Fewer Student Places
The Government has decided to reduce the number of places for new students at the Oslo School of Architecture, the
Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Norwegian College of Music with 19, 7, and 28 respectively. As Lars
Moe of the College of Veterinary Medicine points out, the affected courses are very popular, with only 59 of 1258
applicants being admitted to veterinary studies. Similarly, less than 10% of applicants to the Oslo School of Architecture are admitted to study at the school.
Because the institutions in question are so small, the financial impact of the cuts will deeply affect the institutions
concerned, particularly because their student groups are so small that there is little money to be saved by
re–organising the teaching.
Costly Knowledge
A recent judgement in the German High Court allows German universities to charge fees. Several of the German states have long considered this an
opportunity for avoiding reductions in the universities. Bjørn Stensaker, director of research at NIFU, the Norwegian
Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research, and Higher Education, says that the impact ultimately depends on what
line the German universities will follow. In the USA, university fees have shot up, while grants have diminished. In
Germany, funds follow the number of study credits attained by the institutions, rather than the number of students.
Cheaper universities will therefore be able to select their students from a larger number of applicants, and pick the
best ones.
Norwegian Erasmus exchange students will not be affected by the change, as one of the terms of the Erasmus agreement is
that the exchange shall not cost the students money.
