Students in higher education, 1 October 2005

There were also fewer enrolments in 2005 in teacher training, business and administration and primary industry fields, compared with the previous year. 'Health, Welfare and Sport' was the most popular field in 2005, accounting for over one fifth of the student population.

Changes in choice of study

Compared with 10 years ago, student numbers are up by over 40 000 and distributed differently amongst the various fields of study. ‘Health, Welfare and Sport’ degrees have increased their enrolments by 75 per cent over ten years. ‘Business and Administration’ and ‘Social Sciences and Law’ have also experienced an increase in popularity in this period, with 43 and 24 per cent more students choosing these fields respectively. In contrast, enrolments in ‘Natural Sciences, Vocational and Technical Subjects’ have increased by just 7 per cent, and ‘Teacher Training’ by only 5 per cent since 1995.

United Kingdom and Australia are popular study locations

12 300 Norwegians were studying at tertiary institutions abroad during the 2005 autumn semester - 6 per cent fewer than in 2004. The English and Scandinavian speaking countries remain the most popular study locations for Norwegian students, with United Kingdom topping the list in 2005 with 2 600 students. Australia holds onto second place with 2 100 students, while Denmark rounds out the top 3 nations with 1 900 students. The number of Norwegian students in Hungary, Poland and Ireland are on the increase, while USA and France are becoming less popular study destinations. Amongst Norwegian students abroad, almost one third were taking degrees in Social Sciences, Law and Business and Administration¹. The next most popular study choices were ‘Health, Welfare and Sport’ and ‘Humanities and Arts’.

Male students continue to decline

The proportion of male students has been steadily declining over the past decade. In 2005, 40 per cent of all tertiary students in Norway were males, compared with 44 per cent in 1995. Women are in the majority for most education fields, although males still dominate ‘Natural Sciences, Vocational and Technical Subjects’, accounting for 70 per cent of student enrolments.

40 per cent of all tertiary students were enrolled at universities or specialised university institutions. Students at university colleges accounted for 55 per cent of the student mass, while 5 per cent were studying abroad. Almost half of Norway's student population is between 19 and 24 years of age. One fifth are over 35 years of age, of which the majority are female.

Tables:

• Table 1 Students in tertiary education in Norway and Norwegian students abroad, by gender, type of college, ownership and educational institution. 1 October. 1995, 2004 and 2005
• Table 2 Students in tertiary education in Norway and Norwegian students abroad, by age and type of college. Absolute figures and per cent. 1 October 2005
• Table 3 Students in tertiary education in Norway and Norwegian students abroad, by gender and field of education. 1 October. 1995, 2004 og 2005 (Corrected 27 June 2006 at 1100)
• Table 4 Students in Norway and Norwegian students abroad, by gender and county of residence at the age of 16. 1 October. 1995, 2004 and 2005
• Table 5 Norwegian tertiary students abroad, by gender and study location. 1 October. 1995, 2004 and 2005