Language requirements

Norwegian taught Bachelor's and Master's programmes

All our other Bachelor's programmes are taught in Norwegian and require Norwegian proficiency. For more information about the admission requirements, please see the Norwegian websites.

You must prove Norwegian language proficiency by passing one of the following examinations:

• Norwegian, written and oral exam from third year level (393 hours) in Norwegian upper secondary school
• Norwegian Language test for adult immigrants from The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills with the result B2 in all the four disciplines.
• Norwegian for International Students, Level 3 at the universities.
• 1-year course in Norwegian Language (60 ECTS) at Norwegian universities or university colleges.
• Test in Norwegian - advanced level (Test i norsk - høyere nivå) with a minimum score of “pass” (bestått) in both the written and the oral test. Folkeuniversitetet discontinued Test in Norwegian - higher level (also known as The Bergen test) in October 2022. You fulfil the requirement in Norwegian if you have passed the oral and written tests previously.
• Combination of tests: From the academic year 2023-2024, it is possible to combine the results of partial tests in Test in Norwegian, higher level (Bergenstesten) and the Norwegian Language test for adult immigrants (Norskprøven for voksne innvandrere).

You can find more information about the language requirements at HK-dir. 

Are you from another Nordic country with qualifications granting general admission to higher education in your home country, and have studied your native language at the most advanced level at upper secondary school you are not required to take a Norwegian language proficiency test.

English taught Bachelor's and Master's programmes

All our Master's programmes are taught in English and require English proficiency. 

All international students and students who have completed upper secondary school outside of the Nordic countries must meet the English language requirements that apply to their country.

Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) provides a list of requirements for all countries, the GSU list (Higher Education Entrance Qualification for applicants with foreign education).

• Check your own country in the GSU list.

Tests

You can meet the English language requirements by completing one of the following tests:

• English (140 hours) from Norwegian upper secondary school: written and oral exam.
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with a minimum score of 60 points from TOEFL iBT / TOEFL iBT Home Edition or 500 points from TOEFL PBT.
• IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) Academic test / Online academic test with a minimum score of 5.0.
• Cambridge ESOL Examinations: First Certificate in English.
• Cambridge ESOL Examinations: Certificate in Advanced English.
• Cambridge ESOL Examinations: Certificate of Proficiency in English.
• Pearson PTE Academic: with an overall score of 51 on PTE Academic / PTE Academic Online.
• The European language certificate (telc): English B2.
• The European language certificate (telc): English B2-C1 University.
• The European language certificate (telc): all English certificates at C1-level.
• University of Michigan, Michigan Language Assessment: Certificate of Proficiency (ECPE), Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE)

In addition, you will have proof of sufficient English proficiency if you have:

• A complete or incomplete undergraduate degree in English language and literature with courses in English language and literature that are equivalent to minimum 60 ECTS.
• Completed a minimum of one year of upper secondary school or one year university studies taught in English in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Great Britain or the USA.
• Completed a master's degree taught in English.

Assessment of language competence carried out by the admissions committee is not accepted.

Special language requirements for admission to the Bachelor's programme in classical ballet

The Bachelor's programme in classical ballet is a three-year full-time programme for the education of professional dancers. The programme is intended for particularly gifted ballet pupils, who, after completing primary school, wish to further specialization in classical ballet. 

The language of instruction is Norwegian, but it is adapted for students who only speak English. All applicants must document good knowledge of English (ref. study plan).

Oslo National Academy of the Arts also relies on the GSU list prepared annually by the Ministry of Education and Research (see the section about English above for the GSU list).

If the language requirement for English is registered as "not covered", applicants must submit an additional English test which documents level A2 or better. A2 is a universal standard for language tests and can be documented with many different tests. Exactly which one will vary from country to country, and since applicants to the Bachelor programme in classical ballet can come from all over the world, it would not be appropriate to limit this to specified tests.

Assessment of language competence carried out by the admissions committee is not accepted.