Admission to Norwegian for Foreigners

Admission to Norwegian for Foreigners

You can apply for admission to the Norwegian for Foreigners language course for the spring and autumn semester, within the applicable deadlines. To be eligible for admission, you must document that you fulfil specific requirements. You can read more about the requirements and the application process on this website.

Applicants must fulfill the general entrance requirements (with the exception of the Norwegian language requirement), and have a valid residence permit in Norway. You have to cover the English language requirement to be considered for admission.

Admission for refugees

Refugees who have received collective protection or individual asylum in Norway can apply for courses at NTNU. Information about the admission process for refugees is available on the NTNU web page for refugees

 

The information on this website will be updated before each admission period.

Admission information

Admission information

The courses you can apply for depend on your applicant status.

NTNU employee:

  • Length of your work contract is minimum 12 months: You can sign up for all the Norwegian for Foreigners language courses.
  • Length of your work contract is between 6 and 12 months: You can only take the short course.

Partner of permanent adacemic employee:

  • You can sign up for all the Norwegian for Foreigners courses if the department your partner belongs to is willing to cover the course fee. If the department does not cover the course fee, you can apply as an external applicant for levels 2, 3 and 4.

International student at NTNU:

  • If you are an international master degree student, you can apply for all the Norwegian for foreigners courses.
  • If you are an exchange student staying for 1 semester, you can only apply for the short course.
  • If you are an exchange student staying for 2 semesters, you can apply for all the Norwegian for foreigners courses.

External applicant:

  • If you are not NTNU-affiliated, you can only apply for levels 2, 3 and 4.

Applicants to the Norwegian for Foreigners language courses are divided into categories. The admission requirements may also depend on which of the following applicant categories you belong to:

NTNU employees and partners of permanent academic employees:

  • Permanent and temporary NTNU employees
  • PhD-candidates at NTNU
  • Partners of permanent academic employees can be considered for admission in this category as well, if their partner's department is willing to cover the course fee. If the department does not cover the course fee, you can be considered for admission as an external applicant.

International students at NTNU:

  • International master degree students
  • Exchange students

External applicants:

You have to upload the required documents as PDF-files on Søknadsweb. 

NTNU employees

  • Work contract at NTNU
  • Letter from your department confirming that they are willing to cover the course fee
  • Possible documentation of Norwegian language skills

Partners of permanent employees at NTNU

  • Partner's work contract at NTNU
  • Letter from your partner's department confirming they are willing to cover the course fee
  • High school and university education, both in the original language and a certified translation to English/a Scandinavian language
  • Residence permit
  • Marriage certificate or documentation showing that you live with your partner
  • Documentation showing that you cover the English language requirement
  • Documentation of Norwegian language skills if you have this

NTNU students (international master's students/exchange students)

  • You do not need to upload documentation, unless you have documentation of your Norwegian language skills

External applicants

  • Diploma and transcripts of records from high school and university education, both in the original language and a certified translation to English/a Scandinavian language
  • Residence permit
  • Documentation showing that you cover the English language requirement
  • Documentation of Norwegian language skills if you have this

Please note that there are additional requirements for educational documents from specific countries.

Information about the course content is available on the web page of the Department of Language and Literature.

Level 2 requirement

  • Passed level 1
  • Norskprøven (organised by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills) with a B1 result on the written part of the test, and A2 results on the listening, reading, and oral parts. 

Level 3 requirement

  • Passed level 2
  • Norskprøven (organised by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills) with a B2 result on the written part of the test, and B1 results on the listening, reading, and oral parts. 

Level 4 requirement

If you have other documentation of your Norwegian language skills for admission to the level 2 or 3 course, we will check if this can cover the requirement. 

If you have applied for level 2 and/or 3, and you do not have (sufficient) documentation of your Norwegian language skills, you will be called in for a placement test. This test is not an official exam, but is used to see which level you qualify for. Your placement test result is valid for two semesters. 

The test requires physical attendance and will be held on Wednesday 15 November 2023 from 4 to 7 PM. If you need to take the test you will receive information via email about a week beforehand. 

Please note that Norwegian for Foreigners students who are currently taking the course and are registered for the regular exam will not be called in for a placement test for the following level. If you are a Norwegian for Foreigners student who already is ineligible for the exam, you will only be called in for the placement test for the following level if you withdraw from the exam on Studentweb within the application deadline (1 June/1 November). 

Information about the test is available on the web page of the Department of Language and Literature.

NTNU employees/partners of permanent employees at NTNU

If you are an academic employee/a permanent administrative employee or partner of a permanent employee, you are guaranteed a place on the course if your department/your partner's department is willing to cover the course fee for you. 

NTNU students (international master's students/exchange students)

  • If you have not yet taken a Norwegian language course at NTNU, you will be prioritised for admission.
  • If you have taken a Norwegian language course at NTNU before, you will be ranked according to your grade from a previous course. 
  • If you apply for a course you have taken before, those who have not yet taken a course will be prioritised. 

External applicants

  • You are ranked according to the number of credits you have documented from higher education. Only that which is equivalent to higher education in Norway will be included. 
  • Applicants who have not previously taken the level will be given priority.

Exceptions

  • Short course: Students with a period of stay up to 5 months are prioritised. 
  • Level 1: After students who have not yet taken a Norwegian language course at NTNU, we will prioritise students who passed the short course, and last will be students who have taken a beginners course without a passing grade. 
  • Level 4: All applicants will be ranked according to their grade for the level 3 course or an equivalent. 

Information about ranking is also available in the admission regulations.

Course fee

Only for NTNU employees/partners of permanent employees at NTNU

The course fee is to be paid by your department. This fee is 4000 NOK for each level (level 1, 2, 3) and 2000 NOK for the short course. Please note that you yourself have to pay the semester fee in addition to this. 

You cannot receive admission if your department is not willing to cover the course fee for you. If you are a partner of a permanent employee and your partner's department will not cover the course fee for you, you can compete for admission as an external applicant. 

Semester fee

All applicants, except exchange students, must pay the semester fee.

Important dates

Important dates

Autumn semester 2024

  • You can start applying from 1 May.
  • 1 June: Application deadline
  • Middle of June: Placement test
  • 1 July: Documentation deadline
  • Around the end of July: Admission results are published

Spring semester 2025

  • You can start applying from 1 October.
  • 1 November: Application deadline
  • Middle of November: Placement test
  • 1 December: Documentation deadline
  • Beginning of January: Admission results are published

 

Contact Admissions Office

Contact Admissions Office

Email: opptak@ntnu.no

Telephone: +47 73 59 77 00
Monday to Friday
09:00 to 11:30 (Norwegian time)