1 Branches of study

There are vocational colleges within both health and welfare, creative industries, transport, technology, and economy and administration. Higher vocational education in Norway offers programmes with the durations of six months, one year and two years. The regulations for higher vocational education set no minimum credit size for modules or single units. Providers may offer modules of any size, provided they are based on learning outcomes from an accredited programme. In practice, however, most modules are worth 5 or 10 credits.

2 Admission requirements

Tertiary vocational education is based on completed upper secondary education and/or training and thus, admission requirements are successful completion of upper secondary education. Many programmess require successful completion of a specific vocational secondary education. For art programmes, an entrance test or audition is normally required. Application to tertiary vocational education is regulated through the Vocational Education Act ('fagskoleloven'). Formally, the vocational colleges themselves are responsible for admission. From 2020, all private and public vocational colleges are offered through a centralised admission organised by the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (NUCAS, ‘Samordna opptak’). Approximately 23 percent of new students were admitted to higher vocational education without completion from upper secondary education, based on a recognition of prior learning. The applicant must be 23 years of age or more. Within arts, particularly talented applicants of 19 years may get admission. Students' choice of vocational college is determined by the choice of programmes on offer, as some programmes are found in several counties, whereas others are unique. The choice is made by the student (applicant), as all students at this level are adults (18 or older).

3 Curriculum

There is no core curriculum within any field at the higher vocational education level. In order for programmes to be recognised (accredited), however, the vocational colleges must document that they meet the requirements regarding quality assurance systems, quality of programmes, teaching staff, governance, etc., laid down in the Act relating to tertiary vocational education and regulations, in particular the regulation on monitoring and control of vocational college education (‘fagskoleforskriften’). Accredited programmes must also meet academic requirements aligned with relevant national and international standards and conventions, ensuring that programme content corresponds to expectations for professional practice and sector needs.

4 Teaching methods

There are no national regulations regarding teaching methods and materials in tertiary vocational education. Vocational college teachers are expected to choose suitable material and methodology for their courses. However, programme design, including choice of methodology, is assessed as part of the programme accreditation procedure. Also, as all programmes are vocational, cooperation with relevant organisations, institutions and/or businesses in the relevant field is required. This is laid down in the regulation on the monitoring and control of vocational college education.   

5 Progression of students

There are no central regulations or criteria regarding progress through programmes. As vocational college programmes are of short duration, the need to regulate progress is limited. However, particularly in the two-year programmes, the colleges often require that students must pass certain or all first-year courses in order to progress to year two. Progression requirements may also apply to shorter modules that build on one another, ensuring that students meet prerequisite knowledge before advancing.

6 Employability

A graduate survey made by the research institute NIFU shows that tertiary vocational education results in a high extent of employability. 89 percent of the graduates from 2021–2023 were employed one year after completing the education. A high share of students, 74 percent, study part-time while remaining employed, which strengthens the relevance of vocational programmes and supports strong labour market outcomes.

7 Student assessment

In vocational colleges in Norway, all forms of assessment must be directly linked to the learning outcome descriptions, ensuring that students both receive support along the way and are fairly measured against the final competence requirements. Formative assessment in vocational colleges is organised as an integrated part of the learning process, with regular feedback, guidance, and assessment of coursework to support the student’s progression towards the learning outcomes. Formative assessment takes place continuously through supervision, feedback on assignments, placement work and projects, dialogue about academic development, as well as reflection notes and self‑assessment. Summative assessment is organised as a final assessment, the purpose of which is to document the extent to which the student has achieved the learning outcomes. This is carried out through formal assessments that must be suitable for measuring the competence described in the programme’s learning outcomes. Summative assessment may therefore take the form of written or oral examinations, project work, or practical skills tests, depending on the type of competence being measured. 

8 Certification

According to the Act relating to tertiary vocational education, each college is responsible for issuing diplomas ('vitnemål') for its own programmes. Students who have completed courses, modules or units that are parts of programmes, are entitled to receive a transcript of records on demand. The diploma should document: the overall learning outcome of the programme units or modules taken, plus practice periods if relevant level in the Norwegian Qualifications Framework (5.1 or 5.2, called fagskole 1 and fagskole 2, respectively), the grading system used (A–F or pass (bestått)/fail (ikke bestått), and the number of credits obtained.  

9 Organisational variation

Higher vocational education is organised in place-based education, web-based education and a combination of web-based training and sessions. In 2017, nearly 80 per cent of the provision was place-based while in 2024, this share was 33 per cent. Higher vocational education has become an important provider of lifelong learning in Norway. The average student in higher vocational education is 34 years old and many students are in employment. In 2024, 72 per cent followed online or session-based programmes. The same year, approximately 26 percent of all students were full-time student, while around 74 percent studied part-time. In fulltime studies, the majority of students are younger than 25 years, and part-time studies is the most common for adults older than 25 years. 

In 2024, there were 63 vocational colleges in total — 18 public and 45 private — distributed across 178 study locations nationwide, reflecting a geographically widespread and diverse sector.
There were also 419 unique programmes offered (and 2,107 variants when including delivery modes), demonstrating high flexibility and broad availability.