Quota Programme

 Who can apply?

Applicants for admission under the Quota Programme must fulfil certain criteria in order to be considered for admission. Admission is limited and therefore very competitive. Applications for the Quota Programme should be recommended by the legal authorities at their home institution.

It is a condition that the applicant applies for admission to the Quota Programme from his or her home country, and can document that he or she has been in the home country for at least one year prior to admission into the programme. Quota Programme students are expected to return home on completion of their studies in Norway.

Criteria for application

Required Educational Background

The Quota Programme is aimed at postgraduate students.

Applicants must fulfil the basic entrance requirements for matriculation at a Norwegian institution of higher education, see http://www.nokut.no/en/Foreign-education/General-recognition/Applicant/NOKUTs-administrative-procedure/GSU-list/. In addition to the basic entrance requirements, applicants for the Quota Programme must provide documentary evidence of the following:

- For the MA and MSc programmes, the minimum requirement is three (3) years of study at university level, i.e. minimum bachelor’s degree level (or equivalent). For some countries an additional 4th year is required.

MA, MSc and PhD programmes at HUC

For the Quota Programme 2012-14 HUC will give priority to students applying for Master Degree and PhD programmes that are:

-MSc in Applied Ecology (Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences- Campus Evenstad). Language of instruction: English. Expected total study period of 2 years.

-MA in Mental Health Care (Faculty of Public Health- Campus Elverum). Language of instruction: Norwegian with an introduction year of Norwegian language and Culture. Expected total study period of 3 years.
- MA in Public Health with the emphasize on Life Style Changes (Faculty of Public Health- Campus Elverum). Language of instruction: Norwegian with an introduction year of Norwegian Language and Culture. Expected total study period of 3 years.

-MA in Culture and Language Didactics (Faculty of Education & Natural Sciences- Campus Hamar). Language of instruction: Norwegian with an introduction year of Norwegian language and Culture. Expected total study period of 3 years.

-MA in Language, Culture & Digital Communication (Faculty of Education & Natural Sciences- Campus Hamar). Language of instruction: Norwegian with an introduction year of Norwegian language and Culture. Expected total study period of 3 years.

-MA in Adapted Education (Faculty of Education & Natural Sciences- Campus Hamar). Language of instruction: Norwegian with an introduction year of Norwegian language and Culture. Expected total study period of 3 years.

-MSc in Appied and Commercial Biotechnology (Faculty of Education & Natural Sciences- Campus Hamar). Language of instruction: English. Expected total study period of 2 years.

-PhD in Applied Ecology (Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agriculture Sciences, Campus Evenstad). Language of instruction: English. Expected total study period of 3 years. 

Grade requirement

Admission to the Quota Programme is most competitive, and educational background, results as well as personal motivation will be considered.
English language requirements

All non-native English speakers must provide official documentation of English language proficiency at the level of Norwegian upper secondary school/high school.

English must have been the primary foreign language in at least seven years in primary, secondary and upper secondary school, alternatively an A-level exam in English.

Applicants who do not fill these requirements, or are not sure that they do, must take one of the following tests:

- TOEFL with a score of 500 (written) 170 (computer based) 60 (internet based)

- IELTS with a score of 5.0

No exceptions are made to this requirement. Scores lower than 500/170/60 (TOEFL) or 5.0 (IELTS) will not be accepted.
See http://www.nokut.no/Documents/NOKUT/Artikkelbibliotek/Utenlandsk_utdanning/GSUlista/Language_requirements_GSU.pdf

Funding

The Quota Programme is a scholarship programme, but the funding is given as part loan, part grant. Students receive money from the State Educational Loan Fund monthly, and the amount paid is approximately NOK 95.000 a year, or approximately 15.500 US dollars. The scholarship is meant to cover all expenses throughout the academic year. The Quota Programme scholarship also includes a partial allowance for travel to Norway at the beginning of the study period and home again on completion. If the student’s programme is of more than one year’s duration, a partial allowance is also granted for one trip home for the summer holidays. The allowance is fixed and based on student airfare rates.

 On completion of the programme, and when the students have provided documentary evidence of their return to their home country, the outstanding loan can be converted to a scholarship. As long as the students fulfill this requirement, they will not have to repay the loan or pay any interest on it.

How to apply?

If a student fulfils all the criteria above, he or she must contact legal authorities at their home educational institution for a recommendation. The recommendation should be included in the candidate’s application package. The Quota 2013 application form is only available through the administration at the respective Quota partner institutions. Remember to prepare all documentation including the recommendation letter.

Translation

Translation of all documentation into English or Norwegian must be enclosed. Documents must be translated into English or Norwegian by an authorized translator. You may ask the issuing institution to give you a transcript/certificate in English. A certified copy of the original document in the original language must accompany the certified copy of translation.

Address the application to:

Hedmark University College

International Office,

PoBox 400- Terningen Arena

N-2418 Elverum, Norway

Closing date for applications

For the Quota Programme 2013 application closing date is set to December 15^th 2012. Applications must be post stamped and sent from the home country by this date. Late applications will normally not be considered. HUC is not responsible for applications arriving late due to slow postal services or other circumstances beyond our control. Be sure to send the application well before the closing date for applications. Applicants can expect to receive a reply in April.

Travelling to Norway and procedures on arrival

The letter of acceptance will be sent to the student from HUC by April/May. Students with admission should contact the Norwegian Embassy as soon as possible to apply for a student resident permit. See general criteria for application at http://www.udi.no/Norwegian-Directorate-of-Immigration/Central-topics/Studies/ . Students must arrive in Norway before the educational programme starts and are expected to attend the first week’s orientation sessions. Note: The academic year at HUC begins in the middle of August.

After the arrival, all students will be allocated a “social security number” (personal identity number) for residence over 6 months. HUC has a “Buddy system” for international students to help them get off to a good start at the university college.

For further information, please contact international@hihm.no

To learn more about Norwegian history, society and culture, please see:

www.studyinnorway.no

www.norway.no