Semester exchange through Erasmus+

Students from universities which have an Erasmus+ agreement with University of Oslo (UiO) may spend one or two semesters at UiO as part of their studies.

Erasmus+ students who come for semester exchange must be nominated by their university and may take courses across faculties and departments, depending on their background. Please contact your university to find out if you may go on exchange to UiO.

Please note:

  • The University of Oslo does not admit Erasmus+ Free Movers for studies. 
  • Inquiries about available Erasmus+ traineeships/placements must be made directly to the relevant department/faculty, project or university hospital. 

Nomination and application

Please contact your university's Erasmus coordinator or international office to find out if you are eligible for exchange to the University of Oslo. You must apply through your home university and the procedures and deadlines will vary according to each institution.

Deadlines

The application must be completed in the University of Oslo online application service "Søknadsweb" before:

  • 1 May for the autumn semester (August - December)
  • 15 October for the spring semester (January - June)

Letters of admission will be available online for students with complete applications in early May for the autumn semester and in late October for the spring semester.

Erasmus+  Learning Agreement

At the University of Oslo, it is the faculties which handle and sign the Erasmus+ Learning Agreement for their Erasmus+ students. You must contact your faculty to have the Learning Agreement (LA/OLA) signed.

The Learning Agreement is not required as a part of the application to UiO. Students who do not upload the LA with their online application, may submit it to their faculty when the semester starts, or after they have registered for courses.

For further information see:

Courses in English

Erasmus+ students may choose from a wide range of courses offered in English.

The course descriptions give detailed information about each course, course content, when it's taught etc. The list is updated for the coming semester in late November/mid-May.

Erasmus+ students who wish to follow courses that are not included in the agreement they apply through, must ensure that their home institution will recognize such courses as part of their degree.

For questions regarding courses and other academic matters, please contact the department or faculty with which your institution has an agreement. See contact information under courses and documents for exchange students.

For questions concerning courses offered in other foreign languages than English, please see the list of courses taught in Norwegian, or contact the relevant faculty.

English proficiency requirement and documentation

Erasmus+ students to the University of Oslo do not need to document English language proficiency with tests such as IELTS or TOEFL.

We do however strongly recommend that students have a good command of English – a minimum of level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) – in order to follow courses taught in English.

The University of Oslo expects that all nominated Erasmus+ students have been evaluated according to the CEFR framework at their home institution. Students do however not have to provide documentation for this with their application.

Please contact the Erasmus coordinator at your home institution if you have questions about requirements on the agreement in question.

Erasmus+ traineeships

Students who find internships at UiO must make an individual work plan (Learning Agreement for Traineeship), which must be signed by the three parties:

Erasmus+ traineeship students who are not nominated online by their home university must send the signed Learning Agreement for the traineeship, and their transcript of records, to their host faculty or department, preferably before the deadline for applications: 1 May / 15 October.

UiO does not offer many opportunities for traineeships/internships for incoming Erasmus+ students, and students from partner universities with existing Erasmus+ agreements are prioritized.

Inquiries about traineeships must be made directly to the relevant unit at UiO. We do not have information about available traineeships in the central admissions office.

Student housing, arrival and orientation

Students must apply for student housing on the SiO website before 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 November for the spring semester in order to be prioritized for housing in one of the SiO student residences.

See website about student housing for details.

The autumn semester normally starts in the middle of August, and the spring semester in the second week of January. Erasmus+ students should arrive in Oslo the week before the start of the lectures to ensure that they will be present for the orientation for new students. See also start of studies for details.

Students must contact their faculty for signature on the LA/OLA, and on the Erasmus+ confirmation of arrival/departure, see Courses and documents for exchange students

Erasmus exchange on PhD level

Erasmus+ exchange students on the PhD level are treated as guest researchers at the University of Oslo and will not be given student status. These students will not receive the regular admission letter but must contact their host department for academic and practical follow up.

Short term stays for individual researchers are organised at the department level, and we do not have any information in our office about possibilities in the Educational Quality Office.

See website about practical follow up for guest researchers (ISMO)

Norwegian language courses

Erasmus students at the University of Oslo may register for Norwegian Language Courses on foundation and advanced level:

  • Norwegian Language Courses at the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies. The credit value of these courses may be incorporated into a degree, if the courses are recognized by your home institution.
  • Intensive Norwegian Language Courses offered in the summer through the International Summer School (ISS) at the University of Oslo. For further information, see The International Summer School (ISS)
  • Free online, four-week, introductory foreign language course: Introduction to Norwegian (MOOC)

Information for Erasmus+ partners

As an Erasmus+ institution, the University of Oslo is connected to the Erasmus Without Paper network (EWP). For further information, please see:

Published Mar. 20, 2015 4:04 PM - Last modified Mar. 7, 2024 1:28 PM