According to multiple reports, over 150,000 people applied through Samordna opptak this year, nearly 9,000 more than last year. The Ministry of Education said there are more study spots available than ever before. Health sciences remain the most popular field of study.
Psychology education has seen a surge in demand. The University of Agder (UiA) received 1,451 applicants for 45 spots, meaning only one in 32 applicants will be admitted, according to major media reports. The University of Stavanger received 905 applicants. Psychology at UiA is the third most applied-to study per study spot nationally. Nationally, there has been nearly a doubling in application numbers for psychology this year, major media reported.
Despite the increased interest in psychology education, a shortage of psychologists persists. According to major media, there are approximately 11,000 psychologists in Norway currently, compared to 1,500 in 1985. Six out of 25 municipalities in Agder lacked a legally required psychologist when UiA got approval for the new psychology program. In 2020, a requirement was introduced that all Norwegian municipalities must employ a psychologist. However, 15 percent of municipalities still have not employed one, according to Statistics Norway.
Applications to the Norwegian Police University College increased by 21 percent compared to last year, according to multiple reports. A total of 3,650 people applied for 549 spots. The Bodø campus saw the largest increase, up 79 percent from the previous year. The police used new recruitment channels this year, including a digital campaign targeting young people aged 16–25, major media reported.
Regional trends show strong interest in several universities. Nord University received 5,651 first-priority applicants, an increase of 600 from last year, the highest since 2018, according to major media. Real estate brokerage, HR management, and nursing are among the most popular studies there. HR management is a new online study with 1,407 applicants for 40 spots. The University of South-Eastern Norway received nearly 17,000 applicants: 7,240 through Samordna opptak and 9,453 through local admission, an increase of 3 percent compared to last year. Maritime and engineering studies saw the largest increase there.
The multi-year decline in applications to teacher and lecturer education appears to have reversed, according to the government. The exact number of applicants for teacher education has not been disclosed. The total number of applicants across all universities and fields is not yet available, nor is the exact number of study spots nationally. The breakdown of applicants by gender or age is also unknown.