Evaluation of law

NOKUT is conducting a national evaluation of bachelor’s and master’s programmes in law. The evaluation will start in the spring of 2026, with the final report to be published in March 2028. Evaluations of educational quality are part of NOKUT's activities to ensure and enhance quality in education. Evaluations of educational quality are part of NOKUT's activities to ensure and enhance quality in education.

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The aim of the evaluation

The evaluation aims to generate knowledge about the quality of education in bachelor’s and master's programmes in law and contribute to quality development by facilitating the exchange of experiences, identifying challenges, and providing advice on measures for further quality development.

Framework of the evaluation

NOKUT's evaluations of educational quality are grounded in the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the Higher Education Area (ESG 2015). These have been operationalised into our principles for external evaluation activities.

The following study programmes are included in the evaluation:

Institution Study programme
Norwegian Business School Bachelor of law | Master of law (2-year)
Molde University College Bachelor of law
University of Agder Law, bachelor's programme | Law, master's programme (2-year)
University of Bergen Master's programme in law (2-year) | Master's programme in law (5-year)
University of Inland Norway Bachelor of law
University of Oslo Law – master (5-year)
University of Stavanger Law, bachelor's programme | Law, master's programme (2-year)
University of South-Eastern Norway Bachelor of law
UiT The Arctic University of Norway Law – master (5-year)

The evaluation process

The evaluation should be useful to those working with the study programmes, and the evaluation should therefore be designed in dialogue with stakeholders. This involvement takes place through input meetings and through the evaluation's consultation panel. NOKUT will ask institutions and other key stakeholders to nominate representatives to the consultation panel.

The evaluation terms of reference will be published in spring of 2026. It will outline the evaluation's themes, data collection plan, and key milestones.

Input meetings

From October 2025 to February 2026, NOKUT held digital input meetings with stakeholders. During the meetings, NOKUT provided information about the purpose of the evaluation and about the evaluation process, and we asked for input on which topics it would be useful to investigate through the evaluation, and what kind of experience, perspectives, and expertise we should include in the expert panel.

  • Date Institution/organisation
    16 October 2025 University of Stavanger
    30 October 2025 University of Inland Norway
    30 October 2025 University of Agder
    30 October 2025 University of South-Eastern Norway
    7 November 2025 Molde University College
    10 November 2025 University of Oslo
    11 November 2025 Norwegian Business School
    18 November 2025 UiT The Arctic University of Norway
    25 November 2025 Juristforbundet (Norwegian Association of Lawyers)
    27 November 2025 University of Bergen
    27 November 2025 Domstolsadministrasjonen (The Norwegian Courts Administration)
    2 December 2025 Advokatforeningen (The Norwegian Bar Association)
    19 December 2025 DFD – representert ved avdeling for statlig arbeidsgiverpolitikk (Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Governance – represented by the Department of Government Employer Pollicy)
    4 February 2026 KS – representert ved KS-advokatene (The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS) – represented by the Legal Department of KS)

Summary of input on possible evaluation themes

We here summarise the themes that received the most attention across the stakeholder groups:

  • This theme concerned how law programmes respond to the demands of the labour market and which competences students need to acquire during their studies. It included, among other things, how academic content is adjusted to meet changing expectations. Several stakeholders raised the issue of balancing academic depth and breadth, and whether it might be appropriate to allow for specialist profiles rather than maintaining a generalist competence base across all providers of legal education.

    Furthermore, it was discussed whether the programmes sufficiently encompass international and interdisciplinary perspectives. The organisation and role of legal methodology were also addressed, and a number of stakeholders emphasised the need for skills training, including oral and written skills as well as advocacy and procedural training. The link between education and working life through placements and internship schemes, in addition to other forms of cooperation with employers, was likewise highlighted as a key aspect within this thematic area.

  • This concerned variation in, and the balance between, different forms of assessment, such as take-home examinations, on-campus written examinations and oral examinations. The possibility of formative assessment and ongoing evaluation throughout the programme, rather than relying solely on a single final examination, was also highlighted. In connection with this theme, several stakeholders raised concerns related to grade pressure. In addition, this theme addressed the quality of and variation in teaching, with many contributions focusing on pedagogical approaches. Several stakeholders linked this specifically to teaching in legal methodology and the development of practical skills.

  • Several stakeholders pointed out that critical thinking and solid methodological competence will become even more important as the use of artificial intelligence becomes more widespread. Students must learn to use AI in ways that do not undermine their ability to write and think in a precise and independent manner.

  • Among institutions offering bachelor’s programmes, issues related to mobility between institutions were raised, in particular opportunities for admission to master’s programmes following the completion of a bachelor’s degree.

Expert panel

Assessments of educational quality are to be carried out by the expert panel. The composition of the panel is based on input NOKUT received from the HEIs and other stakeholders, and on the Principles for NOKUT evaluations (pdf). The institutions were given the opportunity to comment on the proposal.

  • The following suggestions were mentioned by several actors:

    • The committee should have experience in research-based teaching and university pedagogy, and preferably experience from more than one institution.
    • The committee should have knowledge of legal methodology, assessment methods and educational structures.
    • The committee should include international scholars with academic expertise in law from Nordic or other European universities. These members should have an understanding of Norwegian and be familiar with international perspectives on law.
    • The employer/professional practitioner representative should have experience of legal practice, either as a lawyer or a judge, or have experience from public administration or the private sector. It may be beneficial to appoint two employer/professional practitioner representatives in order to cover the breadth of legal practice.
    • The employer/professional practitioner representative should have knowledge of labour market needs and experience with recruitment.
    • The student representative should have experience from student organisations and quality assurance work and should have insight into the learning environment and assessment practices.

  • Panel Chair Tone Linn Wærstad is professor at the Department of Private Law at the University of Oslo. She leads the Faculty’s Centre of Excellence in Education, the Centre on Experiential Legal Learning (CELL). She is a member of the University of Oslo’s Pedagogical Academy as a recognised excellent educator from 2024. She also leads the Nordic Network on Legal Education (NORLEN). Her teaching has primarily been in family law and succession law, legal methodology and ethics, as well as public international law and international human rights. She has also been responsible for the development and delivery of pedagogical courses for educators at the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo. Her research interests are primarily in family law, international human rights, consumer law and anti-discrimination law.

    Claes Martinsson is a Professor of Civil Law at the University of Gothenburg, where he holds a chair in maritime and transport law. He has been awarded the title Excellent Teacher and has both published articles on and been actively engaged as a guest speaker and university instructor in, legal education pedagogy. He also has international experience in both teaching and research, including as a member of an international teaching staff, as an external examiner, and as a member of assessment committees. His research focuses on property law, insolvency law, creditor protection and regulatory models for maritime transport. Several of his projects include interdisciplinary elements and collaboration. Martinsson has published extensively and, in a number of projects, has combined doctrinal legal analysis with other methods and theoretical approaches to legal research. He also has experience from work with student associations at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg.

    Birgit Feldtmann is a Professor in law, specialised in criminal law, criminal procedure and international law enforcement, at Aalborg University. She holds a law degree and a PhD from Germany and has extensive experience from Danish academia. Feldtmann has teaching experience at all levels within her areas of specialisation. She has received several teaching awards and was also nominated for the Danish National Teaching Award in 2021 and 2022. Since 2017, she has been a member of the study board at Aalborg University and has led and contributed to several working groups on teaching methods, programme reforms and pedagogical development, including work on problem-based learning (PBL) in legal education. She also has experience in developing educational programmes at other institutions. In 2004, she was involved in establishing a new law degree programme in Odense, and in 2022–2023 she held a 50 % position at the University of Southern Denmark, contributing to the conceptual development of a new law programme in Esbjerg.

    Knut Bergø is a Professor at the Department of Law and Governance at BI Norwegian Business School. He has also previously held a part-time professorship at the Centre for Financial Regulation at the same institution. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Oslo and has extensive experience as a lawyer and partner in the law firms Wikborg Rein, Wiersholm and Schjødt. As a lawyer, he specialised in business law, stock exchange and securities law, and later in sustainability law. He has authored several books and articles within these areas. Bergo has also specialised in sources of law through his doctoral work and has been engaged as an external lecturer on this topic at both the University of Agder and the University of Oslo. He has published extensively on the subject, including a textbook.

    Stig Eidissen is employed as a lawyer at KS, based in Tromsø, where his primary areas of expertise are state aid, municipal law, labour law and data protection law. He was also a member of the government-appointed committee for the EEA review, which was submitted in April 2024. Eidissen holds a PhD from the Faculty of Law at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and has taught EU/EEA law, general administrative law, environmental administrative law and contract law, as well as supervised master’s theses. In addition to his position at KS, he currently holds a part-time position as Associate Professor at the School of Business at UiT. He also has experience as a lawyer in private practice and as a legal adviser in the Office of the County Governor of Troms and Finnmark and at UiT. Eidissen serves as the employer/practitioner representative on the expert committee.

    Irene Dotterud-Flaa is a master’s student in law at the University of Agder and serves as the student member of the expert committee. She previously completed a bachelor’s degree in law at the same institution and also holds a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Oslo. During her studies, she has served as a student representative on the University of Agder’s Student Affairs Appeals Committee, worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant, and is currently employed as a student assistant at the law firm Helmr AS. Prior to commencing her studies in law, she worked for ten years as a Senior Policy Adviser in development policy at Save the Children.

    Conflict of Interest Assessments

    NOKUT must ensure that the experts are impartial in the relevant case. For example, experts cannot participate in the panel’s assessment of a programme if they are employed by or students at the same institution. Panel members should also not participate in their institution’s own work on the evaluation. The conflict of interest assessments entail the following:

    • Tone Linn Wærstad is employed at the University of Oslo and will not participate in the committee’s assessment of the study programme at UiO.
    • Knut Bergo is employed at BI Norwegian Business School and will not participate in the committee’s assessment of the study programmes at BI.
    • Stig Eidissen holds a part-time position as Associate Professor at the School of Business at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and supervises master’s students at the Faculty of Law at UiT. He will not participate in the committee’s assessment of the study programme at UiT.
    • Irene Dotterud-Flaa is a student at the University of Agder and will not participate in the committee’s assessment of the study programmes at UiA.

Consultation panel

In addition to the expert panel, the evaluation also has a consultation panel. It consists of one representative from each of the nine institutions, as well as student representatives and employer / practitioner representatives. The consultation panel will contribute with input and feedback in the evaluation process.

  • Institution/role Representative
    University of Bergen Magne Strandberg
    UiT The Arctic University of Norway Christina Jensen
    University of Stavanger Lana Bubalo
    BI Norwegian Business School Monica Viken
    Molde University College Kari Grethe Koppang Welle
    University of Agder – bachelor’s degree Kari Lunøe-Nielsen
    University of Agder – master’s degree Alexander Zimmermann Alsaker
    University of Oslo Maria Astrup Hjort
    University of Inland Norway Thomas Rønning
    University of South-Eastern Norway Alf Andreas Bø
    Norwegian Association of Lawyers Benedicte Gram-Knutsen
    Norwegian Association of Lawyers and student at University of Inland Norway Oda Christine Sverre
    The Norwegian Bar Association Merete Smith
    The Norwegian Courts Administration Robert Envik

Terms of Reference

This document presents the terms of reference for the evaluation, including information on the evaluation themes and key questions, as well as the plan for data collection. The terms of reference are based on input from stakeholders, including representatives from the eleven study programmes participating in the evaluation. An earlier version of the document was discussed in the evaluation’s consultation panel on 13 March 2026, which provided valuable feedback. The terms of reference were finalised by NOKUT and the evaluation’s expert panel.

Read Terms of Reference for NOKUT’s evaluation of law (pdf)

On the Self-Assessment

A draft self-assessment form will be discussed with the evaluation's consultation panel. Each institution will submit one self-assessment. NOKUT encourages each institution to involve key groups and key individuals associated with the study programme in the work on the self-assessment. This work will take place from May to September 2026 (10 weeks + summer vacation). The self-assessment text can be up to 15 pages long.

On the site visit

The site visit will be digital. The visit will be led by representatives from the expert panel, and will include group interviews with, for example, management at the programme level and faculty or department level, lecturers, and students.

Tentative milestones

2025/2026
October 2025–February 2026 NOKUT has input meetings with key stakeholders
2026
February The HEIs receive the proposal for the expert panel
March The consultation panel discusses the proposal for the evaluation themes
April NOKUT publishes the Terms of Reference and invites HEIs to a digital information meeting
June The consultation panel discusses the proposal for the self-assessment form
July–November Each HEI writes one self-assessment
2027
February–April The expert panel completes digital site visits
2028
January The HEIs receive relevant report chapters for fact checking
February The HEIs receive the final report and can submit a public statement to NOKUT
March Report launch

Contact NOKUT

Please contact project manager Magnus Strand Hauge at magnus.strand.hauge@nokut.no.

HEIs wishing to submit a complaint about the evaluation process or an appeal in response to the final report, can email Magnus Strand Hauge, copying in stein.erik.lid@nokut.no and postmottak@nokut.no