NSB, the Norwegian State Railways, received an additional NOK 5 million in this year\'s budget for discounts. Despite this, NSB\'s students discounts remain at 10 and 50 per cent – well short of the allover 50 per cent students had been led to expect. Senior advisor Svein Ringstad thinks it unlikely that student discount rates will be affected by the ongoing negotiations with the Ministry of Transport. The estimated NOK 200 million deficit to be accumulated during 2004 makes it probable that any changes will be for the worse, as NSB is likely to reduce the number of departures, and especially the number of «green», discounted departures.

Cost of Exams for Private Candidates to Rise

Private candidates at the University of Oslo now have to pay up to NOK 12,000 for an exam equivalent to 60 student credits. The reason for the dramatic increase in fees is that Parliament has refused to fund universities for private candidates. The University of Oslo is now passing on the buck to the private candidates. Leader of the Student Parliament Bjørn Niklas Sjøstrøm is critical of the new fees. –High fees erode the principle of equal right to education, he says. The University of Trondheim, NTNU, has set the exam fee for private candidates at NOK 380. Head of Division Knut Veium at NTNU explains that the expenses related to the private candidates\' exams are so low that there is no need to raise fees. The University of Oslo\'s rector, Arild Underdal, notes that UiO has a much higher number of private candidates than NTNU, and must finance the resulting expenses. The University of Bergen is raising the private candidates\' fees to NOK 8000, and the University of Tromsø is to follow soon.