The 2024 annual status reports on higher education and tertiary vocational education (‘fagskoler’) in Norway show that the number of students who choose flexible participation in education is increasing. In higher education, participation in flexible education, meaning part-time, de-centralised or web-based studies, increased both in terms of offered provision and in terms of demand.

Norwegian students enrolled in higher education, on average, are older than students in many other countries. About 30 percent of the students are 30 years or older, one of the reasons being the great number of adult students enrolled in flexible higher education programs. However, it can also be explained by the fact that Norwegian students, on average, are older than students in other countries when they start their studies in higher education. 20 percent of all students start their tertiary studies at least two years after they completed upper secondary education as many of them choose to do their military service, improve their grades from upper secondary school, study at folk high school or work before they enter tertiary studies.

Norwegian-born individuals with immigrant parents have a significantly higher propensity to study than the rest of the population, and Norway is among the countries in Europe with the highest proportion of women in higher education. Nevertheless, research shows that the socioeconomic background is one of the most important indicators of participation in higher education. This report also shows that many people with disabilities drop out before starting their studies due to access to healthcare services, finances, adapted housing and accommodations at the educational institution.

In tertiary vocational education, students are, on average, 33 years old and largely established workers with long work experience who study while working. Most students take advantage of flexible educational offerings with part-time students accounting for 90 percent of the increase in the number of students. Taking this increase into account, over 70 percent of all students are part-time students.

In 2019, as part of a skills reform, higher educational institutions were allowed to offer studies with less than 30 credit points and a tri-partite sectorial programme giving working students the opportunity to participate in short courses that are relevant to their daily working tasks. This is reflected in the increase of students in higher vocational education participating in courses worth less than 30 credit points. The report on the collaboration between higher vocational education and the labour market concludes that vocational education institutions collaborate extensively with the labour market, and that companies often find it easier to engage with vocational education institutions than with universities and colleges.

Source: Eurydice Unit Norway