Frequently asked questions by international applicants about Master's programmes taught in English at the University of Stavanger
Email: admissions@uis.no Telephone:+47 51 83 12 35
Admission Office University of Stavanger P.O. Box 8600 Forus N-4036 Stavanger Norway
Below you will find answers to the most common questions we receive from prospective and newly admitted international students on admission to the University of Stavanger.
If you can't find the answer you are looking for - contact us.
General
Yes. The Norwegian Government made a decision to introduce tuition fees for international students coming from outside of EU/EEA and Switzerland from the academic year 2023/2024. Read more at Tuition Fees for International Students.
All students must pay a semester fee of NOK 835 (subject to change).
UiS does not offer any scholarships to students at present. However, some students may be eligible for exemption from the tuition fees. For more information, see exemptions from paying tuition fees.
For information about living expenses in Stavanger, please check Scholarships and Costs.
All classes are taught in-person and on-campus at UiS.
No. All prospective students must apply for admission to UiS by submitting an online application on Søknadsweb.
UiS does not evaluate if credits can be transferred to your Master's studies at UiS before admission. Once you are admitted as student, you can consult with your study coordinator about the possibility of transferring credits taken during your previous study.
No, there is no age limit to apply to study at UiS.
Generally, UiS does not help students with finding jobs. Students should be prepared to cover all expenses without a (part-time) job.
For information regarding family immigration and residence permit issues, please visit UDI's webpage. Please note that there are no family apartments available for international students with children. Most of the available rooms are single-occupancy rooms. If you plan to bring your family, you must arrange for accommodation on your own.
The student deposit account held by UiS is only used for newly admitted students. UiS is not responsible for documenting the financial guarantee for your family members.
Application Procedure
All prospective students must apply by submitting an online application on Søknadsweb.
Here you can find information about which application category you belong to and when you can apply.
A Norwegian residence permit or citizenship does NOT automatically entitle you to apply as a local applicant. Please read the application categories and deadlines carefully before you apply.
Yes. Final year undergraduate students can apply for a Master's degree at UiS. Please follow the instructions on how to apply if you have not graduated yet.
No. Applying for a Master's degree at UiS is free.
You can apply for early admission by providing the following information in the "extra information" section in your application on Søknadsweb:
- Major/Field of Study in Bachelor's Degree
- Institution
- Country of institution
- Grade point average (GPA)
You do not need to convert your grades to the Norwegian education system. Please just write your GPA according to the grading scale used at your university. It is optional but recommended to upload information regarding your university's grading system
We are unable to answer individual inquiries regarding whether or not you are selected for early admission. If you are selected for early admission, you will receive your application result in February if you are not granted early admission, your application will be processed in an ordinary way and therefore you will receive the outcome of your application later in May.
Log into Søknadsweb to check your application status.
General Admission
All international applicants should receive the results of their application within the month of May. An email with the result will be sent to the email address you used to register your application on Søknadsweb
Early Admission
Applicants with outstanding academic backgrounds may be granted early admission. If you are selected for early admission, you will receive the outcome of your application in February. Read about early admission.
You can only apply for one master's programme. You are not allowed to create more than one user profile on Søknadsweb. If you create more than one user profile, all applications will be deleted and your application will be rejected.
No, unfortunately we do not have the capacity to assess your eligibility for admission to the Master's study programme you want to apply to. We encourage all prospective students to apply if they believe they fulfill the admission requirements.
Find your study programme and read the admission information.
No, it is not required. If you already have Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills(HK-dir)'s general recognition of foreign higher education, please upload the documents in your application.
Academic Requirements
A minimum grade average equivalent to a Norwegian 'C' (according to the ECTS grading scale) in your Bachelor's degree. A Norwegian C is described as a good grade, generally comparable to an American B and a Second Class Upper Division in the British system.
For more information on grade requirements, please visit Academic Requirements. Detailed information about the minimum grade average for each country is available on the country List.
Please note, exceptions may apply as some Master's study programmes have specific grade requirements.
A Norwegian 'C' is described as a good grade, generally comparable to an American B and a Second Class Upper Division in the British system.
All applicants with foreign higher education will be individually evaluated during the admission process.
You are not required to convert your credits to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). To learn more about ECTS credits, please read our Academic Requirements.
All applicants with foreign higher education will be individually evaluated during the admission process.
You do not need to convert your grades to the Norwegian education system. To learn more about ECTS credits, please read our Academic Requirements.
All applicants with foreign higher education will be individually evaluated during the admission process.
No. We do not have the capacity to assess your grades for admission to the Master's study programme you want to apply to. We encourage all prospective students to apply if they believe they fulfill the Academic Requirements.
English Language Requirements
All international applicants must document proficiency in English at an advanced level through an international test/exam recognized by UiS unless exempted.
To find out if you are exempt, please visit English Language Requirements for International Applicants. Or, continue reading the next question.
Exemption from submitting an English language proficiency test apply to:
- Applicants who have completed at least one-year of studies at high school or university in Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, USA, or New Zealand.
- Applicants who have completed a Bachelor's or Master's degree with English as the language of instruction in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden.
- Applicants who have English as "language 1" or "language 2" on their European Baccalaureate Diploma (EB).
- Applicants who have completed International Baccalaureate Diploma/Certificate (IB)
- Applicants who have completed and passed an English course (140 hours per year / 5 hours per week) at the Norwegian upper secondary school, with a minimum grade of 4.
- Applicants from certain countries may also be exempt, please check on the country list
To find out more, please visit English Language Requirements for International Applicants.
We accept the following English proficiency tests:
- IELTS Academic
- TOEFL iBT® Test
- Pearson English Language Test (PTE Academic, PTE Academic Online)
- Cambridge English Qualification
To find out more, please visit English Language Requirements for International Applicants.
No. We do not accept DuoLingo English as documentation of English proficiency.
No. Please upload your English proficiency test result to your online application on Søknadsweb.
8467. Please ensure you also upload your TOEFL result to your online application on Søknadsweb.
Applicants who do not upload their official score report to their online application within the deadline will fail to meet English language requirements and documentation requirements - your application will be rejected,
Documentation Requirements
Upload your documents to your online application on Søknadsweb.
If you have not registered your application on Søknadsweb, learn how to apply with a step-by-step guide.
According to the documentation requirements, the following documentation are required for all international applicants:
- CV
- Official Transcript of Records
- Diploma(s) from Higher Education (Bachelor and Master's degree)
- Diploma from Higher Secondary Education
- Documentation of English Language Requirement
- Passport
- Documentation of Financing (for non-EU/EEA applicants only)
For applicants who have legally changed their name:
- Document of Name Change
For applicants in their final year of undergraduate (Bachelor's) studies:
Applicants from some countries may be required to provide additional documentation and/or fulfill additional admission requirements. Please check if this applies to you by referring to our country list
Applicants from some countries may be required to have their official documents delivered by post to the International Admissions Office. Please check if this applies to you by referring to our country list.
Post:
Admission Office (Opptakskontoret)
University of Stavanger
P.O. Box 8600 FORUS
N-4036 Stavanger
Norway
FedEx/DHL:
Admission Office (Opptakskontoret)
University of Stavanger
Kitty Kiellands hus
Rennebergstien 30
4021 Stavanger
Norway
Yes. You should upload all diplomas and transcripts from your higher education. Admission to a Master's study programme at UiS is evaluated based on your undergraduate (Bachelor's) study.
No. Any documents uploaded that are not required will not be considered in your application, and will only delay the evaluation of your application.
You can document you are able to financially support yourself during your studies by uploading one of the following documents:
- Recent bank statement (no older than 3 months)
- Letter of awarded scholarship from your home country
- Student loan from your home country
- Documentation of Sponsorship:
- letter of financial guarantee from your sponsor
- recent bank statement from your sponsor
To find more information on documenting your financial ability, please visit visa and study permit and documentation requirements for international applicants.
A sponsor letter (and bank statement) documents that you have an agreement with someone who is going to fund your studies while you are in Norway. You can upload your sponsor letter as your document of financing in your application.
Bank statements must be no older than 3 months.
Yes, we accept alternative identification documents e.g. national ID cards if they include your photograph, full name and date of birth.
Yes, you can upload your expired passport to your application if your new passport will not be ready within the deadline. Please inform the International Admissions Office at admissions@uis.no before the deadline, and submit your new passport once you receive it via email.
No. It is the applicant's responsibility to upload all required documents within the deadline.
Please contact the International Admissions Office at admissions@uis.no before the application deadline. We can accept the late delivery of some documents in some cases.
Application Results
General Admission
All international applicants should receive the result of their application within the month of May. An email with the result will be sent to the email address you used to register your application on Søknadsweb.
Early Admission
Applicants with outstanding academic backgrounds may be granted early admission. If you are selected for early admission, you will receive the outcome of your application in February. Read more about early admission.
No. Admission results will be sent to the email address you used to register your application on Søknadsweb.
You need to accept your admission offer via Søknadsweb within the deadline. The exact date will be written in your letter of admission.
If you do not accept your admission offer within the deadline, you forfeit your admission to UiS. The university can only retain your study place for three weeks after your admission offer is accepted out of consideration for other candidates on the waiting list.
If you did not accept your admission offer on time and are still interested in studying at UiS, please contact immediately to admissions@uis.no.
No. UiS does not offer deferments in the Master study programmes taught in English. You will need to submit a new application if you are interested in study at UiS in the future.
Please contact admissions@uis.no if you choose to decline the study offer as soon as possible,
Please contact admissions@uis.no if you decide to withdraw from your studies at UiS.
The waiting list is not ranked. You are not assigned a number on the waiting list. If study places become available, the International Admissions Office will consider all applicants on the waiting list for admission to UiS. If you are not offered admission by 15th August, we did not have vacancies in the study programme you applied for.
In accordance with the Public Administration Act § 24 in Norway, applicants may request an explanation concerning the grounds of their application results within three weeks of receiving application results. This request should be addressed to the relevant authority who made the administrative decision regarding your application outcome.
Applicants can only file a complaint based on procedural mistakes in accordance with the Public Administration Act § 28 in Norway. Any new information, which the applicant did not initially include in the application, will not be taken into account.
It is not possible to file a complaint regarding the academic level or grades evaluation. All international applicants with foreign education will be individually evaluated during the admission process and the Education Committee reserves the right to decide grade requirements for deviating grade systems.
Accommodation
Yes. You can apply for student accommodation by submitting an online application to SiS.
Applicants can apply for student accommodation prior to receiving their admission results.
No. There are no family apartments available for international students with children. Most of the available rooms are single-occupancy rooms.
Yes, however couples accommodation is severely limited in availability. Your student accommodation offer from SIS will most likely be for single-occupancy rooms.
You can apply for student accommodation by submitting an online application to SiS. Please use code "OK-U" in your application so that you are registered as an international student. This code indicates that you are moving to Norway from oversea.
Applicants can apply for student accommodation prior to receiving their admission results.
This code should be used by international students who are arriving in Norway for the first time ONLY.
Please contact SiS as they are responsible for arranging student accommodation.
By applying without using the code "OK-U", your application will be processed as a local applicant.
You can apply for student accommodation prior to receiving your admission results. The deadline to apply is 20 April.
Visa
Yes. International students without EU/EEA citizenship need to apply for a visa.
No. International students with EU/EEA citizenship do not need to apply for a visa.
No. International students with residence permits do not need to apply for a visa.
International students without EU/EEA citizenship planning to study in Norway need to apply for a visa called a study permit.
Applicants should submit their online visa application on the UDI application portal.
Students can bring their family with them during their studies at UiS, however the university does not assist in family immigration. For information regarding family immigration and residence permit issues, please visit the UDI website.
- UiS is not responsible for arranging accommodation for your family. If you plan to bring your family, you must arrange for accommodation on your own. There are no family apartments available for international students with children. Most of the available rooms are single-occupancy rooms.
- UiS is not responsible for documenting the financial guarantee for your family members. The student deposit account held by UiS is only used for newly admitted students. Any amount which exceeds NOK 160 000 will be sent back to the sender.
If you are granted a study permit, you are automatically also granted permission to work part-time for up to 20 hours per week in addition to your studies and full-time during holidays.
Study Permit Application
Students who require a study permit are encouraged to apply as soon as they accept their admission offer.
Students should transfer their deposit money to the UiS bank account within 10 June.
Students who postpone paying their deposit are at risk of forfeiting their admission to study at UiS. The university can only retain your study place for three weeks after your admission offer is accepted out of consideration for other candidates on the waiting list.
No. Students forfeit their admission to UiS if they do not transfer the deposit within the given deadline.
Yes. Please ensure they include your application number and surname in their transfer so we can trace the payment to you.
All currencies are accepted as long as it is equivalent to NOK 151 690 (March 2024, adjusted yearly).
Yes. Please ensure to include your application number and surname for each individual installment so we can trace the payment back to you.
Please note you will be issued a deposit confirmation letter for each installment. You should include all the individual deposit confirmations in your study permit application to the UDI.