Mayor Hilde Nyvoll of Nordreisa, along with the mayor of Storfjord and the leadership of Campus Nord-Troms, strongly reacted to the decision. According to NRK Troms og Finnmark, Nyvoll described the program as the foundation of recruitment for 35 years and stressed that the university must fulfill its societal mission. She disputed the university's portrayal of lack of interest, noting the last three intakes had 52, 33, and 56 applicants respectively. Nyvoll acknowledged that dropout is a challenge but wants dialogue on a new model to retain students rather than closure.
Pro-Dean for Education at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Silje Wangberg, presented a different picture. According to NRK Troms og Finnmark, Wangberg described that in 2023 there were four qualified first-choice applicants; in 2025, there were 16, but only seven showed up for the start of studies, and only two students remain. The university believes a certain number of students is required to ensure a good learning environment and a professionally sound offering. Wangberg stated that the university does not consider it defensible when so few students remain, as it becomes too vulnerable both socially and academically.
One of the university's proposals is to route potential students from Nord-Troms to the program in Hammerfest. According to NRK Troms og Finnmark, Nyvoll described that traveling to Hammerfest is not going to work in practice due to geography and winter weather, emphasizing that it should be possible to get an education where one lives. The region's leadership has requested a meeting with UiT in hopes of finding a solution before the application portal opens on September 1.