University of Bergen

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 7 November 2026.

About the University of Bergen

The University of Bergen was founded in 1946 and today has around 21,000 students and 4,400 employees.^[1] Its roots go back to the Bergen Museum, established in 1825, where research and some teaching already took place; before 1946 examinations were held in Oslo.^[1] Wikipedia adds that the university was established by an act of parliament in 1946 as Norway’s second university.^[6]

UiB has eight faculties, including the University Museum, and 40 departments.^[7] The campus lies in the centre of Bergen.^[7] Marine and weather-related fields developed strongly in the city’s academic community, which the university’s history page links to its research profile.^[1]

How is the University of Bergen ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, UiB is 283rd in the world. It is the third-placed Norwegian university, after the University of Oslo (131st) and NTNU (264th); UiT is 629th.^[2] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at the University of Bergen?

UiB teaches across eight faculties, among them Humanities, Law, Science and Technology, Medicine, Psychology, Social Sciences and Fine Art, Music and Design.^[5] The sources we could read describe the master’s level for international applicants, not the bachelor’s level.

For applicants from outside the EU/EEA, the 2027/28 fee table lists master’s programmes such as Digital Culture, Linguistics, English, Philosophy, Global Development Theory and Practice, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Earth Science, Meteorology and Oceanography, Human Geography and Sustainable Development, and Media and Interaction Design.^[3] No master’s programme at the Faculty of Medicine is open to applicants from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland who live abroad for 2027/28.^[3]

You can browse programmes taught in English on UiB’s programme list.

How much does the University of Bergen cost?

Students with citizenship from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland must pay tuition fees for any study programme or single course.^[3] UiB states the fees per academic year. The page we read, updated on 5 November 2026, lists only the academic year 2027/28 and no rates for 2026/27.^[3]

Admitted students receive the exact fee with their offer. The fee must be paid in full, not in instalments; if you withdraw by 1 September you can apply for a refund. Some students are exempt because of residence in Norway or other close connections; you apply after accepting an offer. UiB does not offer scholarships to cover tuition fees.^[3]

Semester fee and living costs

All students except exchange students, students on leave and PhD candidates pay a semester fee to the student welfare organisation Sammen. As of August 2025 it was NOK 700 per semester, of which NOK 50 is a voluntary payment to SAIH, so NOK 650 without it. The page was updated on 16 December 2025.^[8]

Applicants from outside the EU/EEA must also document living costs for the residence permit: the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration sets NOK 170,368 for one year for 2027/28.^[9] See our Norway guide for the wider picture.

How do you apply to the University of Bergen?

UiB’s admission pages cover master’s degrees, online studies, exchange and the arts faculty programmes.^[10] For a master’s degree the route depends on your citizenship and where you live.^[11]

• Citizenship outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, living abroad: admission is once a year, and you can apply for one master’s programme. All admitted applicants pay tuition. You document that you hold a bachelor’s degree (normally of minimum four years) from an accredited institution, at least 80 ECTS credits in a subject relevant to the programme, and a grade average comparable to a Norwegian C. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee a place; UiB says approximately 8% of international applicants are admitted.^[9]
• Funds: you must document that you can pay both living expenses and tuition fees.^[9]
• EU/EEA and Swiss citizens, and applicants living in Norway or from the Nordic countries: separate guidelines and deadlines apply; see the pages for your group.^[11]

Test results and other documents are uploaded in Søknadsweb, the application portal.^[4] We give no deadlines here because they change every year; the application page for your group lists the current ones.^[11]

Which language level do you need?

For master’s programmes taught in English you must document English proficiency with an approved test unless you are exempt. Results must be valid and not older than two years on the application deadline.^[4]

UiB does not accept TOEFL MyBest Scores or IELTS One Skill Retake scores. Some applicants are exempt, for example those with certain Cambridge exams passed in 2005 or later.^[4] Programmes that require higher results than the general minimum do not allow an exemption from the test.^[9]

More about studying in Norway

• Norway: best universities
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

More university profiles in Norway

• BI Norwegian Business School
• MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society
• Nord University
• Norwegian Academy of Music
• Norwegian School of Economics (NHH)
• Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
• NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO)
• OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University
• UiT The Arctic University of Norway
• University of Agder
• University of Oslo
• University of South-Eastern Norway
• University of Stavanger