1 The Government’s policy for international student mobility

1.1 Internationalisation and student mobility

Higher education of good quality is essential for the future development of society. The current global challenges, coupled with the need for a number of major societal adjustments in Norway, result in the need for highly qualified people with a wide range of competencies. The education system must evolve to meet these needs. Increased internationalisation and international cooperation are necessary to ensure good quality in Norwegian higher education. The Government established this in the white paper Report no. 16 to the Storting (2016–2017) Quality culture in higher education (the “Quality Report”). Like research, education must also be developed through collaboration and comparison with excellent partners abroad. International exposure and cooperation add valuable perspectives to programmes of education – and thereby also the students – that can raise the quality of education in the broadest sense. International cooperation and international perspectives are necessary to address the global challenges facing society today linked to climate change, technology, demographics and democracy. At the same time, they can underpin Norway’s broader interests related to foreign policy, development policy and business policy through increased networks, knowledge and expertise. In Norway too, society and the workplace are becoming increasingly international, and the importance of the kind of knowledge, expertise and skills that greater internationalisation can help foster will only grow going forwards.

Within education, internationalisation can be achieved in many different ways; the main prerequisite is an internationally oriented, active academic environment. Internationalisation may be related to the content of the syllabus, the students being introduced to international perspectives, or the nurturing of an international learning environment. It is the Government’s goal for higher education in Norway that the students are part of a learning environment that also includes international students.

In addition to the Government’s desire to promote various forms of increased internationalisation of the syllabus, programmes and the learning environment at home in Norway, it is also a goal that far more students will go abroad for a study or training period, and it is this aspect of internationalisation that is the main topic of this white paper. In the Quality Report, the Government determined that in the longer term it should be a goal that half of all students have a learning period abroad during the course of their studies.

A study period abroad will help improve the quality of Norwegian higher education and research and promote the individual student’s academic and personal development; it will also help evolve society and increase Norway’s capacity for change and ability to compete.

International student mobility is about improving higher education by exposing Norwegian students and campuses to international ideas, perspectives and knowledge. Schemes should be made that enable students to go to institutions abroad that their home institution has already established academic ties with and has quality assured. In addition, outbound full-degree students and exchange students ought to be encouraged to take education in countries that are of particular relevance to Norway and at high-quality institutions.

A study period abroad will provide students with international experience that will make them better equipped to participate in a European and globalised working and business landscape. In addition, international student mobility should support liberal democratic values – values that are increasingly coming under pressure in the modern world. Bringing young people together can help bridge national tensions, provide better intercultural understanding, and help challenge anti-democratic and xenophobic forces. Citizens of tomorrow will need new skills in a society that is increasingly global, multicultural and digital. International student mobility can help shape the society of the future for the better by allowing students to explore and hone their views against the views of people from a different background. Higher education institutions must work together to resolve society’s problems and improve the quality of their research and education. Through binding cooperation, countries must facilitate international mobility for pupils, students and researchers.

The Nordic countries work together to create a good education and research community in terms of mobility, quality, and political priorities. Important objectives for the European cooperation through the Erasmus+ programme, the Council of Europe and the Bologna Process are the building of a common European identity, promotion of democratic values and fighting extremism. Through UNESCO, among others, Norway works with other countries to promote education and mobility on the global agenda and to ensure the achieving of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including in particular SDG 41 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.

1.2 The Government’s ambitions

1.2.1 A change in culture

With the 2003 Quality Reform, the Storting decided that all students who wish to do so should be able to have a study period abroad as part of their Norwegian degree programme. Through the Bologna Process, Norway has committed to ensuring that by 2020, at least 20 per cent of students who complete a degree will have had a study period or a period of practical training abroad. Although this objective has existed since the Quality Reform, and was further underlined through the Bologna Process target, there has been little success in getting more students to go abroad.

The white paper Report no. 16 to the Storting (2016–2017) Quality culture in higher education (the “Quality Report”) expresses an ambition that in the longer-term half of all graduates from Norwegian higher education will have had a study period abroad. At the same time, the Quality Report stresses that the academic quality of learning periods abroad must be ensured, and that academic communities and institutions must participate actively in international cooperation.

The overarching goal of this white paper is to contribute to a cultural change in the higher education sector such that international mobility becomes an integral part of all programmes of study, making it possible to achieve the Government’s target that half of all graduates from Norwegian higher education will have had a study period abroad. Clear expectations that students ought to have a learning period abroad can be defined by students actively having to opt out if they cannot or do not wish to go abroad.

This kind of cultural change will take time, and the following five factors can contribute to the change:

1. Student mobility is included as part of the strategic work to strengthen the quality and relevance of higher education.

2. Student mobility is based on institutional partnerships, usually covering both research and education.

3. Regulations and funding schemes are designed to stimulate increased student mobility.

4. The management, academic staff and administration at the institutions, as well as the students themselves, support and work towards this kind of cultural change.

5. Employers and industry express a wish for and value graduates with overseas experience.

1.2.2 Student mobility as part of the quality work

Raising the quality of higher education and research is one of the Government’s priority projects. International student mobility is essential to achieve this goal.

The white paper Report no. 16 to the Storting (2016–2017) Quality culture in higher education (the “Quality Report”) states that internationalisation should be used as a strategic measure for raising quality in education. All study programmes must have internationalisation measures, including international student mobility. The main forms of internationalisation are:

• student and staff exchanges

• teaching collaborations (guest lecturers, academic supervision)

• collaboration on the development of educational opportunities (seminars, courses)

• collaboration on degree programmes such as double or joint degrees

As the Quality Report points out, a range of definitions and understandings of the term “quality” exists. Quality is about maintaining standards and meeting expectations and demands. However, it also encompasses variation, diversity, development and innovation, effectiveness and relevance.2 The students shall encounter requirements and expectations in the form of clearly defined learning outcomes for a study period abroad. It is also essential that the students see how the study period abroad can be incorporated into their degree, and that it is academically relevant to the study programme. Each exchange agreement must be adapted to the level, scope and nature of the study programme (cf. the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education’s (NOKUT) Academic Supervision Regulations3).

The academic groups at the institutions are responsible for developing cohesive study programmes with good academic progress. The programmes shall build on up-to-date research in the field and have learning outcome descriptors defining what competencies students will have acquired on successful completion of the programme. In connection with periods of study abroad, there must be a close collaboration between the Norwegian institution and the foreign institution ahead of the period abroad, so that the students know in advance what will be required of them academically during their time abroad, and how the study period abroad fits into the study programme.

1.3 Consultation responses from universities and university colleges

On 1 October 2018, a number of stakeholders were invited to provide input to this white paper through a consultation process.4 It is stressed in the consultation responses received that a prerequisite for realisation of the long-term ambition that half of students take part of their degree abroad is that student mobility becomes a more integrated part of the study programmes. In addition, the academic relevance and learning outcomes of the periods spent abroad must be clearly highlighted. The information provided to the students must be good and easily accessible, and good guidance and motivation from academic employees ahead of the period spent abroad are essential for students to decide to embark on a study period abroad, and so that they are able to prepare properly.

In addition, there must be full support for student mobility at the institutional management level and the programme coordinator level. Further, employee mobility is an important factor in motivating students to venture out. Although there is wide variation between disciplines and institutions, the vast majority of the stakeholders that submitted a consultation response point out that it can be demanding to arrange student mobility of at least three months’ duration in all study programmes, which is the current requirement for the study or training period abroad to trigger performance-based funding in the funding system for universities and university colleges. They therefore argue that mobility stays of less than three months, so-called short-term mobility, ought also to be included in the performance-based indicator for student mobility in the funding system. Furthermore, visiting international students must be integrated into the studies to a greater extent, and better use must be made of the experiences that returning students have gained abroad in the study environment in Norway. This is important both to enrich the education provided in Norway and to motivate other students to travel abroad as part of their studies. Another point that is raised in the consultation input is that the institutions must have a sufficient number of courses available in English to be able to attract international students, and that internationalisation must be centrally anchored in strategies and action plans, so that there is a clear expectation from the outset that the students will be expected to study abroad for a period.

The Government shares these opinions and is aware that it will take time to achieve the goals. To date, only 16 per cent of graduates have had a study period abroad during the course of their studies. Through the Bologna Process, Norway has committed to ensuring that by 2020, at least 20 per cent of graduates will have had a study or training period abroad during the course of their studies.

The Government’s ambition that in the long run half of all students will have a study or training period abroad will require a considerable amount of work from the universities and university colleges.

The consultation input confirms that students often find that international student mobility is not a natural part of their study programme and that it is difficult to find relevant information. The institutions state that more administrative resources will be needed to facilitate a study period abroad for a significantly higher number of students, and that it will be demanding to implement a cultural change.

In addition, there is wide variance in the degree to which the institutions and study programmes succeed in sending their students overseas. There is also wide variance between different study programmes within a single institution and between corresponding study programmes at different institutions. There are also differences between types of education, with much lower mobility within teacher education than social sciences and law, for example.

The input to the white paper nevertheless reveals willingness to work to achieve the ambition that half of all students will have a study period abroad in the longer term. This is promising, and the purpose of this white paper is to stake out a path for how we can achieve this ambition together.

1.4 Norway in an international context

International collaboration and cross-border dialogue are prerequisites for adapting to changes and global challenges. This has been expressed in several places, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, Nordic cooperation and Norway’s Europe policy, which are the main pillars of Norway’s foreign policy.

Norway’s policy for education and research must serve to support broad foreign policy, development policy and industrial policy interests.

A key goal for Norway’s foreign policy is to support binding international cooperation and the multilateral system, in order to address common challenges and safeguard Norwegian and global interests (cf. white paper Report no. 27 to the Storting (2018–2019) Norway’s role and interests in multilateral cooperation). The multilateral system is a network of agreements and organisations established by the world’s states. This system has multiple functions. It is, among other things, an arena where states can meet and cooperate on common challenges, resulting in new standards and common rules. Multilateral international cooperation is crucial to Norway’s national security, welfare and economy. It is easy to take international cooperation for granted, but the liberal world order, which has been crucial to the development of the multilateral system, is currently under mounting pressure.5 A tendency can be observed away from attempting to resolve common challenges through compromise and cooperation via multilateral organisations, and towards large states preferring to work bilaterally, which is not to the advantage of a small country like Norway. Education in Norway benefits from and is an important part of multilateral cooperation, and student exchange can promote the kinds of values that the liberal world order needs.

Norway is involved in cooperation on education in a wide range of areas, such as the EU/EEA, the Bologna Process, the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the OECD and UNESCO.

Through the EEA Agreement, Norway participates in the world’s largest educational programme Erasmus+, the EU programme for education, training, youth and sports. European countries are Norway’s close allies, and the EU is Norway’s main trading partner.6 Norway and the EU agree on a number of issues in international politics, including views on free trade, multilateralism and the need for binding international cooperation on climate change. Erasmus+ helps to educate new, change-adept generations. Since 1992, approximately 83,000 Norwegian students, pupils, apprentices, youth workers and teachers have participated in Erasmus+ or one of its predecessors and received scholarships to go on an exchange to an EU country. Participation in Erasmus+ contributes to stronger, better international education cooperation at all levels. Erasmus+ makes Norwegian higher education more relevant, the students become more attractive on the employment market, at the same time as the individual student has opportunities for academic and personal development that promote democratic values that are constantly being challenged.

Nordplus, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ largest education programme, aims to strengthen and develop Nordic education cooperation. Good cooperation with our closest neighbours in the Nordic region is important.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal on education aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030. Academic cooperation and reciprocal student mobility between higher education institutions are important parts of this work.

1.5 Adapting for the future

The white paper Report no. 29 to the Storting (2016–2017) Long-term perspectives on the Norwegian economy 2017 presented the challenges Norway expects to face in the future and the Government’s strategy to meet these challenges. The white paper states that Norway is currently in a good position, but that we must be prepared for changes in the future. Today, employment is high, the country is endowed with vast natural resources, and public finances are on a solid footing. The labour force is highly skilled, due in large part to a strong education system. Income and wealth are more evenly distributed than in most other countries. However, from 2030, public spending will increase more rapidly than the revenues if we do not make adjustments. There will be a higher proportion of senior people in the population, who will live for longer. In 10–15 years, the growth in public expenditure will outpace that in public revenues. The oil and gas sector will no longer contribute to economic growth to the same extent as in the past; on the contrary, its importance will decline. This mismatch between spending and revenues, often referred to as the “financing gap”, means we will need to do things differently in the future. In the white paper, the Government referred to strategies to safeguard the welfare of future generations: increasing participation in the labour market and improving efficiency in the public sector.

In the white paper Report no. 4 to the Storting (2018–2019) Long-term plan for research and higher education 2019–2028, the Government presents its plans to facilitate growth in overall value creation, create new profitable jobs, restructure the Norwegian economy and implement the transition towards a greener society. It is important to fulfil Norway’s climate obligations and take part in the joint global effort to facilitate widespread sustainability. As the digital transformation gains momentum, it is essential to create inclusive workplaces, reduce poverty and boost integration. Norway wants to be an active democracy and encourage its citizens to get involved and to build an active civil society.

The white paper Long-term perspectives on the Norwegian economy 2017 and the long-term plan for research and higher education both recognise the necessity of a good education system not only for the restructuring that Norway must undergo, but also to develop engaged citizens and an active democracy and to maintain the Norwegian welfare society. Research and higher education play a key role in the development of a society that is environmentally, socially, culturally, economically and politically sustainable. The challenges presented in the white paper Long-term perspectives on the Norwegian economy 2017 and the long-term plan for research and higher education, among others, require international cooperation, and student mobility plays a pivotal role in this cooperation.

The education sector must also reduce its carbon footprint, in view of the current situation regarding climate change. The increase in travel as a result of increased international student mobility must be weighed up against the changes currently being implemented at higher education institutions and in society at large in connection with the green shift. The Government nevertheless believes that the value of international student mobility justifies it being given high priority. A learning period abroad may be the most important trip a student makes during their entire lifetime, and the Government would stress that this recognition must underlie a student’s decision to take all or part of their education overseas. However, it is important to make conscious choices about physical travel. Research and education are necessary to resolve global challenges, including challenges related to climate change, and this requires students and scientists to meet in person as well as virtually. This does not mean that students and staff do not need to think about their climate footprint when choosing a place of study. There are already financial incentives (Nordplus, Erasmus+) for students to choose the Nordic countries and the EU/EEA, i.e. local areas that can be travelled to using more environmentally friendly means. Cultural diversity beyond Europe is also important, and travel to our priority partner countries outside Europe will also continue. These elements play a role when students choose more remote destinations, and also for the institutions when they establish exchange agreements. The use of technology to enable virtual meetings and add greater diversity to Norwegian campuses can serve to increase internationalisation without increasing the carbon footprint (cf. chapter 4). In other words, it is a question of striking a balance between the various considerations, and the Government is very confident that the institutions, students and staff will manage to find a good balance between increased mobility and a reduction in carbon footprint. In addition, the Government will follow developments in the new Erasmus+ programme closely, the crux of which is and will continue to be mobility. One of the ambitions for the Erasmus+ programme is to contribute to carbon neutrality in Europe.

The Government is also working on a white paper on labour market relevance in higher education. Society invests significant amounts of funding in higher education with the goal that graduates will acquire relevant skills and expertise and use them for the good of society as a whole. The quality of Norwegian higher education is generally good, but the current rapid changes in working life entail considerable uncertainty about the future. The Government will return to the issue of how to improve the quality and relevance of higher education through better and more reciprocal cooperation between academia and industry in the forthcoming white paper on labour market relevance in higher education. The goal is that the students will be better prepared for the transition to working life and that the labour market will gain access to relevant competencies that can contribute to positive development and restructuring.

1.6 Delimitations

The focus of this white paper is international student mobility in higher education, but all the evidence suggests that international mobility earlier in life, such as mobility through youth work and in upper secondary education and training, including in connection with language learning, has implications for the proclivity for mobility among students in higher education, in the same way that mobility in higher education has an impact on proclivity for mobility among PhD students and researchers. This white paper does not deal with mobility at the doctoral level, but the correlation between mobility at school and mobility in higher education is touched upon briefly below.

International experience and international cooperation are important in all types of education, including vocational colleges. The Government will discuss how to promote international cooperation in tertiary vocational education in more detail in both its forthcoming work on the strategy for tertiary vocational education (vocational colleges) and in connection with the work on an Erasmus+ strategy.

1.6.1 International mobility in upper secondary education and training

International mobility is an important measure and instrument in primary and secondary education and training, as well as higher education. Pupils and staff at every level of primary and secondary education and training participate in collaborations, internationalisation initiatives and mobility through, among others, Nordplus and Erasmus+, and each year a significant number of pupils travel overseas to take the second year of upper secondary education (Vg2) in another country. The return in terms of the skills gained as a result of mobility largely coincides with the return on mobility in higher education. This was revealed in a survey conducted by the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku) to measure the dividends for pupils who have had a study or training period abroad in a European country as part of their vocational education and training.7 The survey suggests that pupils benefit greatly in terms of social skills and personal development, with improved foreign language skills and cultural understanding as important learning outcomes. By contrast, the pupils’ academic benefits seem to vary according to the organisation of their stay and the pupils’ role.

For the 2018–2019 school year, approximately 1,600 pupils have received support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) for overseas stays in the second year of upper secondary education (Vg2) through an exchange organisation or an agreement at the county or school level. Numbers have gone down since the peak year 2012–2013, when some 2,300 pupils went on an international exchange. In addition, each year around 450–500 pupils receive funding from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund to take their entire upper secondary education and training abroad. Most of these pupils go to other Nordic countries, under a special Nordic agreement. In a survey conducted in 2019, the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku) asked both current and former exchange students, primarily in the education programme for specialisation in general studies, about their benefits from the overseas stay. The results largely coincide with the aforementioned survey among pupils in vocational education and training. More than 80 per cent of pupils who went on an exchange in 2018–2019 believe that they have improved their foreign language skills, have become more independent and more self-confident, and have gained an increased understanding of other cultures. A total of 94 per cent say they would probably or definitely recommend others to choose an exchange year. The survey suggests that the benefits are long-term. The majority of the respondents find that the study period abroad has been useful in further studies.

The survey also suggests that early mobility can contribute to mobility in higher education. The proportion of students who have travelled abroad in higher education with the support of the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) is three times higher among people who went on an international exchange in the second year of upper secondary education (Vg2), than among Norwegian students in general.

Good foreign language training prepares and motivates students for increased mobility in higher education. It is therefore important that the quality of teaching in both English and other foreign languages is as high as possible. Among other things, the Government wants to introduce more compulsory English teaching and ensure that pupils in upper secondary education and training have good opportunities to choose to study foreign languages. The Government will come back to this in the forthcoming white paper on upper secondary education and training.

1.7 Overview of the white paper and summary of the proposed measures

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the political frameworks for international student mobility and current regulations and funding.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 provides an overview of the various positive effects that international student mobility is expected to have for students, society, and the higher education institutions.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 deals with Norwegian students who choose to do part of their studies abroad through an exchange from their Norwegian educational institution.

The Government’s conclusions and measures:

Which countries do Norwegian students go to?

• The Government wants a higher proportion of Norwegian students to go abroad on study or training period in non-anglophone countries than is currently the case.

• The Government wants more Norwegian students to prioritise going abroad on study or training period to the non-anglophone countries among Norway’s priority partner countries in higher education and research.

• The Government wants to make changes to the regulations governing the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) in order to increase student mobility to Norway’s priority partner countries, and will return to the budgetary implications in the work on the annual national budgets.

Student mobility as part of Norway’s international cooperation

• The Government expects Norwegian institutions to work strategically to establish mutual, long-term cooperation with overseas institutions, with a strong focus on student mobility.

• The Government expects the internationalisation work, cooperation agreements and student mobility to be a fully integrated part of the general work at the institution.

• The Government expects cooperation agreements to be anchored in the employees’ professional networks, so that the academic employees have a sense of ownership of them.

• The Government wants to encourage the institutions (especially smaller institutions and/or subjects) to enter into joint exchange agreements among themselves.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to be aware of the challenges related to the basis for transfer of personal data to third countries where there is no decision on sufficient level of protection, and it is not possible to enter into a standard contract.

Integration of student mobility into study programmes and a system of active opt-out

• The Government’s ambition is to ensure that in the long term all institutions introduce a system whereby students must actively opt out of a learning period abroad, as opposed to having to opt in. The institutions can themselves decide how and when this is to be introduced. The study period abroad is voluntary, and students do not have to provide a reason for opting out. Higher education institutions under the Ministry of Defence are exempt from the goal of a predefined learning period abroad and introduction of a system of “active opt-out”.

• The Government expects all institutions to make arrangements to ensure that learning periods abroad are well integrated in the programmes.

• The Government’s ambition is that a study or training period abroad shall become the norm for all students on programmes where an overseas stay will provide academic benefits and is practically feasible.

• In its management dialogue with the universities and university colleges, the Government will discuss the institutions’ experiences regarding integration of a study period abroad into their study programmes and, as necessary, will assess possible measures to enable more study programmes to better facilitate international student mobility. In this context, the Government will assess whether stricter requirements need to be set regarding active opt-out.

• The Government expects the academic communities to make it clearer to students and employers how a study period overseas can help raise the academic quality of study programmes and make them more employment relevant.

Employee mobility and the link between research and higher education

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to increase the proportion of academic staff who have a mobility stay abroad, through cooperation agreements that are closely linked to the academic communities and which integrate student mobility and internationalisation into cohesive study programmes.

• The Government also finds that mobility ought to be increased among PhD students.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to use existing research partnerships, where possible, to enter into new, quality-assured and facilitated agreements on student exchange. In these agreements, student mobility ought to be linked to the researchers’ international projects and networks.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to enter into international cooperation agreements where research elements are included, where this is feasible in practical terms and academically appropriate.

Joint degrees

• The Government holds that the academic benefits of collaboration on joint degrees are so great that, despite the administrative challenges, it is still desirable that Norwegian higher education institutions prioritise participating in joint-degree partnerships with overseas institutions.

• The Government will consider whether to stimulate collaboration on joint degrees with Norway’s priority partner countries. Appropriate considerations must be taken, in regard to countries of which Norway does not have security policy cooperation.

European Universities

• The Government supports the European Commission’s new European Universities initiative and encourages Norwegian institutions to enter into alliances under this scheme.

• The Ministry of Education and Research will have dialogue with Norwegian participating institutions during the European Universities pilot period, in the event that obstacles arise due to national regulations.

Integration into degrees

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to organise all their study programmes with clear “mobility windows”, so that it is clear to the students when in the programme they will be expected to go abroad.

• The Government wants the institutions to make greater use of pre-approved course packages for student mobility for the study programmes. These packages will ensure that students know in advance that they will have a quality-assured study period overseas that is a fully integrated part of their Norwegian degree.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to facilitate academically relevant mobility stays with clear academic connection between the study period abroad and the domestic study programme. The students must be informed about the expected learning outcomes for the study period overseas and how the courses they take abroad contribute to the overall learning outcomes for the study programme.

• In connection with their work on approving courses taken abroad, the Government expects the higher education institutions to follow the Lisbon Recognition Convention, which states that education taken abroad must be recognised, unless it can be proven that there are substantial differences.

• The Government will include a learning outcome descriptor for international competence in the Norwegian National Qualifications Framework to underscore the importance of having international experience and understanding for everyone who completes a degree.

Mobility of less than three months

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to continue to focus on working to increase whole semester mobility, i.e. an overseas stay of at least three months’ duration, but will include mobility of between one and three months’ duration in the performance-based indicator for student mobility in the funding system for universities and university colleges as soon as possible.

Programmes of professional study

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to structure all their study programmes with clearly defined mobility windows, including the programmes that lead to professional qualifications.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to use their academic freedom and the latitude afforded to them, and show great flexibility when recognising courses taken abroad, including in the educations regulated by a national curriculum.

• The Government wants to pave the way for the implementation of pilot projects to increase mobility in the educations regulated by a national curriculum.

Compulsory supervised professional training

• The Government holds that there is potential to make better use of the periods of practical training within the educations regulated by a national curriculum than is currently the case and would encourage the institutions to take further steps to enable the students to undertake their compulsory supervised professional training abroad.

• The Government expects that inclusion of mobility stays of between one and three months in the performance-based indicator for student mobility in the funding system will lead to more students doing their compulsory supervised professional training in the programmes of professional study abroad (see section 4.5.3.1).

Other training mobility

• The Government wants the institutions to pave the way for more international training mobility through active use of schemes such as Erasmus+, at participation in the programme in the period 2021–2027, and InternAbroad.

• The Government expects that inclusion of mobility stays of between one and three months in the performance-based indicator for student mobility in the funding system for universities and university colleges will lead to more students doing a work placement abroad (see section 4.5.3.1).

Information

• The website Utdanning.no ought to highlight the opportunities available to Norwegian students to study abroad both as degree students and as exchange students. The work to ensure good communication with all Norwegian students must be carried out in collaboration with other relevant actors, such as the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku) and the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen).

Digital solutions for administration of student mobility

• The Government will work to simplify the application and approval processes related to student mobility for students and institutions.

Responsibility for Norwegian students abroad in the event of unforeseen incidents

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to assess and take into account the security risks of sending Norwegian students abroad on a case-by-case basis.

• The institutions have a clear responsibility to inform and advise the students about both the opportunities and the limitations in advance of their trip abroad, and to make clear the students’ own responsibility.

Digital international cooperation and exchanges without physical mobility

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to incorporate an international dimension adapted to the individual programme in all study programmes, and that they also facilitate internationalisation for students who do not go abroad for a study or training period. The Government expects the higher education institutions to consider how they can accommodate virtual forms of international cooperation in their study programmes.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 deals with the Government’s policy towards inbound exchange students, i.e. international students who are taking part of their degree at a Norwegian institution.

The Government’s conclusions and measures

• The Government wants Norwegian higher education institutions to continue to work systematically to attract more international exchange students, both through their cooperation agreements with overseas universities and through programmes such as Erasmus+ (if participation in the period 2021–2027), Nordplus, UTFORSK and the quality programmes of the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku).

• The Government will consider whether Diku ought to be given a more clearly defined role in coordinating and managing information for inbound exchange students to make the information better and more accessible to these students. In connection with this, it may also be appropriate to commission the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku) to act as an adviser on recruitment measures aimed at this group.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to become better at tapping into the potential that international students represent as a resource to add an international dimension at Norwegian universities and university colleges. Among other things, the institutions ought to pave the way for better interaction between Norwegian and international students.

• The Government will request the student welfare organisations to facilitate more flexible rental contracts for student accommodation in order to make better use of the resources for outbound and inbound exchange students. In this context, the possibility of allowing Norwegian students who are on a learning period abroad to sublet their student accommodation ought to be considered, as this would also make the accommodation situation for inbound exchange students easier.

• The Government will request the institutions and the student welfare organisations to calculate the costs of student accommodation being left empty in some semesters as a result of visiting exchange students leaving, and would encourage the institutions and the student welfare organisations to establish agreements governing this.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to continue their work to offer a sufficient number of educational opportunities in English to be able to attract international students.

• The Government expects an appropriate balance to be achieved between the proportion of courses taught in English and Norwegian respectively, and that the institutions clarify well before the start of the semester which courses are taught in English and which are taught in Norwegian.

• The Government expects the higher education institutions to be aware of their responsibility to maintain and further develop Norwegian as an academic and technical-vocational language.

• In connection with their cooperation with foreign institutions on periods of practical training abroad, the Government wants the institutions to also offer supervised professional training for international students in Norway, as far as is possible. Key employer and industry partners must assist in facilitating this.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 addresses the Government’s policy for the European Commission’s programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe (Erasmus+).

The Government’s conclusions and measures:

• The Government proposes that Norway participate in the EU Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport (Erasmus+) in the period 2021–2027, but will not make a final decision until the EU’s long-term financial framework has been adopted.

• In the event of a final decision to participate in Erasmus+ from 2021, the Government will present a proposition to the Storting on participation in Erasmus+ with a view to incorporation into the EEA Agreement no later than July 2021. The Government will return to the budgetary implications in the annual national budgets.

• In the event of a final decision to participate in Erasmus+ from 2021, the Government will assess the need for increased administrative funding for the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku) and the Directorate of Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) in order to manage the increased budget and level of activity related to Erasmus+ in future national budgets.

• In the event of a final decision to participate in Erasmus+ from 2021, the Government will assess the need for any stimulation funds to increase participation in Erasmus+ and the need for supplementary funds to increase the impact of Norway’s participation in the programme in future national budgets.

• In the event of a final decision to participate in Erasmus+ from 2021, the Government will develop a new strategy for the entire programme period 2021–2027, based on the adopted programme.

• Assuming Norway decides to participate in these programmes in the future, the Government expects a greater degree of synergies between the various mobility programmes and other international programmes such as Horizon Europe, Nordplus, educational programmes funded by the EEA and Norway Grants, NOTED, UTFORSK and INTPART.

• In the event of a final decision that Norway will participate in Erasmus+, the Government expects good participation by the universities, university colleges and other relevant stakeholders.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 deals with international degree students who come to Norway.

The Government’s conclusions and measures:

• The Government wants the institutions to strengthen their work to create an international learning environment with systems to ensure the best possible interaction between Norwegian and international students in both academic and extracurricular contexts.

• The Government wants a clearer, more strategic national policy indicating which international degree students Norway should target and will therefore create a working group that will consider a more deliberate policy towards international degree students at Norwegian institutions. This policy should build on overarching policies and frameworks regarding education and research, trade and industry, immigration, international development and national security. The development of this kind of policy must take national needs for skills and competencies into consideration and involve non-academic actors, such as the Ministry of Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the employer and employee organisations. The report will build on the overall national priorities specified in the long-term plan for research and education (cf. white paper Report no. 4 to the Storting (2018–2019)) and the Strategy for Export and Internationalisation (cf. the Ministry of Industry and Fisheries 2017).

• The Government wants greater focus in the work to attract students on the opportunity to apply for a job or start up a business for one year in Norway after completing a degree. The Government encourages the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku) and the higher education institutions to inform international degree students about this opportunity.

• The Government wants a greater proportion of the full-degree students who come to Norway to come from the EU and EFTA countries and from Norway’s priority partner countries outside Europe. Furthermore, the higher education institutions should use the opportunities inherent in cooperation programmes with the Global South in order to strengthen mobility and cooperation with developing countries in the Global South at master’s degree level.

• The Government will consider conducting a socioeconomic analysis of the impact of international degree students on the Norwegian economy, employment and society, both during and after their studies. The analysis will also include the impact of international students on Norwegian higher education, including the role they play in internationalisation at home. It is also natural to consider whether this kind of an analysis should be done on a regular basis and also include international PhD students.

• The Government wants the work to set up a joint system for admission of international students to master’s degree programmes to start as soon as possible.

• The Government wants to establish a working group consisting of the Ministry of Education and Research (secretariat), other relevant ministries, and national stakeholders such as the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (Diku), the Research Council of Norway (RCN), and Innovation Norway, in addition to the institutions. The working group will be responsible for proposing overarching objectives and priorities for the promotion of Norway as a knowledge nation abroad, in line with the relevant overall policy objectives.

• The Government will assess the pertinence of establishing a national alumni network for international students. This will involve, among other things, mapping the institutions’ existing alumni work and assessing whether establishment of a national network can strengthen the work of profiling Norway as a knowledge nation and the work of establishing opportunities for traineeships and work placement abroad.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 deals with Norwegian students who take a full degree at an overseas higher education institution.

The Government’s conclusions and measures:

• The Government finds that the funding from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) for Norwegian students who take a full degree abroad ought to be used in a more strategic way. This applies especially in respect of the quality of the universities the students choose, which countries the universities are located, and the cost level of the universities.

• The Government wants to make changes to the regulations governing the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen) in order to increase student mobility to Norway’s priority partner countries, and will return to the budgetary implications in the work on the annual national budgets.

• The Government wants more Norwegian full-degree students to choose to study in Norway’s priority partner countries for cooperation on higher education and research.

• The Government wants more full-degree students to choose countries with lower tuition costs, to limit the level of debt among these students.

• The Government will consider reviewing the educational support schemes for students abroad with a view to making them more uniform and transparent. Educational support ought to be designed such that it ensures that more students choose studies in Norway’s priority partner countries in the field of education, and in this context, it will also be relevant to review the grant for language courses for studying abroad.

• The Government will look at the correlation between the information needs and the current available information regarding the debt consequences related to the choice of place of study, and about the actual level of support (grant–loan ratio) when applying for support. Possible information measures that address any mismatch will then be assessed.

• The Government will map out the scope of support for students at “for-profit” institutions and look at the possibility of introducing new limits in the scheme that allows Norwegian full-degree students studying at such institutions abroad to receive support for tuition fees.

• The Government finds that the educational support in Norway is very good for Norwegian students, assessed both in its own right and measured against the support available to students in comparable countries. Educational support is also an effective tool to implement Norway’s chosen policies, such as increased international mobility among Norwegian students, better foreign language skills, intercultural competence, or in-depth knowledge about specific countries. It is also designed to help Norwegian students receive a high-quality, relevant education.

• The Government wants more students to choose study countries and study destinations with lower tuition costs, to reduce the level of debt among full-degree students. It is a known challenge that students who take a full degree at foreign institutions that charge high tuition fees end up with large debts after graduation.

• Students must be aware of their responsibilities when choosing a place of study. When choosing where to study, students must take into account factors such as quality, suitability and relevance, but it is equally important that they also take the level of cost of the studies into account.

• The Government holds that the target figures for international student mobility ought to include all study programmes culminating in a degree, and that students who take a full degree abroad ought also to be included in the calculation of the mobility rate.

• The Government will not introduce separate targets for the number and/or proportion of Norwegian students who take a full degree abroad in this white paper. However, the Government will ensure that going forward the statistics will consistently also include Norwegian full-degree students abroad, so that they are included in the results used to assess the extent to which we have reached the “Bologna target” and the target set in the Quality Report.

• The Government will continue the working group for coordinated information for Norwegian students abroad and will expand the group’s mandate so that the group also comprises representatives from the management level (i.e. the decision-making level).

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 deals with regulations and challenges linked to recognition of overseas education.

The Government’s conclusions and measures:

• The Government holds that although the regulations for recognition of higher education from other countries are clear and easy to apply, the regulations are not always practised in accordance with the intentions behind the regulations or the wording of the legal provisions. In connection with the work on a new Universities and University Colleges Act, the Government will therefore emphasise Norway’s commitments under the Lisbon Recognition Convention in terms of recognition of foreign education qualifications, and will consider amending the relevant provision in the Universities and University Colleges Act to ensure that the principle of the Convention that foreign education shall be approved unless there are “substantial differences” is incorporated in Norwegian law. This will clarify the legislation and the rules that the institutions must follow when assessing whether higher education qualifications from another country can be approved and recognised.

• The Government stresses the importance of transparency and collaboration in the sector in respect of recognition of foreign education qualifications, and the goal that this will lead to more equal treatment of applications for recognition and an increase in competence in this area in the higher education sector.

• The Government will ensure that better information about recognition of foreign education qualifications is provided via the websites of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), Altinn and the Directorate of Health. This applies to information about both recognition of foreign education and information about recognition of professional qualifications (authorisation).

• The Government encourages the higher education institutions to base their assessments of foreign education on the principles of the Lisbon Recognition Convention, also when assessing education from countries that are not party to the Convention.

• The Government will investigate the possibility of further simplifying the system for recognition of professional qualifications for professions with few applications.

• The Government will initiate a pilot project to provide students with greater predictability in terms of information about the requirements that the Directorate of Health attaches greatest importance to when recognising professional qualifications from abroad.

• The Government will also look into how professions are regulated, which professions are currently regulated, and which professions ought to continue to be regulated. This is also an element in the implementation of the obligations that ensue from the EU Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications.

• The Government will consider how Norway can best contribute to the global implementation of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education.

• In 2021, the Government will continue its support of the Council of Europe’s European Qualifications Passports for Refugees and UNESCO’s Global Qualifications Passports for Refugees.