The number of applicants in 2024: Many people want to go to the University of Oslo

A total of 19,202 applicants have the University of Oslo as their first choice, according to the applicant figures published today.

– We are pleased that so many applicants choose the University of Oslo. With us you gain knowledge for the future, you learn from the best and make friends for life. We look forward to welcoming all new students in August, says principal Svein Stølen.

The new medical study in Kristiansand (UiO Campus south) has the most applicants per study place at UiO with a whopping 19.1 applicants per study place.

More will study science

Another piece of good news is the increase in the number of applicants for science. 1,087 first-choice applicants apply for these subjects this year. This is an increase of 9.4 per cent compared to last year. Nationally, the increase is 8.9 per cent.

– Norway needs more realists and technologists to find future solutions that can provide green, digital and sustainable value creation. It is very pleasing that we have an increase in applications for science, but we would like to have even more good applicants, says Stølen.

He points out that if we are to get more people to choose science in upper secondary school, we must also have more good science teachers.

– This is closely linked, and we need a national investment in science from the first school years right up to higher education.

Several are applying for lecturer training at UiO

The number of first-choice applicants to UiO’s lecturer training has increased by 20 per cent from last year.

– We are very happy that more people have applied for our lecturer training this year. Teachers have one of society’s most important jobs, and we need more good applicants for teacher training throughout the country, says headmaster Stølen.

Read more: Cheers for more applicants to UV

Several humanities subjects are also experiencing an increase in the number of applicants. The number of applicants for media subjects has increased by 28.2 per cent compared to last year, the history subject has 15.8 per cent more applicants, while the language subjects have 5.8 per cent more applicants this year than last year.

Interdisciplinary studies popular

UiO has had several new interdisciplinary study programs in recent years. Through these, students get the opportunity to see current topics from an interdisciplinary perspective. It is popular among applicants.

– In order to solve the major challenges of our time, such as the climate and environmental crisis, we must think across traditional professional boundaries. When people from different disciplines work together, challenges can be solved from different perspectives. These are skills that the working world demands, and we are happy that our applicants see this, says Stølen.

Read more: Large intake to the Faculty of Social Sciences

The most popular interdisciplinary offers

• Philosophy, politics and economics: 9.2 first-choice applicants per study place
• Economics and computer science: 4.8 first-choice applicants per study place
• Honors programme, social sciences: 4.3 first-choice applicants per study place
• Interdisciplinary gender studies, annual study: 3.9 first-choice applicants per study place
• Honors programme, science: 3.7 first-choice applicants per study place

The professional studies remain at the top

Medicine, psychology, law and dentistry are still very popular.

• Medicine, Oslo/Kristiansand, autumn: 19.1 first-choice applicants per study place
• Psychology, autumn: 15.7 first-choice applicants per study place
• Legal science (law), autumn: 9.4 first-choice applicants per study place
• Dental care: 8.3 first-choice applicants per study place

– We have the best professional studies, and the applicants value that, says Stølen.

Read more: Medical education at UiO Campus south among the country’s most popular

Increasing proportion of women

The gender distribution among the first choice applicants is roughly the same as last year, with 65 per cent women and 35 per cent men. There is a persistent trend in favor of women. On the master’s programmes, there are 63 per cent women and 37 per cent men, and here we see a slight increase in the proportion of men compared to last year.

The majority of the applicants come from Oslo and Akershus, but the applicants come from all over the country.

If you are still in doubt about what you want to study, you can reprioritize your choices until 1 July.