Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet
Norway's largest university, which delivers 70% of the country's master's education in technology.
- Students
- 43,507
- International
- 9%
- of students
- Tuition
- NOK 176.3K
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1996
About NTNU
NTNU was created in 1996 by merging the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH, founded 1910) with Trondheim's college of general sciences, faculty of medicine, museum, academy of fine art and music conservatory, and its roots go back to the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters of 1760. A 2016 merger with three university colleges made it Norway's largest university, with campuses in Trondheim, Gjøvik and Ålesund. It has 43,507 students, 85% of them in Trondheim, and 8,560 employees.
Science and technology are the core: about half of all students study them, and NTNU provides 70% of Norway's master's education in technology, largely through five-year integrated master's programmes (sivilingeniør) that students enter straight from school. It is also Norway's largest institution for teacher education, health sciences and the arts, across eight faculties and 52 departments, and works closely with the research institute SINTEF and St. Olav's Hospital.
The catch for international undergraduates is language: every bachelor's and integrated programme is taught in Norwegian, and NTNU offers no English-taught bachelor's degrees. Its English-language offer starts at master's level, with more than 60 international master's programmes. NTNU suits Norwegian and Nordic students, and those who have reached B2-level Norwegian, who want a demanding, research-heavy technical education.
Kunnskap for en bedre verden
“Knowledge for a better world” — university motto
Why students choose NTNU
NTNU has more first-priority applicants than any other Norwegian university (24,008) and educates 70% of Norway's master's graduates in technology.
Five-year integrated master's programmes such as Computer Science (Datateknologi) and Industrial Economics and Technology Management (Indøk) take students straight from school to an engineering master's.
May-Britt and Edvard Moser won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine at NTNU's Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience.
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens pay no tuition fees, and there are campuses in three cities: Trondheim, Gjøvik and Ålesund.
Admissions
Autumn 2027 (Samordna opptak, Norwegian-taught programmes)
Selectivity
NTNU does not publish an overall admission rate. It reports the most first-priority applicants of any Norwegian university (24,008). Admission to Norwegian-taught programmes is by competition points from upper secondary grades: for the five-year Computer Science (Datateknologi) programme, with 160 places, the 2025 cut-off was 56.7 points in the first-time diploma quota and 60.7 in the ordinary quota.
Typical entry requirements
| General requirement | Higher Education Entrance Qualification (generell studiekompetanse), or the equivalent foreign qualification listed on the NUCAS GSU list |
|---|---|
| Five-year engineering master's (sivilingeniør) | Mathematics R1 (or S1 and S2) and R2 with grade 4 or better in R2, plus Physics 1 |
| Language | Documented Norwegian at the NUCAS level (Nordic applicants with Nordic upper secondary are exempt) plus English |
| English language | IELTS 5 · TOEFL iBT 60 These are NUCAS's minimum English scores for Norwegian-taught undergraduate programmes, which also require Norwegian proficiency. NTNU's English-taught master's programmes set their own, higher requirements. |
Deadlines
- Samordna opptak: special groups Non-binding Next deadline · In ~5 months1 March 2027 (expected)
For early admission, special assessment or applying on prior learning; documentation due 20 March.
- Samordna opptak: ordinary deadline Non-binding In ~6 months15 April 2027 (expected)
Main deadline for Norwegian-taught programmes; the application portal opens 1 February. Priorities can be reordered until 1 July, and offers are published around 20 July.
Samordna opptak's published schedule (checked 29 September 2026) is still for 2026 admission (opens 1 February, 1 March for special groups, 15 April ordinary deadline, results 20 July); NUCAS lists 15 April, 1 July and 20 July as its standing annual dates, so the same dates are expected for 2027. NTNU's English-taught master's programmes have separate deadlines (1 December for non-EU/EEA applicants).
How to apply
Apply to Norwegian-taught bachelor's and integrated master's programmes through Samordna opptak (NUCAS) at samordnaopptak.no, ranking your choices in priority order and uploading your diploma and language documentation. NTNU has no English-taught bachelor's degrees; its international master's programmes are applied for directly.
What admissions looks for
- The general university entrance qualification, or an equivalent foreign diploma accepted on the NUCAS country list.
- Programme-specific subjects: advanced mathematics (R1 and R2, grade 4 or better in R2) and Physics 1 for engineering master's programmes.
- High competition points from upper secondary grades, since popular programmes fill on points.
- Documented Norwegian and English proficiency at the time of applying.
Tips for applying to NTNU
- 1 If you are not a Nordic school leaver, reach B2 Norwegian before applying; NTNU says you cannot come to learn Norwegian first and then start your degree.
- 2 Put your true first choice first: when you get an offer in the main round, all lower-ranked choices drop off.
- 3 Check the previous year's cut-off on each programme's 'Opptak' page, e.g. 56.7 and 60.7 points for Datateknologi in 2025.
- 4 If you want to study in English, plan for NTNU at master's level: it runs more than 60 English-taught international master's programmes.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in NOK
NTNU does not offer scholarships that cover tuition fees and has no financial support for undergraduate students. Non-EU/EEA students must document enough funding to live in Norway to get a study permit. Students admitted before 2023, exchange students and some scholarship holders are exempt from fees.
- None offered
- NTNU tuition scholarships
- NOK 528,650 per year
- Tuition, medicine (non-EU/EEA, 2026/27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters (autumn and spring)
Computer Science (Datateknologi), five-year master's
160 places in Trondheim with a 2025 cut-off of 60.7 points in the ordinary quota; requires R2 at grade 4 and Physics 1.
Industrial Economics and Technology Management (Indøk), five-year master's
Combines engineering with economics and management, with the same maths and physics requirements as other NTNU engineering master's.
Medicine, six-year professional degree
A six-year, highly competitive programme taught only in Norwegian; NTNU works closely with St. Olav's Hospital in Trondheim.
Marine Technology
NTNU's Faculty of Engineering has a dedicated Department of Marine Technology, reflecting Norway's shipping and offshore industries.
International master's programmes
More than 60 English-taught master's degrees, plus Joint Nordic Master's and Erasmus Mundus programmes.
Research
- May-Britt and Edvard Moser of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
- NTNU has been awarded 46 European Research Council grants and takes part in 653 EU framework programme projects.
- It hosts or partners in 3 Centres of Excellence and 18 Centres for Research-based Innovation, and works closely with SINTEF.
- In spring 2020 NTNU developed a new COVID-19 test in eight days that secured Norway's testing capacity.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Architecture and Design
- Faculty of Economics and Management
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Faculty of Natural Sciences
- Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences
- NTNU University Museum
NTNU does not publish a graduate employment rate on its English pages. In 2025, 9,175 students completed a bachelor's or master's degree.
Student life
Most students live and study in Trondheim, where the main Gløshaugen campus sits on a hill above the city centre and NTNU is gathering its academic communities around it in a long-running campus project. Student life revolves around Studentersamfundet, the round red student society building, which runs the UKA culture festival every other year, and the International Student Festival in Trondheim (ISFiT). The student sports club NTNUI is large, with outdoor sports such as orienteering and skiing prominent, and it rents out cabins in the countryside around Trondheim.
- Studentersamfundet i Trondhjem, the 'red round house', is the hub of student culture and runs the UKA festival.
- ISFiT, the International Student Festival in Trondheim, awards a student peace prize.
- NTNUI, the student sports organisation, offers cabins on the outskirts of Trondheim for weekends away.
- New students start with an Orientation Week, and the student welfare organisation Sit runs housing, gyms and health centres.
Housing. Student housing in Trondheim, Gjøvik and Ålesund is run by the student welfare organisation Sit rather than by NTNU itself.
Location
Trondheim is a mid-sized city in central Norway on the Trondheimsfjord. The Gløshaugen campus is within walking distance of the centre, and buses and a tram line connect other areas. NTNU also has campuses in Gjøvik, north of Oslo, and in the coastal city of Ålesund, which together hold about 15% of its students.
Nearest airport: Trondheim Airport, Værnes (TRD)
Notable alumni
- LO Lars Onsager1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; chemical engineering graduate of NTH, 1925
- IG Ivar Giaever1973 Nobel Prize in Physics; mechanical engineering graduate of NTH, 1952
- FK Fred KavliFounder of Kavlico and the Kavli Prizes; engineering degree from NTH
- TH Torstein HagenFounder and chairman of Viking cruise line; physics degree from NTH
- PK Paal KibsgaardFormer chairman and CEO of Schlumberger; petroleum engineering master's from NTH
- LT Leif TronstadChemist and resistance leader behind the wartime heavy-water sabotage; NTH graduate and professor
- HW Herman WatzingerEngineer and crew member on Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition; NTH graduate
Frequently asked questions
Does NTNU offer bachelor's degrees in English?
No. All NTNU undergraduate programmes are taught in Norwegian, and you must document Norwegian proficiency when you apply. English-taught study starts at master's level, with more than 60 international master's programmes.
Is NTNU free for international students?
It is free for EU/EEA and Swiss citizens. Since 2023, other students pay tuition: in 2026/27, NOK 176,300 to 205,600 per year for most fields and NOK 528,650 for medicine. NTNU offers no tuition scholarships.
When is the NTNU application deadline?
15 April for Norwegian-taught bachelor's and five-year master's programmes via Samordna opptak (1 March for special groups). For English-taught master's programmes, non-EU/EEA applicants apply by 1 December and EU/EEA applicants by 1 March.
How hard is it to get into NTNU?
It depends on the programme, because admission is by grade-based competition points. The five-year Computer Science programme needed 60.7 points in the ordinary quota in 2025, while NTNU overall attracts the most first-priority applicants in Norway.
Can I study medicine at NTNU in English?
No. The six-year medical degree is only taught in Norwegian, so international applicants must learn Norwegian and pass a proficiency test first; it is highly competitive.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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