Norway?

Norway is well known for its mountains, fjord coastline, sea-faring history, unique coastal life, midnight sunlight during the summer months, brilliant Winter Olympics performance and, of course, its higher education.

Norway’s highest ranking university, the University of Oslo, features in the top 100 of the 2013/14 QS World University Rankings® – great news if you want to study in Norway.

Due in part to its offshore oil and gas deposits, Norway has the fourth-highest per capita income in the world and one of the highest standards of living. Norway is a member of many international organizations, including the UN, NATO, the Council of Europe and the Nordic Council, the WTO and the OECD. It’s also a part of the Schengen Area, and maintains close ties with the US and the European Union (EU), despite rejecting full EU membership.

While studying in Norway you’re worried about losing a digit in the freezing cold, worry no more! The warm Gulf Stream means Norway isn’t actually as cold as you might imagine. With coastal areas being relatively mild and average winter temperatures rarely dipping below -4^oC (24.8^oF) in capital city Oslo, one can venture around comfortably (in layers, yes, but without turning blue).

Universities in Norway

Higher education in Norway is comprised of a mixture of both public and private universities. Some are specialized, some comprehensive, and some – known as ‘university colleges’ – concentrate mainly on providing undergraduate level education in a range of more vocationally focused subjects.

Facts about Norway

• Official name: Kingdom of Norway
• ‘Norway’ translates roughly as ‘path to the north’
• Capital city: Oslo
• Constitutional monarchy (currently King Harald V – a largely ceremonial role) and parliamentary democracy
• Head of government is prime minister (currently Erna Solberg)
• Currency: Norwegian krone
• Major religion: Christianity (Lutheran Church of Norway)
• Official language: Norwegian. Also significant is the Sámi language of the indigenous Sámi people in the north. Many Norwegians speak English as a second language.
• Norwegian language has two official written forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk, of which Bokmålis used by the vast majority and Nynorsk is used mostly in the very south.
• Europe’s northernmost country
• Borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia
• Shares longest uninterrupted border within Scandinavia and Europe, with Sweden
• Around the same size as Malaysia, but with a total population smaller than that of the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area alone
• Half of Norway’s surface area is mountain.
• There are as many Norwegian descendants living in the US as there are Norwegians in Norway (according to the US Census bureau).
• 99% of Norway’s electricity comes from hydropower.
• Early adopter of women’s rights, minority rights, and LGBT rights
• First country to recognize the ILO-convention 169 concerning the rights of indigenous and tribal people
• First Scandinavian country to legalize same-sex marriage
• Major exports: petrol, oil, gas, arms, black metal, machinery, chemicals and fish
• Time zone: Central European Time (UTC+1), UTC+2 in the summer
• International dialing code: +47
• Internet domain: .no