Last Updated on December 28, 2022

The University of South-Eastern Norway (Norwegian: Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge), commonly known as USN, is a Norwegian state university. It has campuses in Bø, Telemark, Porsgrunn, Notodden, Rauland, Drammen, Hønefoss, Kongsberg and Horten. USN is a continuation of the three former university colleges, Telemark University College, Buskerud University College and Vestfold University College, which merged between 2014 and 2016 to form the University College of South-Eastern Norway. The institution was granted the status of a full university by the King-in-Council on 4 May 2018.^[1] It has 1,360 employees and 17,152 students.

USN has 88 undergraduate programs, 44 master’s programs and 8 PhD programs. Measured in the number of students, USN is among the largest in higher education in Norway. The university is exclusively offering several courses in Norway, such as optician study in Kongsberg and writer’s study in Bø.

Our campuses

Bø Drammen Kongsberg Notodden Porsgrunn Rauland Ringerike Vestfold

History

Buskerud University College and Vestfold University College merged to Buskerud and Vestfold University College in 2014. On 4 June 2015, the boards on University College in Buskerud and Vestfold approved a proposal along with Telemark University College to ask the government to merge the educational institutions. The Storting‘s consideration of Report to the Storting no. 18 (2014–2015) Konsentrasjon for kvalitet – strukturreform i universitets- og høyskolesektoren found place on 11 June.^[2]^[3] The institutions were formally merged on 19 June through Royal Decree with effect from 1 January 2016.^[4]

The merger decision from the respective directors at Buskerud and Vestfold University College and Telemark University College, asked that the name of the merged school should be University College of South-Eastern Norway with merger date 1 January 2016. It was also specified in the board decision that the purpose of the merge was to become a university.^[5] An application to be granted status as a university was sent for assessment by NOKUT in 2017, and NOKUT issued its recommendation that the institution meet the criteria for university status in April 2018.^[6] The institution was granted status as a university under the name University of South-Eastern Norway in King-in-Council on 4 May 2018 and is usually referred to by the abbreviation USN.

Organization

Chairman of the board Rune Nilsen, Rector Petter Aasen and Vice-Rector Nils Kristian Bogen in conversation with Minister of Research and Higher Education Iselin Nybø (V) on campus Bø. ^[7] Photo: Stian K. Sande.

Management[edit]

The rectorate at USN consists of rector Petter Aasen, vice-rector Nils Kristian Bogen and vice-rectors Ingvild Marheim Larsen and Heidi Kristin Ormstad. The chairman of the board is Professor Tore Isaksen.^[8]

In addition to the rectorate, USN’s management team consists of the four deans, six directors and a chief of staff.

Faculties and departments[edit]

From 1 January 2017, the former 8 faculties at Telemark University College, Buskerud University College and Vestfold University College became 4 faculties and the former 36 departments became 20.Nursing students practice in the simulation center on the Porsgrunn campus during the official opening of the center.^[9] Photo: Stian Kristoffer Sande.

Faculty of Health and Social Sciences[edit]

The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences offers studies in nursing, social care, child welfare, radiography, lighting design and optometry. USN is also the only Norwegian educational institution that offers optician education.^[10] The faculty is led as of 16 August 2018 by Dean Heidi Kapstad and Deputy Dean Pia Cecilie Bing-Jonsson. The faculty director is Kjetil Horgmo.

The faculty has the following departments:

Department of Nursing and Health Sciences. Conducts the third largest bachelor’s program in nursing in Norway on three campuses Porsgrunn, Vestfold and Drammen) The department also offers master’s programs (clinical health work, advanced clinical nursing, midwife, intensive care, anesthesia) and further educations as a nurse and geriatric assessment competence.
Department of Health, Social Affairs and Welfare.
Department of Optometry, Radiography and Lighting Design.

In addition to the professional studies, the faculty offers a number of master’s programs, and a PhD program in person-oriented health work.USN’s music students perform self-produced pieces of music in the Bakkenteigen Concert Hall on Campus Vestfold.^[11] Photo: Stian Kristoffer Sande.

Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Sciences[edit]

The Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Sciences offers both studies in major professional educations such as primary school teachers and kindergarten teachers and studies in disciplinary traditions such as art, culture, folk music and sports.^[12] As of 16 August 2018, the faculty is headed by Dean Arild Hovland, Deputy Dean for the primary school teacher education and PPU, Anne Fængsrud, and Deputy Dean for the kindergarten teacher education, Hege Hansson. The faculty director is Bent Kristiansen.

The faculty has the following departments:

Department of Mathematics and Science.
Department of Language and Literature.
Department of Culture, Religion and Social Sciences.
Department of Outdoor Life, Sports and Physical Education.
Department of Aesthetic Sciences.
Department of Traditional Art and Folk Music.
Department of Education.

Faculty of Technology, Science and Maritime Studies[edit]

The Faculty of Technology, Science and Maritime Studies has the following departments:

Department of Electrical Engineering, IT and Cybernetics. Offers education with a focus on automation, electric power technology, digitization, welfare technology, renewable energy and autonomy in the process industry.
Department of Maritime Operations. The department offers education in shipping and logistics, nautical science, marine engineering, maritime management and nautical operations.
Department of Microsystems. Offers bachelor’s degree in engineering in computer engineering, electrical automation and robotics, applied micro- and nanotechnology, SMART product design, master in micro- and nanosystem technology and Joint International Master in Smart Systems Integration as well as PhD program in applied micro- and nanosystems.
Department of Nature, Health and Environment. Has bachelor’s studies with specialization in nature management or pollution and master’s studies in nature, health and the environment.
Department of Process, Energy and Environmental Technology. Offers bachelor in building design, machine design, plan and infrastructure, clean energy and process technology, master in process technology and in energy and environmental technology as well as PhD in process, energy and automation engineering.
Department of Science and Industrial Systems. Has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering, product development and mechanical engineering, and various master’s degrees in Systems Engineering and the associate professor education in science.

USN Handelshøyskolen[edit]

USN Handelshøyskolen (USN Business School) offers bachelor’s and master’s programs as well as a PhD program in Marketing Management. In addition, several year studies and further education studies are offered.

Department of Economics and IT. Offers a bachelor’s degree in economics and management, innovation and entrepreneurship, real estate, international marketing and tourism as well as IT and information systems. Also offers one-year study in IT and information systems, information processing, geographical information systems and business economics.
Department of Industrial Economics, Strategy and Political Science
Department of Economics, Marketing and Law. Offers a bachelor’s degree in visual communication, economics and management as well as political science. Offers master’s in economics and management, and part-time study in Executive Master of Management, economics and management as well as social sciences.
Department of Economics, History and Social Sciences. Has as stated core task to conduct teaching and research in economics, entrepreneurship, innovation, management, IT, history and sociology. In addition to year and bachelor’s studies within this, the department also offers master’s studies in innovation and management, associate professor education in history and social sciences.

How to apply

If you want to study at the University of South-Eastern Norway you can either apply to take a full degree, or you can study one or two semesters as an exchange student. Exchange students have to be nominated by their home university before they can apply. Full degree students apply on their own and do not need to be nominated in advance.

EU/EEA applicants

For applicants from the EU/EEA. Applications open 1 February, and the application deadline is 15 April.APPLY FOR FULL DEGREE

Non-EU/EEA applicants, and applicants to SSIS

For applicants from outside the EU/EEA, applicants who need a student visa to apply, and applicants to Smart Systems Integrated Solutions. Applications open 1 October.APPLY FOR FULL DEGREE

Exchange

If your home university is one of our partner universities you can apply for exchange. Contact the exchange coordinator at your home university for information on how to be nominated for exchange.

How to apply to full degree programmes for EU/EEA applicants

The application process

Admission is once a year and the semester starts in August. The application portal opens 1 February for applicants from the EU/EEA. In general, the deadline for application is 15 April for applicants with citizenship from the EU/EEA, and results are published in May.

When the results are ready you will be notified through your registered e-mail address. You will then be able to see the results of your application in USN’s application portal. If you are offered admission to a study programme, you will be given a short deadline to respond.

If you are qualified but didn’t get an offer in the first round, you can accept an offer to be waitlisted.

How to apply

The application process is handled online. You log in on the online application portal Søknadsweb as an international applicant, and then follow the instructions.

You need to upload the correct documentation in order to prove that you meet the admission requirements of the programme you’re applying to.

You need to either have your documentation ready to upload when you apply, or upload it soon after you’ve applied. The deadline for uploading will be specified in the e-mail receipt you get once you’ve applied. This receipt also has your application number, which you will need if you contact us, and other important information.

If we are unable to verify your documents, your application may be rejected.

Important information

Required documentsarrow_forward_ios English requirements for undergraduate programmesarrow_forward_ios Finance, student Visa and other important informationarrow_forward_ios English requirements for postgraduate programmes, including Master’s degreesarrow_forward_ios

Questions and answers

Can you check if I’m qualified before I apply?

We don’t give advance reviews of whether you’re qualified or not. You need to check the admission requirements for the programme you want to apply to, and see if your background meets these requirements.

Does USN have any offers for spouses or family members?

If you plan to move to Norway with spouses or other family members, please make sure that you are well-prepared ahead of your arrival in Norway. You need to consider the following:

Funding
Housing with space enough for family members
Applying for visas for family members
Police registration for family members
Insurance for family members

Please note that it is your own responsibility to prepare for taking your family members with you. USN has no responsibility nor capacity for organising family visas, police registration, housing, schools or kindergartens to accommodate family members.

The SSN – student welfare services – has a few apartments in each campus, accommodated for spouses or small families (1-2-rooms). These are in high demand. Please contact the ssn directly for more questions.

Do I need a study permit (student visa)?

Study permits for students from outside the EU/EEA area

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) – is the government authority responsible for issuing permits and visas to enter Norway.

Due to the current situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be delays in processing visas to Norway for foreign citizens. Please check the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) for updates. Updates can be found here.

If you are a student with a citizenship from outside the EU/EEA area, you must obtain a study permit before you arrive in Norway, regardless of the length of your stay. This also includes Non EU/EEA citizens currently studying in EU/EEA countries. Students need to have a separate study permit studying in Norway when the stay is over 90 days.

As soon as you receive a letter of acceptance to study at University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), you should register your application online and make an appointment to the nearest Norwegian consular station (general) consulate or embassy) to hand in your documents. Before you arrive, you must ensure that you have all the correct documentation. You must have a valid passport and the passport should be valid for six months after your study period in Norway has expired.

It is essential that you apply for a study permit well ahead before your semester starts, as we cannot predict the processing time of UDI in these matters. It might take up to four months, as has been the latest experience. It is also important to bring the residence permit letter from UDI upon your arrival in Norway.

You have to show the following (if applicable):

1. Confirmation of your ability to meet your living expenses.

Please note: SSN (the student welfare services) provides deposit accounts for international students, for disposal, for these matters.

2. Confirmation of housing.

3. To apply for a visa and/or residence permit, you will also need to document the purchase of a travel insurance with medical coverage (health insurance).

Please note: do not choose the option of asking USN for referral in your E-application. This will just delay your permit.

4. Health insurance (before arrival).

The Norwegian consular station in your country will provide you with specific information if necessary.

Note: All documentation you bring with you to Norway should be the original documents or official copies.

Study permit renewal

You will need to get your study permit renewed each year or semester (depending on whether you are in Norway as a semester or a year student). This must be done before your current permit expires.

You can renew your study permit by submitting an application for renewal to the police where you live. In order to be entitled to stay on the same conditions until your application has been decided, you must apply at least one month before your first residence permit expires. Read more about this process

Please note: To renew your study permit, you need to book an appointment with the police. It may take months to get available time slots for renewing your visa at the local police station. Please take this into consideration and make plans well ahead to ensure the renewal of your residence permit in time. USN is unfortunately in no position to book a time slot or arrange group appointments for students who are about to renew their permits.

Information about family reunification for students from outside the EU/EEA

Please refer to UDI for all questions related to visa, study permits and family reunification.

Students from the EEA/EU Area

Students arriving from EEA member countries do not need a study permit to study in Norway.
Nevertheless, if your course of study is for three months or longer, you will need to register online at UDI.no https://selfservice.udi.no/ at the start of your semester in Norway.

Afterwards you need to visit your nearest police station to identify yourself and present the documents that are relevant for your basis for residence.

EU students must first register online and meet up at the police station with…

– Letter of admission

– Proof of insurance/European health card

– Passport/National ID card

– Norwegian Address

– Proof of funding (declaration from you – no bank transcript or deposit confirmation needed)

Students from the Nordic Countries

If you are a citizen of another Nordic country (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland), you do not need a visa or study permit for educational purposes to study at USN.

Visa checklist:

Apply at the UDI online portal

Documents to be shown:

Documentation of subsistence
Letter of admission with housing confirmation
Travel insurance with medical coverage

More information at UDI’s web page

Questions?

Please refer to UDI for all questions related to visa, study permits and family reunification.

Please refer to SSN for all questions related to the payment and use of the deposit account.

Please refer to SSN housing services for all questions related to accommodation and housing contracts.

Required documents

The documentation you upload must be scans of originals. You also need to upload certified translations to English or Norwegian of all transcripts and diplomas.

Education

All applicants should upload diplomas and transcripts from secondary and higher education. If your institution does not provide you with an English version of your transcripts/diplomas, you must upload both the original and a certified translation into English.

If you have a NOKUT approval, you need to upload this document as well.

You do not need to send any documents by post. However, for some countries, we require that specific documents are sent directly from the issuing institution. Other countries have other specific documentation requirements. Please read the specific information under your country:

Recognition procedure for applicants without verifiable documentation

If you live in Norway and have completed education from Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Yemen, Liberia, Libya, Sierra Leone or Somalia, you must apply for recognition of your education from NOKUT before you can apply for admission to the University of South-Eastern Norway.

NOKUT has a specific recognition procedure for persons without verifiable documentation (the UVD-procedure).

You must have a valid residence permit in Norway in order to be eligible for the UVD-procedure.

English requirementsAll applicants must demonstrate the required level of English language proficiency.

Letter of motivation

The letter of motivation should be no more than 400 words. We want you to elaborate on the following:

What in your educational or work background makes you qualified for the programme?
Why do you want to study this programme at USN?
What are your long-term goals regarding your chosen career?

Applicants with a bachelor’s degree from Norway do not have to upload a letter of motivation.

Copy of passportThe page you upload should show your photo, full name, date of birth and nationality. Norwegian citizens do not have to upload a copy of their passport.

Important information regarding documentation

You are responsible for uploading all required documentation, as well as ensuring that it is uploaded within the application deadline. As it may take several weeks for institutions and test centres to provide transcripts and/or test scores, please arrange for these documents to be issued as soon as possible.
You are liable for the uploaded documents, i.e. that they represent true and unaltered information.
Wrongful or misleading information may lead to dismissal and loss of right to study, according to section 12-3 of Regulations governing studies and examinations at the USN.
Submission of fraudulent documents is illegal, and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Please note that we maintain the right to contact institutions, firms, associations and government agencies for the purpose of explanation and/or verification of uploaded documents.

Check of documents upon arrival to Norway:

In accepting the offer you have committed to bringing your original documents with you to Norway as we need to check the authenticity after arrival. All international students will be asked to present original documents during the first semester.

Power of attorney

Please sign and upload the declaration of consent that gives us power of attorney to contact your previous school(s) to confirm your results.

How to apply to a full degree for non-EU/EEA applicants

The application process

Admission is once a year and the semester starts in August. The application portal opens 1 October for applicants from outside of EU/EEA, and in general, the deadline for application and uploading of documents is 1 December. If you need a student visa, these are the deadlines you have to apply by.

The Master’s programme in Smart Systems Integrated Solutions has a separate application deadline, specified on the programme’s web page.

You will receive the result of your application through USN’s application portal within March 25th. When the results are ready you will be notified through your registered e-mail address. If offered admission, you will be given a short deadline to respond.

If you’re qualified but didn’t get an offer, you can accept an offer to be waitlisted. Should more offers become available, we will contact the waitlisted students who are given a new offer within the end of May. After this, no more offers are sent out.

We do not give conditional offers to international applicants from outside EU/EEA. This means that you must have completed your Bachelor’s degree before getting admission.

How to apply

The application process is handled online. You log in on the online application portal Søknadsweb as an international applicant, and then follow the instructions. You can only apply for one programme.

You need to upload the correct documentation in order to prove that you meet the admission requirements of the programme you’re applying to.

if we are unable to verify your documents, your application may be rejected.

Live in Norway already and don’t need a visa?

If you live in Norway and apply with your Norwegian ID number in the web portal for Norwegian applicants, the result of the application will be published in the end of May and you will get the same information and letters as the Norwegian applicants.

This means that if you need a VISA, you should apply as an international student before 1 December. You will then receive an earlier response and also get a Letter of Admission to be used in the visa application. You may only have one active application.

Please note that international applicants with a master degree from Norway may have problems getting a student visa for a new master.

All applicants with a bachelor from outside the Nordic countries will be ranked in the same quota.

Application for exchange students

Application deadlines 15th of April and 15th of October

Steps to apply

Nomination
Make sure that you are officially nominated as an exchange student to USN. Nomination must be done by the International office or equivalent at your home institution.
Apply for admission
After the nomination, you need to apply for admission as an exchange student to USN. You will receive an e-mail from [email protected] with the link to the online application system (please note that this is only for nominated students from our partner institutions!) Please contact [email protected] in case you have not received any information concerning the online application.
Fill in application online
When you log on to the online application system, please choose “International applicants”. Enter your data in the form that appears on the screen, and do not start “New Application”. Fill in the application and choose the right programme.
Finalize your applicationWe recommend that you upload your required documents as soon as you have them. You do not need to wait until all documents are available. The application deadlines are April 15 / October 15. Please make sure that all your required documents are uploaded no later than this date. To complete the online application, upload the following documents:
- Learning Agreement:
  A list of the courses you wish to take. The learning agreement must be signed by you and your home university. USN will sign it after the application deadline. Students participating in the Erasmus exchange programme must use the standard Erasmus form from their home institution. We have now integrated Online Learning Agreement into our system. Students and nominators will recieve information on this per email.
  
  Students who are here for practice cannot use Online Learning Agreement.
- Students from outside of Europe are advised to use their own learning agreement/course approval form. If your university does not have a form, we can send it to you on request.
- Transcript of records: A list of subjects you have taken in your previous education. The transcript must include the number of credits given and the grade for each course. The transcript should be written in English and be signed, stamped and dated. Students applying for exchange at the Master-level are also required to upload their Bachelor-level transcript showing list of completed subjects.
  Please note: For the Transcript of records you must register the start date for your current degree at your home institution (the end-date is voluntary) when you upload the document. For the learning agreement and the copy of your ID, you don’t need to fill in any dates.
- A copy of the European ID or the photo page in your passport: This is the page where your name and nationality is listed.
Student housing
All nominated exchange students must apply for student housing directly with SSN. This is a separate process from the student application process. The exchange student must apply by April 15th for autumn semester and October 15th for the spring semester.
Processing of the applications: Immediately after April 15/October 15, the applications are sent to each program and department for processing. All applications will be processed as soon as possible, but priority is given to non-EU students that need to apply for a residence permit for Norway. All other students can expect their letters of acceptance in approximately mid- to late May (for autumn semester) / November (for spring semester).

Non-EU citizens: Please note that all Non-EU citizens, including Non-EU students already studying in EU/EEA-countries, must apply for a residence permit for studying in Norway. The current fee for the application is NOK 4.900. In addition, these students must document finances/funding for NOK 12.000 per month (approx. NOK 60.000 for a semester). For detailed information about your citizenship, please visit UDI.
Additional information: Additional information about individual programs and information about our student assistants, volunteers and social activities will be sent shortly after your admission letter.

If you have decided not to study at USN, please let us know at an early stage so that we can update our databases.

Our campuses

History