Students in higher education, 1 October 2015

In 2015, 266 400 students were enrolled in Norwegian universities and university colleges. Another 16 700 students from Norway were enrolled in universities and university colleges abroad – a total of 283 100 students in higher education.

More students, both men and women

Men accounted for 113 800 students in 2015, and women accounted for 169 300 students. This was an increase of 4 000 male students and 6 600 female students in higher education from the year before. The growth in student numbers also led to an increase in the number of students in almost all educational institutions at university and university college level. Students aged 19 and 21 had the largest increase in student numbers.

About 23 per cent – or 2 400 students –of the total student increase of 10 600 students was found in primary and lower secondary teacher education and in supplementary education for teachers. This increase may be linked to the national focus on investment in supplementary education for teachers.

More than 60 per cent of students in higher education were women in 2015, and this proportion has remained almost the same for the last 15 years. Even in a European context, Norway is among the countries with the highest female proportion. Eurostat statistics from 2013 show that only Iceland, Sweden, Latvia, Slovakia and Poland had a larger female proportion of students in higher education.

More students in all fields

The rise in students in higher education led to a corresponding increase in the different fields of education. Both Education and Business and administration saw an increase of 3 200 students from 2014 to 2015. The field of Transport and communications, safety and security and other services had an increase of 13 per cent – from 8 400 students in 2014 to 9 500 in 2015 – which was the largest percentage increase.

Pharmacy remains popular among students with an immigrant background

More than half the students studying for a Master of Pharmacy had an immigrant background in 2015 – the same as in 2013 and in 2014. About 34 per cent of the 540 students on this master programme were immigrants and 21 per cent were Norwegian-born to immigrant parents.

6 out of 10 students abroad are women

More than 70 per cent of the 16 700 students abroad in 2015 studied in the UK (4 950), Denmark (2 900), USA (1 900), Poland (1 600) and Hungary (1 000). Among all students abroad, more than 60 per cent were women. In popular countries like Hungary, UK and Denmark, almost 70 per cent of the students were women.