The quality work at NSKI University College is not satisfactory

The institution has made progress in its efforts after being required to correct significant deficiencies in 2023, but it has still not fully reached the goal.

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Logo: NSKI
Logo: NSKI

In 2023, NOKUT conducted a review of the systematic quality work at NSKI University College (NSKI). On 25 October the same year, the NOKUT Board decided that the institution’s quality work had significant deficiencies. After one year of corrective measures and an evaluation of new documentation on the quality work, the NOKUT Board has now concluded that NSKI University College’s systematic quality work is still not satisfactory. The institution has not documented routines or practices for systematic control to ensure that its study programmes at all times meet accreditation requirements. Consequently, the requirements in the Universities and Colleges Regulations § 1-7 letter b and § 1-8 fifth paragraph are not fulfilled.

“All higher education institutions in Norway are responsible for ensuring that their study programmes at all times meet the minimum accreditation requirements in the regulations. This is crucial for the trust-based model we have in Norwegian higher education,” says NOKUT Director Kristin Vinje.

As long as NSKI’s quality work is not approved by NOKUT, NOKUT may impose an application moratorium on NSKI, preventing applications for the accreditation of new study programmes and for accreditation as a university college.

NSKI University College may request that NOKUT conduct a new review at the institution no earlier than one year after the decision of unsatisfactory quality work.

  • Norway’s national agency for quality assurance in Education (NOKUT) was established in 2003 with the mandate to review both the quality practices and the quality assurance work at the country’s higher education institutions. NOKUT abides by the European Standards and Guidelines 2015 (ESG), which are operationalized in the national Regulations to the Universities and University Colleges Act.

    The reviews are periodical in nature and each institution gets called upon every six to eight years. NOKUT appoints expert committees for these reviews who, in the first phase, examine targeted documentation from each institution, consisting of strategy, framework and implementation of internal quality assurance systems and systematic quality work. The second phase is a site visit where the committee interviews key stakeholders such as the leadership group, relevant faculty members, administrative staff and students. If the expert committee concludes that the institution falls short of the ESG criteria as operationalized in the national regulations, i.e., non-compliant, NOKUT might limit the institutions’ accreditation rights.

    NSKI University College (NSKI) is a private higher education institution located in Oslo. NSKI offers four bachelor’s programmes in performing arts, as well as a non-degree programme worth 60 ECTS. The university college has approximately 170 students and 29,3 full-time equivalent staff.

    NOKUT reviewed NSKI for the first time in 2023. The expert committee concluded that NSKI’s systematic quality work was not compliant with the national legislation. NSKI was given a deadline of 25 October 2024 to document satisfactory compliance with all applicable requirements for its quality system and systematic quality work.

    NSKI submitted new documentation within the deadline. After reviewing the new documentation and speaking with staff and students during the site visit in February 2025, the committee concludes that the quality work at NSKI still does not meet the required standards. While NSKI has made commendable efforts to address the shortcomings identified in 2023, the institution has not documented that it has established procedures for the systematic monitoring of its study programmes to ensure that they are in compliance with the accreditation criteria at all times. Nor has NSKI conducted such systematic monitoring of its study programmes.

    If an institution does not ensure compliance within the deadline, NOKUT may decide to revoke its eligibility to submit accreditation applications both for the institution itself and for any new degree programmes. The institution may request a new review one year after the decision regarding non-compliance. If NOKUT, upon review, determines that the conditions are satisfactory, the institution will regain the opportunity to apply for accreditation, pursuant to Section 3-6 of the Universities and University Colleges Act.

Progress, but not there yet

The expert committee that assessed NSKI’s quality work points out that the institution has made good progress since the previous review, and that the quality work is now better anchored, documented, and organized. The board, management, and staff are all more aware of the importance of quality work for educational quality. The introduction of so-called “democracy time,” where half a day each week is set aside for meetings, is highlighted as a measure that has strengthened both anchoring and participation.

At the same time, the committee concludes that NSKI has not fully reached the goal. The requirement for systematic control to ensure that existing study programmes meet accreditation requirements is not fulfilled. Such control routines are essential for authorities, students, employers, and society at large to be able to trust that the institution’s programmes meet the minimum standards that apply in Norwegian and European higher education.

About NSKI University College

NSKI University College is a private institution in Oslo offering four bachelor’s programmes in directing, screenwriting, musical theatre, and acting, in addition to the further education programme Performing Artist in Self-Produced Productions. The college has about 170 students and is financed through tuition fees. The institution was established as a vocational school under the name Norwegian Acting Institute in 2009. In 2014, NSKI received accreditation for its first bachelor’s programmes and thereby became a provider of higher education.

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