1- About prior recognition in general

A Learning Agreement must be signed by the student, the partner university and the exchange coordinator at UiT before a student exchange takes place. This agreement forms the basis for approval/specific recognition of the student exchange period in your individual education plan and is essential for gaining financial support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund.

Who is responsible for finding relevant courses?

Prior recognition is your guarantee that your period of study abroad will be recognised as part of your individual education plan at UiT. Before applying for prior recognition of courses to your faculty, it is important to check if the partner university abroad has defined admission requirements and required prerequisite knowledge for the courses or subjects you wish to study and that you fulfil such requirements. This is something the partner university will have dialogue with you about. Your application for certain courses may be rejected because the partner university considers that you do not fulfil the admission requirements by having the necessary required prerequisite knowledge.

Prior recognition of courses

You must present a plan outlining the courses/study arrangements you wish to take at the partner university abroad. When you are searching for courses at the partner university, you must look for courses that can replace the courses included in the programme description at UiT for the relevant semester (30 credits per semester).

Prior recognition of traineeship

Students who travel on a traineeship (period of practical training abroad) receive help from their academic coordinator in collaboration with the exchange coordinator at your faculty to find a relevant receiving organisation that satisfies the requirements of these programmes of study.

Prior recognition and the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund

The granting of prior recognition is a prerequisite for being able to apply for financial support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund for the period of study abroad. Please note that the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund requires that the applicant is a full-time student during the period of study abroad.

Language tests

As an exchange student, you avoid the language requirements at most partner universities. However, some of our partner universities require a grade of 4 or higher in English from Norwegian upper secondary school. For more information about language requirements, please refer to the description for each university under “important links” below.

Important links

Partner universities

Advice and help

2- Forms for prior recognition

Download Learning Agreement for Erasmus +

• Erasmus+ Student Exchange

• Erasmus+ Traineeships/Placements

• Erasmus Student Charter

Download Learning Agreement for all other programmes (non-Erasmus+)

• Student Exchange (Outbound non-Erasmus)

• Traineeship & placement (Outbound non-Erasmus)

• Changes to Learning Agreement - after arrival (Outbound non-Erasmus)

Download Confirmation of Arrival

• Confirmation of Arrival
  (Send this to UiT’s International Cooperation Section within two weeks of arrival at the higher education institution abroad.)

3- The general rule about prior recognition

• Recognition of external education means that the education in question can be used as part of a degree at UiT. Specific recognition of external education means that the education qualifies for exemption from equivalent subjects/courses at UiT.

• Your choice of course at the partner university cannot overlap with completed subjects/courses at UiT.

• The Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund can only provide financial support for full-time studies. The term full-time study means the nominal length of study (“full credit load”). If you take fewer subjects/credits/ECTS than what constitutes full-time study, you will not receive financial support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. The education cannot be online courses or session-based teaching. An exception is made for online courses in countries within the EEA. The nominal length of study for one semester is determined by calculating the number of credits (or units, créditos, etc.) required to attain a degree divided by the number of semesters that constitute the nominal length of study.

• Prior recognition is a statement from UiT that a planned part of a programme of study taken abroad can be approved or specifically recognised as part of a programme of study in Norway following a period of study abroad. You must obtain this prior recognition before you travel abroad. You must present your plans to the faculty or department with which you are affiliated or plan to study at following your period of study abroad.

• For an application for prior recognition to be processed, you must present a Learning Agreement (descriptions of the courses you plan to take during your period of study abroad). As the processing of such applications can take time, we recommend starting work on this early. The prior recognition must be attached to your application to the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. It is a statement from your faculty or department that the courses you are planning to take abroad will not prevent you from completing the programme of study within the nominal length of study.

• Final approval: When you return from a period of study abroad, or if you have previously studied abroad, you must present an application for final approval of these courses to the department or faculty with which you are affiliated. Applications are assessed based on a valid transcript of records, programme description and details about the nominal length of study at the overseas university ( Diploma Supplement).

• Principle of time parity: Recognition of examinations taken at accredited higher education institutions abroad are generally based on the principle of time parity; what is regarded as full-time study at the higher education institution abroad can be recognised as full-time study at UiT. Consequently, one semester of full-time study at a higher education institution abroad is equivalent to 30 credits. Similarly, two semesters of full-time study are equivalent to 60 credits.

• There are exceptions to this rule: If you go on an exchange to USA, Latin America or numerous countries in Asia and Africa, courses/subjects in the first-year level will not normally be recognised as higher education or credits in Norway. Norwegian rules for attaining Higher Education Entrance Qualification mean that the first year of higher education from these countries is not normally recognised as part of a Norwegian university degree. Please contact your faculty for more information about this or check Nokut’s list of these countries: https://www.nokut.no/databaser-og-fakta/nokuts-landdatabase2/GSU-listen/

• European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS): This system within the EU is designed to make it easier to compare the learning achievements and workload of courses from one university to another between different countries. ECTS was introduced to simplify student exchanges as part of the Erasmus programme but has now been or is about to be introduced in numerous European countries through the Bologna process. The system is based on 60 ECTS constituting one year of full-time study. Consequently, if you take courses equivalent to 60 ECTS during your period of study abroad, according to the general rule this will be recognised as 60 credits in a bachelor’s degree at the universities in Norway. Similarly, 30 ECTS are recognised as 30 credits.