Tilstandsrapport for høgare yrkesfagleg utdanning 2025

This status report for higher vocational education presents key figures and analyses related to students, institutions, study programmes, and financing in 2024.

Students

In 2024, there were 34,000 students enrolled in higher vocational education, an increase of 2,500 from the previous year. Overall credit production also rose, although students on average completed slightly fewer credits. This is linked to a rise in enrolments in shorter programmes. Still, over 80 per cent of students are registered in full degree programmes. The largest subject areas remain technical subjects, health and welfare, and business and administration—together accounting for a growing share of the student population. The average student age is 34, and many are in employment, highlighting the need for flexible learning options and the sector’s role in providing upskilling opportunities.

Flexible education

Most students choose flexible study formats. In 2024, 74 per cent were part-time students, 72 per cent followed online or session-based programmes, and 10 per cent took short programmes worth fewer than 30 credits. This reflects a demand for education that can be combined with work and adapted to different life situations.

Admission

More than 18 000 new students were admitted in autumn 2024. Over half qualified based on their vocational qualifications. The number admitted through recognition of prior learning has risen by 30 per cent since 2023 and currently accounts for 23 per cent of all new students. Students admitted with general university entrance qualifications made up 21 per cent.

Graduates

Around 13,000 students graduated in 2024. Many combine studies with work, requiring flexible solutions and affecting completion patterns. To assess efficiency, one indicator is the proportion of planned credits completed each year. In 2024, 80 per cent of expected credits were completed. Online and part-time students had lower completion rates, while full-time and on-campus students were above average. These patterns also vary across subject areas, explaining higher completion rates in transport and lower rates in business and administration.

Institutions

In autumn 2024, 63 higher vocational colleges (18 public and 45 private) operated across 178 campuses. The number of larger colleges is growing, with 14 institutions now enrolling more than 1,000 students, up from 11 the previous year.

Subject areaaccreditations

Fifteen higher vocational colleges held subject area accreditation in one or more fields in 2024, with a total of 33 accreditations granted—12 more than the year before. The highest number of subject area accreditations are in health and welfare.

Study programmes

Higher vocational colleges offered 419 different study programmes in autumn 2024. Including variations in financing (publicly funded or tuition-fees), organisation (full-time or part-time), and format (on-campus, online, or session-based), a total of 2,107 programmes were registered. This shows a wide range of options that improve accessibility. Most programmes are in technical subjects, with a general trend toward more online and hybrid formats.

Financing

In total, around NOK 2.8 billion was spent on higher vocational education in 2024. Of this, NOK 1.4 billion came from the Ministry of Education and Research, while NOK 845.5 million was paid in tuition fees. The remaining funding came from county authorities, public grant schemes, and direct budget allocations to state-owned institutions. Publicly funded new study places contribute to expected increases in full-time equivalents and credit production.

Regional overviews

County authorities are responsible for regional skills policy and administer national funding for vocational colleges. Chapter 6 presents regional snapshots for each county, providing key figures on the state of higher vocational education in each region.

Appendices

• The data used for all figures and tables is available at https://vedlegg.hkdir.no/TRHYU/2025 along with time series and additional tables not included in the report itself.
• County-level overviews – statistics and analyses for each county (PDF). This section presents a selection of statistics on higher vocational education at the study locations within each county.