The government continues to weaken internationalisation and cooperation within research and higher education with countries outside EU/EØS
The proposed Norwegian State budget for 2025 continues to weaken the possibilities for international cooperation of research and education with partners outside of Europe. In Panorama Nyheter you can read some of the reactions to new cuts, and the model where school fees in Norway are paid by the development aid budget. NFU Chair Arnhild Leer-Helgesen (UiA) and the leader of SAIH, Selma Bratberg, are among those who warn against the consequences of these continuous cuts:
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In 2023, the government decided that students from countries outside the EU must pay tuition fees to study at Norwegian educational institutions. Since then, the number of students from countries outside the EEA area has plummeted.
At UiA this year, only 17 international students pay tuition fees, nine of whom receive support through various scholarship schemes. This decline is clearly felt in studies such as the bachelor’s and master’s programmes in development studies, which were known for their international diversity among students. Now, almost all students in these programs have either Norwegian or European passports.
During Arendal Week, researchers at the Faculty of Social Sciences arranged a panel debate on the societal consequences of Norwegian lecture halls losing much of their diversity. The debate was chaired by Professor Ann Christin Nilsen at the Department of Sociology and Social Work and was arranged in collaboration with the Norwegian Association for Development Research (NFU) and SAIH.
The debate was held four years after the white paper “A world of opportunities”, in which it was argued that global problems require global solutions and more cooperation across national borders. Since then, a lot has changed. The introduction of tuition fees for students outside the EU is part of a pattern in which other support for collaboration with research and educational institutions in the Global South is also either cut or reduced. This includes support schemes such as NORGLOBAL and NORPART, which have long contributed to cooperation with countries outside the West.
A small band-aid on a large wound
To compensate for some of the drop in the number of international students, the authorities have introduced a scholarship scheme for students from selected countries in the Global South.
However, the scholarship scheme is only a small band-aid on a big wound, according to panelist and associate professor Arnhild Leer-Helgesen at the Department of Global Development and Planning. She pointed out that the scholarship scheme applies to few students and is also covered by the aid budget, which means that it in reality affects Norway’s ability to provide aid.
Came like lightning from a clear sky
UiA Rector Sunniva Whittaker also participated in the panel. She emphasized that the introduction of tuition fees came like lightning from a clear sky, but that it nevertheless draws into a pattern where the international aspect is given lower priority in research and education policy. Economy and savings were used as the main arguments for the introduction, but Whittaker wondered about the cost. UiA has largely managed to fill the study places with other students, but the diversity among the students has decreased. Whittaker fears this will affect the quality of the studies.
This view was shared by Professor Iver B. Neuman, director of the Fritjof Nansen Institute. He emphasized that discussions among fellow students from different backgrounds provide invaluable training in globalization and cosmopolitan conversation, which is essential for solving global challenges and living together.
Important to stand up for the principle of free higher education
SAIH leader Selma Bratberg also participated in the debate. She pointed out that the global situation for higher education is serious, with rising tuition fees and pressure on students’ freedom of expression.
“It is important that Norway stands up for the principle of free education,” she continued.
Bratberg also claimed that students, both now and throughout history, have been an important driving force for democracy, human rights and social change.
“In a world where authoritarian forces and nationalism are on the rise, it is extra scary
The eight joint Development Research Conference NorDev 2025 will be hosted by NMBU (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) and NFU (Norwegian Association for Development Research) 24-26 September 2025. The theme of the NorDev2025 Conference is “Solidarity, social justice and sustainability: Nurturing academic-civic solidarity, fostering social justice, and cultivating collaborations in an era of uncertainty”. The conference will gather researchers, students, policy makers and civil society actors from the Nordic counties and from other parts of the world, to discuss key global developments. The Nordic associations for global development research have a long-standing and established cooperation and co-organized NorDev Conferences since 2011. More information will come.
In the autumn of 2020 – while the pandemic was still raging – the Storting’s report on student mobility called “A world of opportunities” came out. The foreword to the message states: “Spring 2020 has clearly shown us how dependent we are on each other and how intertwined the world is. International cooperation and dialogue across national borders are prerequisites for being able to handle the major global social challenges the world is facing. Global challenges require global solutions.” Just over two years later, tuition fees were introduced for students from countries outside Europe and the result is markedly fewer international students at Norwegian universities. This is part of a larger picture where support for collaboration with higher education institutions and researchers in the global south is cut or reduced (e.g. NORGLOBAL and NORPART). What are the immediate consequences of this for the quality of education and research? Should we see these policy changes as something more than domestic education and research policy? What long-term consequences could this have for the labor market and Norway’s international relations? At Arendalsuka, we invite you to a discussion about who the Norwegian authorities have in mind when exchange and academic cooperation are to contribute to finding global solutions to global challenges.
About two-thirds of respondents (65%) say their work was either discontinued or significantly altered as a result of the funding cuts.
48% of the respondents in research/academia have adjusted their research in response to the funding cuts. Respondents are reportedly shifting their research focus to topics more likely to attract funding and more relevant to the Global North.
93% of respondents believe that the impacts of the cuts for the Global South are negative – both in the short and long term.
Noragric is organizing a PhD course in June 2024. The course is scheduled for the week 3-7 June and is open to PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows.
Please check the link below for all the necessary details.
