Gets the most international scholarships: – Little for a university like NTNU

After tuition fees were introduced for international degree students from outside the EU/EEA, there has been great tension regarding whether scholarships can make up for the loss of students from these countries.

International students

UiT succeeds where NTNU lags behind

It has previously been announced that there would be 200 scholarships in the first instance. It is now clear that 28 of these will come to NTNU. Together with the University of Bergen, the university tops the list. The universities of Oslo and Stavanger are close behind. It is also NTNU that brings home the largest amount of money.

Read the full overview at the bottom of the case.

– A good start

The focus area for the scheme, which has been named Norstip, is Norwegian partner countries for development cooperation in the global south. Vice-chancellor for education Marit Reitan says there is reason to be positive on NTNU’s part, even if the scholarships are spread thinly beyond the educational institutions.

– 28 scholarships spread over two years is not enough for an institution of the size of NTNU, but we still see Norstip as a good and important beginning. We were originally awarded 25 scholarships, and have recently learned that this has increased to 28 scholarships. This is positive for NTNU. We are now looking at how we can get good arrangements around these scholarships, says Reitan.

scholarships for international students

– We think the restrictions are discriminatory

She says that the new arrangement can be seen in connection with other instruments for cooperation with partner institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Norpart and Norhed are examples of other programs that provide grants for work with these countries.

Seven studies out of around 50 will share the scholarship

New proposal: This is how they will distribute scholarships to international students

There are a total of around 50 international master’s degrees at NTNU. It is now planned that there will be seven of them who will share the scholarships (see fact box).

It also means that the faculties must make an independent assessment of whether these programs are sustainable without applicants with Norstip grants. So it is not planned that these scholarships in themselves will keep the studies alive.

– The scholarships are prioritized for programs that have had long-term, strategic professional collaboration with institutions in the global south, and programs that are strategically important for NTNU’s social responsibility. It is not desirable to spread these out thinly, but rather to focus the funds to the greatest extent possible, says Reitan.

The current 216 scholarships awarded by the government are for both 2024 and 2025. NTNU has agreed that they will use all 28 scholarships in 2025. According to the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), which administers the Norstip scheme, the institutions wish to use a total of one third of the scholarships in 2024 and the rest in 2025.

NTNU also considered whether the scholarships should be distributed even more concentratedly.

– We discussed in our Education Committee whether all the scholarships should be awarded to one or two programs to ensure financially sustainable programs. To maintain education only for students for the global south, we consider breaking with the prerequisites for Norstip, and the introduction of tuition fees, says Reitan.

– Depends on how patient we and NTNU are

UA has previously written about several of the masters who are struggling after the introduction of tuition fees. Hydropower development, which is one of those proposed for scholarships, had one graduate student last year. Previously, they had between 10 and 20 students.

The person responsible for the study programme, Oddbjørn Bruland, says they currently have a number of students, but that they are happy to take individual subjects. Most are exchange students and the number of these is increasing, says Bruland.

– What is viable is up to the faculty and department to assess. Everyone; NVE, Norad, the World Bank and others speak very warmly about the programme. One would think that at one point or another a better solution will emerge. It depends on how patient NTNU and we are, says Bruland.

Helene was the only one who showed up for the start of her studies

– It’s a shame that the scope is so small

Vice-rector Reitan says they have not yet landed the final distribution key for the scholarships.

– An arrangement is being made where the scholarships are distributed among seven proposed study programmes, but the faculties must make an independent assessment of whether these programs are sustainable without applicants with Norstip scholarships.

– NTNU probably has around 50 international masters. There has been a lot of talk about these scholarships, but surely 28 scholarships are a drop in the ocean if you look at all of them?

– We think it is a shame that the government’s scholarship scheme is limited to only 200 students nationally. NTNU expects the number of scholarships in the program to increase in the future. NTNU wants the Norwegian authorities to look to other countries and develop more scholarship schemes for students, Reitan replies.

– The applicant numbers from this year show a collapse in the number of applicants for most of the international master’s studies at NTNU. Will the programs survive?

– We are now starting a working group that will work with student recruitment, including the recruitment of international students. I cannot yet say anything about which of the programs have the opportunity to adapt to the new situation with tuition fees in the future, says Reitan.