Recognition of external courses
If you have completed courses at another university in Norway or abroad, you can apply to have these courses recognized as part of your study programme at the University of Bergen.
Main content
Processing of the application
The application for recognition of external courses will be processed at the Faculty of Social Sciences and can take up to six weeks.
When the application has been processed, your Individual Education Plan on Studentweb will be updated with the credits you have been awarded. If you have applied for the recognition of specialisation courses or the approval of an exchange programme, you will also receive a confirmation letter in the mail.
You can apply for recognition of external courses in bachelor and master programmes. UiB's one year courses ("årsstudium") does not lead to a degree, and are therefore not open to recognition of external courses.
Approval of exchange programmes
Pre-approval of external courses
All students who are planning to take an exchange semester or year must apply for a pre-approval of the courses they are planning to take. After the exchange programme has been completed, you will receive a transcript from the host university. It can often take a few months before you receive the transcript.
Final approval
When you have received the transcript, you must apply for the final approval of exchange programme. If you have completed the pre-approved courses, the application will be a formality to register the courses as part of your study programme at the University of Bergen. If you have taken other courses than the ones that were pre-approved, the academic staff must assess if the courses can be integrated as part of your study programme. The academic staff will assess academic content and level.
When the courses are assessed and registered as part of your Individual Education Plan, you will receive a written notification on the approval on the exchange programme in the mail.
Approval of external education in a bachelor degree
At least 60 ECTS credits of the study programme must be completed at the University of Bergen if you are to be eligible for a bachelor degree from the University of Bergen. At least 30 ECTS credits must be part of your specialization courses. The academic staff will assess your application and consider how much of your previous education can be integrated into the bachelor programme.
Introductory courses
If you have completed ex.phil. and/or ex.fac. courses previously, they can be approved as part of the bachelor programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences. You can have up to 30 ECTS credits approved as introductory courses.
Specialization courses
If you previously have completed courses in the subject you are specializing in, you can apply to replace parts of the specialization.
Free credits
Up to 60 ECTS credits can be approved as free credits in your bachelor degree, as long as they do not overlap with courses you are taking at the University of Bergen
Second bachelor degree
If you already have completed a degree, separate rules apply to attain a new degree at the same level. You can complete a new bachelor degree by taking at least 90 new ECTS credits (making a total of 270 ECTS credits at bachelor level) of complete an approved bachelor specialization in a new subject. Introductory courses and free credits from your first bachelor degree can often also be used in the second one. At least 60 ECTS credits of your new specialization must be completed at the University of Bergen. The academic staff will assess your application and decide what courses you must complete in order to receive a new bachelor degree.
Approval of external education in a master’s degree
Normally at least 60 ECTS credits of a master’s degree, including the thesis, must be completed at the University of Bergen in order to be eligible for a diploma from the University of Bergen. The academic staff will assess your application and consider how much of your previous education can be approved as part of the master degree programme.
Second master’s degree
In order to complete a second master’s degree, you must complete at least 60 new ECTS credits at master’s level (making a total of 180 ECTS credits at master’s level). The new credits must include a new thesis, which is to be developed and completed under the supervision of one or more person(s) appointed and approved by the faculty. The academic staff will assess your application and decide what courses you will need to complete in order to receive a new master’s degree.