Bachelor, Master & PhD Scholarships for Students from Developing Countries, Norway

Deadline: 1 December 2011
Open to: Applicants from developing countries in the South and countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and in Central Asia
Scholarship: The same amount of money as a Norwegian student

Description

The Norwegian government provides students from developing countries in the South and countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and in Central Asia (to view the list of countries, please click here) with financial support to study for a degree in Norway under the Quota Scheme.
The Quota Scheme currently provides funding for a total of 1,100 students, 800 of them from developing countries in the South and 300 from countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and in Central Asia. The Scheme is quite popular both with the Norwegian institutions involved and among eligible students, most of whom are highly qualified in their field of study. Every year the number of applicants far exceeds the number of students admitted under the scheme.
The main objective of the Quota Scheme is to contribute to capacity building through education that will benefit the home country of the students when they return. The Quota Scheme is also intended to strengthen relations between Norway and the selected countries and thus contribute to internationalisation at Norwegian institutions of higher education.
Most universities and university colleges in Norway participate in the Quota scheme. The institutions involved are allocated a certain number of students under the programme each year. The scheme normally includes courses at Master’s and Ph.D. level in addition to certain professional/Bachelor’s degrees. Most of the Norwegian institutions offer courses and educational programmes in English. To find more detailed information about the study programmes, available courses, admission requirements and application procedures concerning the Quota Scheme, please follow these links: click here (to see the participation institutions’ websites); click here (to see Master’s programme catalogue).

Scholarship

The Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund is responsible for managing the financial support provided for the Quota students. Each student receives the same amount of money as a Norwegian student would do in an equivalent educational programme. About 30 per cent of the amount is given as a grant and 70 per cent as a loan. However, the loan portion may be waived when the student returns to his/her home country after completing the course of study. Students who stay in Norway after finishing their studies or take up residence in another country than their home country must repay their loan. Normally, the financial support given will not exceed a time span of four years for one definite study plan or a combination of two programmes. Part-time studies are not supported.
Travelling expenses for entry into Norway may be reimbursed (fixed price). Students can apply for one annual home visit if the educational programme lasts longer than one year and for financial support for travelling expenses for field work during the course of study. When the student returns home within 3 months after finishing his/her studies, the cost of travelling home is covered by the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund.

Eligibility

The Quota Scheme will only enrol students from institutions (organisations, universities, authorities) which have collaboration agreements with Norwegian universities or university colleges. Norwegian institutions usually do not admit free movers (individual applicants) to this scheme. Only in very special cases will free movers be considered. Please contact the institutions directly for individual information. To find out which institutions collaborate with Norwegian institutions, please refer to the websites of the Norwegian institutions (the list of Norwegian institutions can be downloaded from the above link). You could also ask your home institution about whether they have any sort of collaboration with Norwegian universities / university colleges from the list of participating institutions.
As a student, you must apply directly from your home country. You must have stayed at least one year in your home country directly prior to the planned course of study at the Norwegian university /university college. Students usually apply for degree programmes that serve as a continuation of their studies in their home country or for courses which can be a joint part of a degree programme in their home country.
All candidates should typically have the following basic qualifications:

• Secondary school certificates
• Minimum two years of higher education from their home country

Some exceptions apply for certain professional educational courses at Bachelor’s level.
The GSU-list (has been compiled by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education – NOKUT) with the general entrance requirements for applicants with higher education qualifications from abroad can be found here (here you can find general requirements for the particular countries in order to study in Norwegian university).
Most of the study programmes offered under the Quota Scheme are taught in English. Applicants who are not native English speakers therefore must document their proficiency in English. Requirements may differ between institutions and various study programmes. Please see the university /university college’s website for more details about language requirements.

How to apply?

All inquiries should be directed to the International Office at the institution in question. Applications should be sent directly to the institutions and SIU is not responsible for received applications.
The deadline for applications for the Quota scheme is usually 1 December every year. Some courses and educational programmes may have other deadlines.

Contacts

Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU)
P.O. box 1093, N-5809 Bergen, Norway
Tel: +47 55 30 38 00
Fax: +47 55 30 38 01
Email: siu@siu.no
The Official Website