The objective of the scheme is to promote the internationalisation of higher education. Currently, the scheme provides full scholarships for a total of 1 100 students, of which 800 are from developing countries and 300 from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Each year universities and university colleges in Norway are allocated a certain number of quota students. The scheme normally includes courses taught in English at Master’s and PhD level, in addition to certain professional degrees.
The Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (see link in right coloumn) is responsible for managing the financial support provided for the Quota students. Each student receives the same amount of money as a Norwegian student would do in an equivalent educational programme. About 30 per cent of the amount is given as a grant and 70 per cent as a loan. However, the loan portion may be waived when the student returns to his/her home country after completing the course of study. Students who stay in Norway after finishing their studies or take up residence in another country than their home country must repay their loan. Normally, the financial support given will not exceed a time span of four years for one definite study plan or a combination of two programmes. Part-time studies are not supported.
Further information about admission requirements, participating institutions' contact details, deadlines and details about specific study programmes under 'Application' to the left
Please note that SIU is not repsonsible for the admission of students. The institutions of higher education that are part of the Quota Scheme handle all application from prospective students.

Finding a study programme/institution of interest
[url=http://siu.no/eng/content/download/5445/59903/file/Institutions offering scholarships under the Quota Scheme - 12.04.11.pdf]See the participation institutions’ websites[/url] to find more detailed information about the study programmes, available courses, admission requirements and application procedures concerning the Quota Scheme. You may also search the online Master’s programme catalogue which provides an overview of all study programmes at Master’s level that are offered in English at Norwegian universities and university colleges.
All inquiries should be directed to the International Office at the institution in question. Applications should be sent directly to the institutions and SIU is not responsible for received applications.
The deadline for applications for the Quota scheme is usually 1 December every year. Some courses and educational programmes may have other deadlines.

Recruitment enrollment
The Quota Scheme will only enrol students from institutions (organisations, universities, authorities) which have collaboration agreements with Norwegian universities or university colleges. Norwegian institutions usually do not admit free movers (individual applicants) to this scheme. Only in very special cases will free movers be considered. Please contact the institutions directly for individual information.
Students who come to Norway as self-financing students will, as a rule, not be considered as being qualified for the Quota Scheme.
To find out which institutions collaborate with Norwegian institutions, please refer to the websites of the Norwegian institutions. You could also ask your home institution about whether they have any sort of collaboration with Norwegian universities / university colleges from the list of participating institutions.

Basic general requirements
As a student, you must apply directly from your home country. You must have stayed at least one year in your home country directly prior to the planned course of study at the Norwegian university /university college. To be eligible to apply for the Quota Scheme, you must be able to find your home country on this list.
Students usually apply for degree programmes that serve as a continuation of their studies in their home country or for courses which can be a joint part of a degree programme in their home country (joint degree or sandwich programmes). Most of the programmes offered are at Master’s or PhD level, but the Quota Scheme also offers certain Bachelor’s study programmes.
All candidates should typically have the following basic qualifications:

• Secondary school certificates
  
• Minimum two years of higher education from their home country
  

Some exceptions apply for certain professional educational courses at Bachelor’s level.
The GSU-list (has been compiled by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education - NOKUT) with the general entrance requirements for applicants with higher education qualifications from abroad. NOKUT is the Norwegian governmental organisation for recognition of foreign higher education. If you cannot find your academic papers on the list you may contact NOKUT directly to get an evaluation of your certificates.

Basic language requirements
Most of the study programmes offered under the Quota Scheme are taught in English. Applicants who are not native English speakers therefore must document their proficiency in English. Requirements may differ between institutions and various study programmes. Please see the university /university college’s website for more details about language requirements.
A few courses in the Quota Scheme are offered in Norwegian and require good skills in the Norwegian language. Students admitted to study programmes that are mainly taught in Norwegian may receive additional financial support for studying Norwegian language for one year prior to their study.
Admission to the Quota Scheme is highly competitive and meeting the minimum requirements is no guarantee for enrollment.
Related documents and links

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[url=http://siu.no/eng/content/download/6448/68997/file/Liste of countries included in the Quota Scheme - engelsk 26.04.11.pdf]List of countries - Quota scheme[/url]
[url=http://siu.no/eng/content/download/5379/59403/file/Institutions offering scholarships under the Quota Scheme - 09.12.11.pdf]Institutions offering scholarships under the Quota Scheme[/url]