Application procedure for applicants with citizenship from outside EU/EEA
Admission to master's programmes is once a year. You can apply for one master's programme only. All admitted applicants must pay tuition fees.
Main content
When to apply for programmes starting in August 2025
- The application portal opens 1 November 2024
- The application deadline is 1 December 2024
- You will receive your application results by April 2025
Apply here
Admission requirements
- Bachelor's degree
- You must have obtained a bachelor's degree, normally of minimum 4 years' duration.
- Your degree must be issued by an officially recognised and accredited university. Check the specific requirements for the country where you have studied in the country list.
- Academic specialisation
- Your degree must include courses equalling at least 80 ECTS (approximately 1.5 years of full-time studies) in a subject relevant to the programme you apply for.
- Check the specific requirements for the master's programmes you will apply for in the programme descriptions. Note that there might be additional programme specific requirements that applicants are not exempted from.
- Minimum average grade
- You must have a minimum grade average comparable to a Norwegian C. A Norwegian C is a good grade, comparable to an American B and a Second Class Upper in the British system. All foreign education is individually evaluated during the admission process.
- Please note that meeting the minimum average grade requirement does not guarantee admission, since admission is highly competitive. Approximately 8 % of international applicants are granted admission.
- English language requirements
- You must document your English language proficiency. For IELTS tests, minimum overall band score of 6.5 with at least 6.5 in each component (listening, reading, speaking and writing). See our English requirements for approved tests. Note that it is not possible to be exempted from uploading a valid English test if you apply for a programme that requires higher test results than the general minimum requirements.
- If you are exempt from the English language admission requirement please upload documentation proving this in your application for admission.
- Sufficient funds
- You must document that you have sufficient funds to cover both living expenses and tuition fees.
- Check tuition fees for our programmes.
- Read more about how you document sufficient funds in your application to UiB.
See Required documentation to apply for an extensive overview of what you need.
Apply at Søknadsweb
Admission process dates
1 Nov. | Application available |
1 Dec. | Application deadline |
15 Dec. | Final documentation deadline: Remember to upload all documents by this date |
Medio April | Decisions published: You will receive the result of your application. If you are offered admission, this will be published at Søknadsweb and you will also be notified by e-mail. |
Late April | Deadline to accept offer of admission |
TBA | Student deposit: In order to obtain your official letter of acceptance and a residence permit for studies, you must deposit money into the student deposit account by the deadline. You will receive a confirmation of your deposit, normally within 5 working days after the transaction is complete. Information about the final deadline for depositing money will be sent to admitted students after the deadline to accept offer of admission has passed. |
May | Letter of Acceptance: If the student deposit is tranferred within the deadline, you will receive your official letter of acceptance. You need this letter in order to apply for a residence permit for studies. |
10 May | Application deadline for student housing: Apply for student housing or make other living arrangements as soon as possible. You must have a place of residence in order to apply for a residence permit for studies. Please read the information regarding terms and conditions, and cancellation deadline carefully. |
June | Residence permit: Apply for a residence permit for studies. Your application must include your official letter of acceptance and the confirmation of the paid student deposit in addition to documentation of a place of residence. For a complete and updated list of required documents, please see The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration Authorities. |
Week 32 | Semester start-up: Mandatory attendence for new students |
September | Verification of application documents: Admitted students must hand in original transcripts and diplomas for a final verification. Successful verification will finalize your admission to UiB. |
Required documentation to apply
Check that you meet the miminum requirements for admission:
- Check the country list to ensure that you meet the requirement of an approved bachelor's degree, as well as the English language requirement and any specific documentational requirements.
- Check that your education is recognised and accredited by international standards. UiB uses the database Anabin to check this requirement. We demand a rating of H+.
- Check that you meet the minimum English language proficiency requirements.
- Ensure that you have the correct documentation to prove sufficient funding for both living costsa nd tuition fees.
- Check if the master's programme you apply for has any additional requirements
Upload the following:
- Secondary school certificate / High school diploma
- Bachelor's degree certificate/diploma (all pages)
- Transcript of records including a description of the grading scale used
- Proof of English language proficiency
- Proof of funding for cost of living and tuition fees
- Copy of your valid passport
- CV including your educational background
- Motivation letter, maximum 450 words. Describe your personal motivation for applying to the programme you are applying for
- Course descriptions for all relevant courses, including academic content and syllabus/reading list
- Any additional documentation requirements
Document requirements:
- Documents should be scanned from original documentation.
- The documents must be uploaded as PDF files of good quality.
- If the original language of your documents is not English or a Scandinavian language, officially certified copies of a translation to one of these languages must accompany certified copies of your documents in the original language.
Document verification
Admitted students must hand in original transcripts and diplomas for a final verification. Successful verification will finalize your admission to UiB. Students who cannot present approved documentation may lose their right to study at UiB.
Study programmes we offer
Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
Scholarships and fees
Does UiB charge tuition fees for master's degrees?
The Norwegian government has decided that Norwegian universities will be required to introduce tuition fees for certain categories of students, starting autumn semester 2024. This includes students from countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Admitted students from these countries must pay tuition fees.
You must also document that you have sufficienct funds to cover living costs, both in your application for admission to UiB and later when you apply for a study permit, if you are offered admission. Read more about documentation of funds.
Does UiB offer scholarships to international students?
Unfortunately, UiB does not offer any grants, scholarships or funding.
Am I qualified?
How can I check if I am qualified for a master's programme?
You can check if you meet the admission requirements by
- comparing your academic background to the general admission requirements, and
- checking if you meet any specific requirements that the master’s programme you want to apply for has. Find the study programme descriptions in the list of master's programmes we offer.
I complete my bachelor's degree in June next year, can I get a conditional offer of admission?
Unfortunately, UiB does not offer conditional offers of admission for applicants from non-EU/EEA countries, due to regulations by the immigration authorities. This means that we will only process your application if all the required documents are uploaded in your application by the relevant documentation deadline.
The application portal (Søknadsweb) - login and apply
How do I log in at Søknadsweb? Should I log in or register using Feide?
Follow these steps to log in and do not use Feide (only active students have such an account):
- Go to Søknadsweb's login page
- Choose International Applicant, if you are not already in that pane
- Register as a new international applicant
- Log in at Søknadsweb using the password sent to you by email
At Søknadsweb there is no button to officially send my application, so do I just leave it and it will be dealt with?
Søknadweb does not have a button to officially submit your application. Your application is officially complete when:
- You have filled in your complete home address.
- You have selected the study programmes you wish to apply for.
- You have uploaded all the required documents.
- You have saved the information.
You can make changes to your application until the deadline 1 December.
My application status says Under consideration. What does it mean?
The status of your application will be Under consideration at Søknadsweb until we have finished processing your application.
Required documents
Should I upload my bachelor's degree diploma if I have completed a master's degree?
Yes, you always have to upload your bachelor's degree diploma in your application.
What is a transcript of records?
This is the same as an academic transcript and is an official statement listing courses/subjects you have completed at your university, including your grades and workload (ECTS or similar). The transcript of records should include the grading scale used by your university.
What should the course descriptions/syllabi contain?
- academic content
- syllabus/ reading list
- teaching hours
It is sufficient to download a version of the course description from your home university's web page and upload it in your application as a pdf. This does not need to be signed, stamped or authorised by your home university.
The course name and code in the course description must match the course name and code in your transcript. The description should be in English or Norwegian, but if a translation is needed, it does not have to be provided by an authorized translator.
Why does UiB require course descriptions?
The course descriptions are used by the academic committees to evaluate the content of your degree and assess its relevance for the master's degree you have applied for. These documents can therefore increase your chances of a successful application.
What do I do if I don't have access to my course descriptions/syllabi?
We realise it might be challenging to retrieve these documents. First try to contact your University to see if they have information about the courses in your degree. If your University is unable to help you, we suggest that you write a description of the content of your degree, to the best of your ability.
You will still be able to apply even if you are unable to provide all the documentation above.
How do I document English language proficiency?
Normally you must document this with an English test. If you have taken a test which is not on the list, you can contact us via the contact form on this page to find out if this can be approved.
Read more about which tests are approved and whether you may be exempt from submitting a test.
Can I be exempt from submitting an English test if I have completed a degree programme which was taught in English?
You can only be exempt if you have completed a programme in specific countries. Make sure you check the specific details about the country where you have studied in the list of exemptions.
How can I document that I have sufficient funding?
Read about how you document sufficient funds in your application to UiB.
How long should a motivation letter be?
Approximately 1 page (450 words). We do not require a specific template or format.
Do I have to upload recommendation letters?
No, this is not a requirement and such letters will not be taken into consideration in the processing of your application.
Uploading documents
How do I upload documents?
When you create your application, you follow the steps (1-5) on Søknadsweb and upload accordingly.
If you log in later, you can choose My documents from the top menu and from there upload documents.
I cannot find 'My documents' in the top menu - what do I do?
If you can't find 'My documents' in the top menu, click on the three white stripes in the top left corner and you will find 'My documents' in the drop down menu.
Do I have to upload all the documents by 1 December?
You must upload the required documents, preferably within 1 December, or at the latest by 15 December.
Should I send any documents by post?
No, we do not accept documents sent by post - you have to upload all documents to Søknadsweb.
We will verify the original documents of admitted students after arrival at UiB.
The list of documents at Søknadsweb contains titles like 'Learning agreement' and 'Repertoire for audition' - does this apply to me?
The document titles listed are the same for all admissions to UiB, some of them will therefore not apply to you. You should only choose the titles that correspond to the documents you will upload. If you cannot find a relevant title, choose 'Other'.
Other topics
How do I get the housing guarantee? Do I have to apply for student housing now?
You should not apply for housing now. Applicants that are granted admission to UiB, will get information by email on how and when to apply with a housing guarantee.
Did you not find the answer to your questions above?
Contact us via the contact form on this page.