Laws

Recognition is carried out in accordance with Norwegian laws and international agreements ratified by Norway.

All requirements and guidelines decided by NOKUT are continued as in the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills.

The most important Norwegian laws are:

1. The Act relating to Universities and University Colleges of 1 April 2005 No 15.
Regulation on admission requirements for first degrees at universities and university colleges. Regulation on accreditation, evaluation and recognition by The Act relating to Universities and University Colleges (pdf).

2. The Public Administration Act of 10.02.1967 regarding proper administrative procedures.

1. The Act relating to Universities and University Colleges

Recognition of education is outlined in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, Chapter 3, § 3-4:

§ 3-4 (2) states that “on the basis of applications from private individuals NOKUT decides whether or not education from foreign institutions of higher education, or Norwegian institutions not covered by the Act, should be recognised as equivalent to Norwegian accredited higher education.”The Ministry can set regulations on administrative procedures and access to appeals by this stipulation.

2. The Public Administration Act

Decisions on recognition of education pursuant to § 48 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, as well as admission and transfer of credits/subjects, are individual decisions that can be appealed against. The procedure must be conducted in accordance with the Public Administration Act.

Important sections in chapter III:

§ 11, duty to provide guidance:
An administrative body has a general duty to provide guidance within its field of work. This implies, among other things, that inquiries to the body MUST be answered, and that the body should attend to the other party’s need for information unsolicited.

§11a, processing time, preliminary reply:
The administrative body should prepare and decide upon the case without undue delay. In the event that a case will be disproportionately delayed, a preliminary reply (message of delay) should be issued within one month. The message of delay should inform of the reason for the delay and, as far as possible, indicate when an answer can be expected.

§ 11d, oral conferences and recording of information:
An applicant cannot demand to speak to a case officer. However, if sound execution of the service allows it, a party in a case with a substantiated reason for an inquiry should be allowed to speak to a civil servant at the administrative office in charge of the case. If new information is presented in the case, this should be recorded insofar as possible.

Important sections in chapter IV:

§ 17, Duty of the administrative body to report and inform:
The administrative body should ensure that the case has been sufficiently scrutinized before coming to an administrative decision.

Important sections in chapter V

§23, the formal requirements for individual decisions:
An individual decision should normally be in writing.

§§ 24-25, the content of the argument:
Individual decisions should be substantiated. Reference should be made to the rules forming the basis of the decision. Where administrative judgment is applied, the deciding motives for the judgment should be mentioned.

Important sections in chapter VI:

§28, decisions that are subject to appeals, appeals authority:
Individual decisions can be appealed to the administrative body (appeals authority), which is the closest superior to the administrative body that made the decision.

§29, time limit for lodging an appeal:
The time limit for appeals is 3 weeks upon receipt of the decision by the applicant.