Høyskolen Kristiania

About Høyskolen Kristiania

Kristiania is an accredited university college operating as a nonprofit educational foundation. Its English-language name is Kristiania University of Applied Sciences, while Høyskolen Kristiania remains the verified Norwegian legal name. The institution traces its history to Norsk Korrespondanseskole, established by Ernst G. Mortensen in 1914. It became an independent nonprofit foundation in 1976 and later expanded through institutional integrations, including the 2017 merger with Westerdals Oslo ACT. The institution combines degree education, research, online study, and vocational provision. This breadth requires careful program-level comparison: a course or vocational program offered within the wider Kristiania organization is not necessarily a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Norwegian regulations recognize Høyskolen Kristiania as an accredited university college and authorize it to award higher-education degrees through the PhD level. Kristiania’s official research pages also describe admission to its doctoral education. Kristiania reports campuses in Oslo and Bergen as well as online delivery. This profile focuses on the Oslo record. The Oslo operation is an urban, multi-building campus, with teaching and student facilities spread across Kvadraturen, Fjerdingen, Urtegata, and other central locations. The institutional model may suit students seeking professional and practice-oriented education in a city environment, but applicants should compare the precise location, teaching language, curriculum, and credential attached to each program. The official English study portal is the appropriate starting point for international applicants because the complete institutional portfolio is not taught in English.

International applicants apply through Kristiania’s own process; the institution states that it is not part of Norway’s joint admissions scheme. Applicants without a Norwegian national identity number or D-number use the international application route. Requirements are program-specific, and applicants are responsible for submitting complete official documentation in the requested file formats. For bachelor’s admission, the general international requirements include a qualification meeting Norway’s Higher Education Entrance Qualification rules, assessed through the country-specific GSU framework, and documented English proficiency. Some programs add mathematics requirements. Master’s applicants generally need a relevant bachelor’s degree and a grade average equivalent to at least Norwegian C, stated by Kristiania as CGPA 2.7, while individual programs may impose subject or portfolio requirements. English-taught master’s programs require advanced English proficiency through an accepted test unless an exemption applies. As published on the admissions page accessed in August 2026, non-EU/EEA citizens residing outside Norway have a 15 February application deadline, while EU/EEA citizens have a 15 April deadline. Applicants needing a Norwegian student residence permit must submit all required documents by 15 April. The stated documentation deadlines for other international applicants are 1 July for bachelor’s study and 15 July for master’s study. Candidates should confirm these dates on the live page for their intended intake before applying. Non-EU/EEA applicants may need to document funds for tuition and living costs and obtain a student residence permit. Admission to doctoral programs follows a separate process involving academic qualifications and an acceptable funding arrangement.

Kristiania offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral education, but the available subjects, teaching languages, and campuses differ by program. Its broader academic environment covers arts, design, media, music, performing arts, communication, leadership, marketing, health sciences, economics, innovation, and technology. The institution also contains Kristiania Professional College, which provides shorter vocational programs; applicants should not assume that every listing in Kristiania’s catalog leads to an academic degree. For international degree seekers, the official English study pages identify the programs actually taught in English. Published 2026 tuition information names English-accessible options including the Bachelor in Computer Arts and master’s programs in Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Design, Media Arts, and Information Systems. This is not necessarily an exhaustive or permanent list, since offerings can change, so the current program page should determine the applicable curriculum, campus, entry requirements, and language. Kristiania characterizes its teaching as student-active and practice-oriented, with connections to professional fields. Its disciplinary mix supports project-based and creative work alongside conventional academic study. At the doctoral level, the institution requires a relevant master’s degree for admission; its general PhD guidance normally expects a thesis of at least 30 ECTS and strong previous academic results. Doctoral admission is therefore a separate, research-focused process rather than a direct continuation automatically available to master’s graduates. Students receive access to campus libraries, quiet reading areas, literature-search guidance, source-evaluation support, and academic student assistants. Because Oslo teaching is distributed among several buildings, specialized facilities may be tied to particular schools or programs. Prospective students should confirm where most classes and practical work take place before choosing accommodation.

Key Highlights

• Accredited Norwegian university college authorized to award degrees through the PhD level
• Private nonprofit foundation that reinvests financial surpluses in its academic environment
• Founded in 1914 as Norsk Korrespondanseskole
• Operates in Oslo, Bergen, and online

Student Life & Environment

Student life in Oslo is organized around a dispersed city-centre campus rather than a residential campus. New students can participate in Into Campus, Kristiania’s welcome period, which includes orientation and social activities. The 2026 new-student information indicates that English-speaking groups are offered for exchange students and international bachelor’s and master’s students. The Student Union Kristiania represents students in Oslo and Bergen and organizes much of the institution’s social activity. Students can participate in committees, program-related associations, events, trips, and sports activities. These groups provide practical ways to meet students outside one’s immediate course, which may be particularly useful because classes are spread across multiple Oslo buildings. Academic and everyday support is available through Student Services, campus receptions, libraries, and student welfare arrangements. Kristiania’s libraries offer syllabus literature, work areas, quiet rooms, information-search guidance, and help from academic student assistants. Campus services also include an academic bookstore and food outlets. The career centre runs job-search, CV, and entrepreneurship activities. Kristiania does not present the Oslo campus as providing institution-owned residential accommodation on the reviewed pages. Students should therefore investigate housing separately and avoid assuming that admission includes a room. They should also budget for the compulsory semester fee paid to the relevant student welfare organization in addition to Kristiania’s tuition.

Location & Surroundings

Kristiania’s Oslo campus occupies several buildings in and around the city centre. Kvadraturen includes addresses on Kirkegata and Prinsens gate, while Fjerdingen is on Christian Krohgs gate and another teaching location is on Urtegata. The institution’s main published contact address is Kirkegata 24–26. Students may have classes in different buildings, and specialized rooms such as music studios can have restricted program-specific access. This arrangement places students within an urban environment rather than on a self-contained campus. Kristiania describes Oslo as lying between the Oslofjord and surrounding green areas, with cultural activity and outdoor recreation accessible from the capital. The central locations also connect students to Oslo’s public transport network and city services. However, prospective students should assess commuting routes from potential accommodation to the particular buildings used by their program, not merely to the main address. The record is specifically associated with Oslo, although Kristiania also operates in Bergen and online. Applicants must verify the delivery location of their chosen program because institutional services or promotional material covering Kristiania as a whole may refer to another campus or to online study.

Costs & Career Outcomes

Kristiania charges tuition, and rates vary by program and fee category. Its official price overview for students beginning in autumn 2026 lists annual domestic/EU/EEA/Swiss tuition of NOK 117,800 for the master’s programs in Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, and Information Systems, and NOK 131,200 for the master’s programs in Design and Media Arts. The Bachelor in Computer Arts is listed at NOK 124,200 for the same fee category. Corresponding listed non-EU/EEA/Swiss rates are NOK 153,200, NOK 210,000, and NOK 198,800 respectively. These figures apply only to the named programs and autumn 2026 starters. The institution invoices annual tuition in two equal installments, normally one in August or September and one in January or February. Fees for programs lasting more than one year may be adjusted annually. Tuition includes organized teaching and standard examination fees, but students also pay a semester fee to the local student welfare organization; specialized equipment can create additional costs. International residents of Norway may qualify for domestic rates. Applicants should use NOK figures for budgeting because any euro conversions are indicative. Housing and ordinary living expenses are separate. The admissions page requires certain non-EU/EEA applicants to demonstrate tuition plus NOK 166,859 for one academic year of living expenses, but this is a financial-documentation amount rather than a promise that actual expenses will match it. Kristiania’s career centre offers individual guidance, CV and application support, career events, and a portal advertising internships, part-time jobs, and graduate roles. No verified graduate salary, placement-rate, or employer-outcome statistics were found in the reviewed sources.