Leading universities in Norway 2023, by number of students

With over 43,000 students, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology was by far the largest university in Norway in 2023. Having headquarters in the city of Trondheim, and campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund, the university has departments in different parts of the country. The University of Oslo and Oslo Metropolitan University were the second and third largest universities in the country in terms of number of students.

Increase in higher education

As of 2022, around 37 percent of the Norwegian population had completed a higher education of at least three years. Over the past decade, the number of students in higher education increased significantly in Norway and stood at over 310,000 students in 2023. Moreover, the number of female students in the country was significantly higher than that of male students, and the gender difference has only grown larger in recent years.

Studying abroad

While studying at the university, many students use the opportunity to spend a semester abroad. In 2023, the most popular destination was the United Kingdom, attracting 2,500 Norwegian students. Neighboring Denmark was the second most popular destination, while Poland came in third place.