Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Høgskulen på Vestlandet, HVL) is a public university college with its main campus in the Kronstad neighbourhood of Bergen. It also has campuses in Førde, Haugesund, Sogndalsfjøra and Stord. The institution was established in January 2017, when three west Norwegian colleges merged: Bergen University College, Stord/Haugesund University College and Sogn og Fjordane University College. Its oldest programmes, teacher education in Stord, can be traced to 1839. About 16,000 students study at HVL, with 1,800 academic and administrative staff, and around 2,700 students graduate with degrees each year.

HVL provides professional education in health and social sciences, engineering, economic and administrative science, music and teaching. Teaching runs at Bachelor and Master level, with continuing education and doctoral (PhD) study as well. The college is organised into three faculties: the Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports, the Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences, and the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. Ten research centres support its postgraduate work, among them the Centre for Evidence-Based Practice, the Centre for Care Research, Western Norway, KINDknow and the Maritime Research Centre. The former Norwegian diver school, established in 1980 and merged into Bergen University College in 2005, is part of the engineering and science faculty and sits at Skålevik, about 15 kilometres from central Bergen.

The Study in Norway list (HK-dir) shows 6 English-taught degree programmes at HVL, all at Master's level. Subjects include Science, Civil Engineering, Public Health, Maritime Management, Energy and Renewable Engineering, and Curriculum and Instruction. In the DBH register the institution is coded 0238, listed as a state university college (statlige høyskoler) owned by the Ministry of Education and Research, with postcode 5020.

For an international student, applying means going through the institution's own admission system rather than a national centralised portal. Students from outside the EU/EEA need a study permit from UDI. EU/EEA and Swiss students are normally exempt from tuition at state institutions, while other degree students pay an institutional fee. Check hvl.no for the programme-specific requirements and deadlines before you apply.