Admission to Norwegian for Academics (NORA)
When to Apply
Courses starting in January
- The application portal for spring semester courses is open from October 10 to November 20.
- Check the application requirements before applying.
Courses starting in June
- Applications for the summer semester open on January 4.
- Read more about admission to the summer term
Courses starting in August
- The application period for autumn semester is in May and June.
1. Requirements for Admission
If you come from a country outside the EU/EEA you are only allowed to apply for NORA courses if you already have a Norwegian personal number or a D number. In order to apply for admission to NORA courses, you must:
- Meet the basic admission requirements for higher education in Norway (except for Norwegian language level requirements).
- Meet specific English language requirements.
- In addition to the basic admission requirements, some countries have specific documentation requirements.
- UiO employees and PhD candidates are NOT exempt from submitting all required documentation, including secondary school documentation.
If you are not from the EU/EEA and do not have a Norwegian personal number or D number, but are living in Norway legally and/or know that you will get a residence permit before the course starts, you may write us an e-mail to explain your case: nora-admin@iss.uio.no . We will inform you about how to apply. It is not possible to get a student visa for taking this course.
- If you still have visa questions, these must be addressed to the UDI, not to the UiO.
2. Apply now
To apply, log in to UiO's application portal "Søknadsweb". You will find NORA under "single courses/ enkeltemner" after you have logged in.
- Gather all the required documents, and upload them in the application portal within the application deadline. Instructions on how to upload your documents.
- All qualified applicants who submit a complete application by the deadline, are guaranteed admission.
- Former or current NORA or UiO students who have already uploaded documents online in the application portal: You must still choose your course in the application portal in order to apply. However, if your documents are still listed from a previous application to NORA, you do not need to re-upload your documents.
- PhD researchers and UiO employees: You must upload all required documentation, even if you have completed/will complete a PhD at UiO and/or are employed at the UiO. Applications without any documentations will not be processed.
Application deadline (in Søknadsweb)
- Applying to Autumn session: May 10 to June 10.
- Applying to Spring session: October 10 to November 20.
Deadlines for uploading documents (in Søknadsweb)
When applying for the Spring session:
- November 20: Education and tests already passed/taken.
- December 8: Education and tests to be completed in the Autumn semester and transcripts sent directly to UiO from the issuing institution (either by courier, ordinary mail or by email).
3. Determine Your Level
To be admitted to NORA level 2, 3 or 4, the applicant must meet the formal prerequisites before the start of the course. No previous knowledge of Norwegian language is necessary for the level 1 course. The documentation deadline for Norwegian proficiency documentation is usually 1 week before the course starts. Detailed information about the deadline will be sent in the admission offer after applying.
If a student fails to meet the requirements within the deadline, they will be demoted to the appropriate level before the start of classes. A refund of the course fees will not be made in the case of a demotion.
Norwegian proficiency documentation
Applicants meet the Norwegian proficiency requirement by passing one of the following:
- The previous NORA level, or
- "Norskprøve" with sufficient results (see requirements below), or
- A course equivalent to the previous NORA course at an accredited university (must be credit-bearing)
If you have taken a Norwegian language course that gives letter grades, you must have a minimum grade of D on all parts of the exam(s) to meet the requirement.
If an applicant is unsure of whether their documentation will meet the requirements, please contact nora-admin@iss.uio.no.
Norskprøven
To meet the requirements with results from Norskprøven, the applicant must have received the following results on ALL four parts of the exam (speaking, listening, reading and writing):
- When applying to NORA0110(IN): No previous knowledge required
- When applying to NORA0120(IN): A2
- When applying to NORA0130(IN/D): B1
- When applying to NORA0140(IN): B2
If the applicant is missing the required level in one or more skills, the applicant will not qualify and will be demoted before the start of the semester.
4. Check the Course Fee
- Find the course fees for NORA0110, NORA0120, NORA0130, and NORA0130D.
- Find summer course fee information
- Full payment is required, a payment plan is not possible. Please make sure that your budget can accommodate the course fees before you apply. Prices are subject to change on a year-to-year basis.
- Make sure you understand the cancellation policy before applying.
Please note: Students in NORA and NORAIN courses are not eligible for student loans by Lånekassen.
5. Getting Your Application Results and Paying
Applicants can expect an answer within 1 month after the application was submitted.
- The link to pay will be provided in your acceptance email.
- Instructions on how to pay the course fee.
Accommodation: We cannot arrange accommodation for NORA students, and UiO/SiO offers no housing guarantee for NORA students. NORA students are, however, allowed to apply for student housing through SiO, but since demand is very high, this is a risky option if you have no back-up plan. Hybel.no and Finn.no are the biggest search engines for the private housing market.