For parents
Your son or daughter just told you he or she want to study in Norway. We would like to give you a brief introduction to Norway, Norwegian society, politics and culture to make sure you feel safe about sending your son or daughter abroad.
Norway is one of the three Scandinavian countries in the Northern part of Europe. With a population of 4,6 million, Norway is a modern and safe country and its explorative mindset is geared towards technology, innovation and developing a knowledge-based society.
Norway – a modern, innovative and safe country
“Education for all” is the basic principle in Norway, and with few exceptions there are no tuition fees. Student mobility and international cooperation are key objectives for the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and, currently, more than 11,000 foreign students are studying and preparing for their future careers in Norway. Statistics show that the number is growing, but there is plenty of room for more. The universities and university colleges focus on making international students feel welcome during their stay in Norway. Most of the universities and university colleges organize special activities for the international students when they arrive. Norwegian universities and university colleges offer high quality and research-based education. The country is one of the leading in the world when it comes to subject areas as petroleum engineering, fishery, aquaculture, energy and some areas of social sciences as peace, gender and democracy studies. Currently, we have 21 Centres of Excellence and 14 Centres for Research-based Innovation.
On the other hand, your son or daughter will have access to unique nature experiences in his or her spare time. Norwegians enjoy the space and a diverse nature, and visitors are often surprised by Norwegians' active way of life. Hiking is one of the favourite activities of most Norwegians.
Canada and Norway – a common history
Norway's past, present and future are deeply interwoven with Canada. Some 1000 years ago Vikings landed on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland and established the first known European settlement in the New World at L’Anse aux Meadows. Later, fishermen followed them on the Grand Banks and merchant mariners, tradesmen and immigrants. In the final years of the nineteenth century Norwegian polar explorer Otto Sverdrup and his crew mapped large tracts of Canada's Arctic regions.
In modern times Norwegian and Canadian interests continue to converge and correspond in many areas and the two countries share the ideals of democracy and human rights, justice and peace; ideals that inspire Norwegians to serve as peacekeepers, side by side with Canadians in areas of unrest all over the world. The same ideals also inspire Norway and Canada to allocate substantial resources and attention to the task of preventing conflict, facilitating mediation in conflict, assisting in humanitarian crises and promoting long-term development assistance to poor regions of the world.
The Norwegian Government gives priority to research aimed at meeting the technological and environmental challenges in the arctic areas. This is also a major concern in Canada.
In addition to maintaining close and harmonious trade relations, both Norway and Canada have a global outlook on trade, and engage in substantial activity on global markets.
Learn more about the bilateral relations between Canada and Norway
The higher education sector in Canada and Norway has established several cooperation agreements. You will find an overview over the existing agreements between higher education institutions in Canada and Norway here.
