There’s been a big increase in the number of Norwegian students opting for universities in the US, after several years of decline in early 2000s. The US Embassy in Oslo reported Tuesday that enrollment is up 60 percent since 2008.
A total of 2,016 Norwegians studied in the US in the academic year 2011-2012. The single most popular university for Norwegian students at both the bachelor’s and master’s degree level this year is Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, which also ranked first last year.
Then came two schools with traditional Norwegian ties: University of North Dakota and Pacific Lutheran University in the state of Washington. Green River Community College, also in Washington, ranked fourth, followed by Arizona State University just outside Phoenix.
Schools attracting the most Norwegians working on a master’s degree in the US included Harvard University, Columbia University, New York University and Stanford University.
The earlier decline in Norwegians studying in the US has been linked to political reasons and the unpopularity in Norway of both the US invasion of Iraq and the former Bush Administration. The increase since 2008 has occurred after US President Barack Obama assumed office.
The US Embassy in Oslo, however, attributed the increase in Norwegian enrollment at US universities to the use of agents who help Norwegians with the application process and to promotional efforts by various organizations including the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad (ANSA), the Fulbright Foundation, various Norwegian-American groups and the embassy itself.
newsinenglish.no staff
