 60.2 60.6 General programmes1 1 964 656 631 75.7 73.3 71.0 24.3 26.7 29.0 Humanities and arts 26 309 27 452 27 264 38.8 38.9 38.5 61.7 61.1 61.5 Education 36 060 47 644 45 850 24.2 27.2 26.9 75.8 72.8 73.1 Social sciences and law 32 600 38 330 38 351 37.4 34.3 34.1 63.5 65.7 65.9 Business and administration 48 619 58 682 58 183 45.4 47.1 46.2 54.4 52.9 53.8 Natural sciences, vocational and technical subjects 43 944 53 708 53 630 68.3 64.6 64.0 32.3 35.4 36.0 Health, welfare and sport 51 510 59 607 60 204 21.1 21.9 20.9 77.4 78.1 79.1 Primary industries 1 255 1 872 1 885 52.4 42.1 43.4 49.0 57.9 56.6 Transport and communications, safety and security and other services 9 549 7 787 8 861 72.0 60.8 59.7 28.0 39.2 40.3 Unspecified field of study 1 507 2 037 4 203 38.2 38.1 40.1 62.3 61.9 59.9 Norwegian students abroad2 15 746 13 159 12 703 38.7 38.4 38.8 61.3 61.6 61.2 General programmes1 0 0 0 . . . . . . Humanities and arts 2 327 1 464 1 376 32.5 31.1 29.8 67.5 68.9 70.2 Education 93 93 77 15.1 20.4 22.1 84.9 79.6 77.9 Social sciences and law 2 900 2 528 2 320 26.8 23.6 26.1 73.2 76.4 73.9 Business and administration 3 361 2 641 2 726 48.0 55.9 54.8 52.0 44.1 45.2 Natural sciences, vocational and technical subjects 1 669 1 828 1 754 51.5 52.7 52.1 48.5 47.3 47.9 Health, welfare and sport 4 931 4 379 4 208 38.8 33.6 33.7 61.2 66.4 66.3 Primary industries 54 40 36 18.5 27.5 25.0 81.5 72.5 75.0 Transport and communications, safety and security and other services 0 21 26 . 76.2 65.4 . 23.8 34.6 Unspecified field of study 411 165 180 36.0 22.4 25.0 64.0 77.6 75.0 1Includes preparatory courses for university or university college education. Includes not preparatory course for engineering education as of 2014. 2Students who take a whole degree abroad. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Country of study for students abroadDownload table as ...Country of study for students abroad1
Total Males Females 2013 2022 2023 2013 2022 2023 2013 2022 2023 Countries of destination Total 15 746 13 159 12 703 6 088 5 048 4 930 9 658 8 111 7 773 Denmark 2 634 1 995 1 880 900 688 634 1 734 1 307 1 246 Sweden 672 435 478 240 154 175 432 281 303 France 209 211 215 75 90 105 134 121 110 Ireland 81 58 65 22 15 18 59 43 47 Italy 77 146 204 21 40 67 56 106 137 Netherlands 353 687 659 154 300 296 199 387 363 Poland 1 455 1 556 1 519 635 548 546 820 1 008 973 Spain 127 470 490 48 164 174 79 306 316 United Kingdom 4 702 2 784 2 476 1 666 1 004 882 3 036 1 780 1 594 Switzerland 50 80 94 26 51 62 24 29 32 Germany 210 308 286 92 143 130 118 165 156 Hungary 793 676 662 262 183 181 531 493 481 Czech Republic 325 162 146 145 68 64 180 94 82 Slovak Republic 445 451 400 209 163 144 236 288 256 Rest of Europe 412 738 820 167 322 337 245 416 483 Africa 75 14 15 30 6 8 45 8 7 Asia 169 282 301 98 104 101 71 178 200 Canada 144 95 79 85 48 36 59 47 43 USA 1 707 1 552 1 416 802 812 798 905 740 618 Rest of North- and Central America 6 2 2 1 0 0 5 2 2 South America 21 10 9 5 4 4 16 6 5 Australia 1 005 435 472 368 138 161 637 297 311 Rest of Oceania 74 12 15 37 3 7 37 9 8 Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1Students who take a whole degree abroad. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Students in selected programmes by immigration categoryDownload table as ...Students in selected programmes by immigration category
2023 Numbers Per cent Total Immigrants Norwegian-born to immigrant parents Other population Men 3 year degree, bachelor 54 222 13.2 6.9 79.9 Of which Pre-school-/kindergarten teacher education 1 144 15.4 5.9 78.7 Specific subject and vocational teacher, foundation programme 438 5.9 1.4 92.7 Engineering, foundation programme 8 300 16.0 7.7 76.3 Nursing, foundation programme 2 117 27.8 3.8 68.4 Business and Administration subjects 15 305 10.2 7.1 82.7 4 year degree, bachelor 345 7.5 0.9 91.6 Of which General-/Primary and lower secondary teacher education 46 4.3 0.0 95.7 5 year degree, master 32 214 12.9 4.7 82.4 Of which Master of Law 1 542 4.3 5.1 90.6 Master of Pharmacy 194 49.0 22.7 28.4 Master of Odontology 177 29.4 22.0 48.6 Master of Science in Business and Economics 1 672 7.4 4.1 88.5 Master of Technology, Graduate engineering degree 8 472 12.2 5.8 82.0 Master degree, primary and lower secondary teacher education 3 063 4.0 4.4 91.7 Master degree, teacher training 1 945 5.8 5.0 89.2 6 year degree 2 048 10.0 7.2 82.8 Of which Cand.med. (Medicine) 1 325 12.5 9.7 77.7 Cand.theol. 95 6.3 3.2 90.5 Cand.psychol. 561 5.0 2.3 92.7 Cand.med.vet. (Veterinary Science) 67 7.5 3.0 89.6 Women 3 year degree, bachelor 74 078 14.5 6.0 79.5 Of which Pre-school-/kindergarten teacher education 5 280 17.5 5.0 77.6 Specific subject and vocational teacher, foundation programme 447 7.6 2.9 89.5 Engineering, foundation programme 2 148 19.3 8.2 72.5 Nursing, foundation programme 12 352 15.8 3.9 80.3 Business and Administration subjects 14 981 13.4 6.1 80.5 4 year degree, bachelor 355 14.6 3.1 82.3 Of which General-/Primary and lower secondary teacher education 78 5.1 2.6 92.3 5 year degree, master 48 891 11.3 4.2 84.5 Of which Master of Law 3 526 5.3 5.8 88.8 Master of Pharmacy 501 42.7 25.7 31.5 Master of Odontology 595 20.7 15.1 64.2 Master of Science in Business and Economics 1 037 9.8 5.7 84.5 Master of Technology, Graduate engineering degree 4 502 9.4 5.2 85.4 Master degree, primary and lower secondary teacher education 7 589 4.0 3.6 92.4 Master degree, teacher training 2 900 6.3 6.4 87.3 6 year degree 5 406 7.8 6.5 85.7 Of which Cand.med. (Medicine) 3 250 8.8 8.4 82.8 Cand.theol. 98 12.2 2.0 85.7 Cand.psychol. 1 629 6.6 4.4 89.0 Cand.med.vet. (Veterinary Science) 429 4.0 0.7 95.3 Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ... - Parents’ level of education for resident students in NorwayDownload table as ...Parents’ level of education for resident students in Norway
2008 2018 2023 All residents Propotion which was registered in higher education All residents Propotion which was registered in higher education All residents Propotion which was registered in higher education 19-24 years Males 182 064 23.4 210 602 28.4 205 776 28.8 Mother or father has long higher education 17 824 52.1 26 648 53.8 33 349 51.0 Mother or father has short higher education 49 152 34.8 68 950 37.0 72 996 34.5 Mother or father has upper secondary education 81 250 16.0 81 508 19.7 68 147 19.0 Mother or father has primary and lower secondary education 21 535 8.8 18 197 13.8 16 619 15.3 Not stated 12 303 10.8 15 299 8.6 14 665 10.3 Females 174 121 36.4 196 179 42.8 194 818 45.1 Mother or father has long higher education 16 815 63.4 25 006 62.6 31 549 62.2 Mother or father has short higher education 46 580 50.0 65 119 52.6 69 971 52.8 Mother or father has upper secondary education 77 206 31.0 76 584 36.6 64 268 38.1 Mother or father has primary and lower secondary education 20 278 17.6 16 970 24.6 15 601 29.7 Not stated 13 242 14.3 12 500 14.7 13 429 15.5 25-29 years Males 151 802 12.6 189 237 14.0 189 107 14.6 Mother or father has long higher education 12 684 30.0 17 724 29.8 21 509 28.0 Mother or father has short higher education 33 227 20.2 50 663 20.3 56 444 19.6 Mother or father has upper secondary education 67 644 9.2 73 245 10.1 68 782 10.2 Mother or father has primary and lower secondary education 17 075 5.6 17 704 7.0 15 514 8.4 Not stated 21 172 6.8 29 901 7.4 26 858 8.2 Females 147 235 16.4 180 966 17.9 180 139 19.6 Mother or father has long higher education 11 803 31.7 16 525 31.6 20 086 30.6 Mother or father has short higher education 31 639 24.3 47 819 24.8 53 218 25.2 Mother or father has upper secondary education 63 914 14.2 68 672 15.5 64 763 17.1 Mother or father has primary and lower secondary education 16 338 9.4 16 756 11.4 14 354 14.1 Not stated 23 541 9.3 31 194 8.9 27 718 9.5 The number for all residents and the proportion which was registered in higher education in 2023 was corrected 22 August 2024. Explanation of symbolsDownload table as ...
About the statistics
The information under «About the statistics» was last updated 11 December 2023.
Enrolled students
Students registered at an approved institution for higher education in Norway and students from Norway registered abroad in higher education, excluding exchange students.
Type of school
According to the Standard Industrial Classification of 2007. The schools are classified as Universities, Specialized University Institutions, and University Colleges, where University Colleges are again divided into three main groups: State University Colleges, Military Colleges and “other university colleges”.
Educational activity
According to the Norwegian Standard Classification of Education (NUS2000). Programmes are classified according to their level and field of study.
School county/school municipality
The county/municipality where the institution is located.
County of residence at 16 years County where the student resided at the age 16.
Highest educational attainment of parents
Parental educational attainment is divided into four categories:
- Primary and lower secondary education
- Upper secondary education
- Higher education, short (at least two years, but also 4 years or less)
- Higher education, long (more than four years)
Parental educational attainment is defined by the one parent with the highest level of education. For example, if the parental educational attainment of a student is “Higher education, short,” it implies that at least one of the parents has education at this level. Cases where there is no information on the level of education of any of the parents falls into the “Unspecified” group. See also the definitions of educational level.
Immigrants
Persons born abroad of two foreign-born parents and four foreign-born grandparents.
Norwegian-born to immigrant parents
Persons who are born in Norway of two parents born abroad, and in addition have four grandparents born abroad.
Teacher training and pedagogy programmes include
Teacher training programme; Various bachelor’s programmes in pre-school/kindergarten teacher education, specific subject/vocational teacher education and within pedagogy; General teacher/primary and lower secondary teacher programme and specific subject/vocational teacher education; Master’s programmes in teacher training and pedagogy; Postgraduate programmes for teachers.
Age Estimated as of December 31.
Educational activities are grouped by the Norwegian Standard Classification of Education which was established in 1970 by Statistics Norway and later revised in 1973, 1989 and 2000. Educational institutions are classified as being higher education by the Standard Industrial Classification.
For international purposes, the ISCED 2011 is used (International Standard Classification of Education).
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Relatert innhold
Analyses, articles and publications
Article / 28 March 2019More students want to become teachersThe number of students in teacher training and pedagogy programmes continues to increase. From 2017 to 2018, there was a particularly high increase in the number of students in primary and lower secondary teacher education.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS 2018/01: QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATIONWhich students are most satisfied with the quality of teaching?Sixty-five per cent of students in Norway are satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of teaching, but differences are huge. Students are most satisfied at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås and at the Norwegian School of Economics.
BookletsFacts about education in Norway 2021The Facts about education publication includes most of the figures on education in Norway – from kindergarten to university.