Application procedures for MSc in Sustainable Transport and Urban Mobility and for MSc in Economics and Business Administration

It is important that you follow the below mentioned procedures when submitting your application.

• The online application system will open 1 November. 
• Application deadline for citizens of a country outside EU/EEA and Switzerland and applicants who have a temporary residency permit in Norway is 15 January. The application deadline for applicants who have a permanent residence permit in Norway is 15 April.
• You must apply individually/on your own. Applications from agents, educational consultancies or any other third person will be rejected.
• Only one application can be forwarded per applicant.
• The international MSc degree programmes all start in the middle of August. 
• Questions related to admissions should be addressed to Advisor Odd Arne Eidem, e-mail: odd.a.eidem@himolde.no. The Academic Programme Coordinators can answer questions related to the academic content of the study plan. 

Step 1. Check the academic admission requirements

Relevant academic background/academic profile of your previous education.

• Before applying for admission, please check that you are fulfilling the required academic requirements. If you go back to Admission, you will find more detailed information about the relevant academic profiles/academic requirements for the programme. You need to read this information very carefully before applying. 
• HiMolde is not undertaking any pre-assessments of your educational backgrounds or grades over phone or e-mail, but we will rather handle and follow up formal applications from applicants who have applied within the respective application deadlines. 
• Only applicants who meet the academic, and other formal admission requirements mentioned below, and who can provide all the required documentation of their backgrounds when uploading their application documents, will be considered as formal applicants. If you are not found qualified for admission to our international MSc programmes based on your uploaded documents, your application will either not be followed up or later turned down. 

Satisfactory level and duration of your previous education.

• You must have obtained a bachelor's degree, or a combination of bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, considered equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree (minimum of 180 ECTS credits) beyond the basic matriculation requirements for applicants from your country at higher educational institutions in Norway. 
• For applicants from most countries this means that you must have completed a BBA, BA, BSc, BTech or BEng. degree of minimum 4 years duration. Alternatively, you can also have completed a 3-year bachelor's degree in combination with further education of 1-2 years at master's level.
• All your degrees must have been issued from a formally recognised university/higher educational institution, and you must include documentation of your higher secondary education, and all your higher educational documents, when applying.
• Applicants who only have a HND (Higher National Diploma), Diploma or Advanced Diploma will not be eligible to apply for our international MSc degree programmes. 
• You can find the specific requirements for the minimum basic matriculation requirements in Norway for your home country, or the country where your previous education has been completed, in the country list. 
• Applicants who are studying in the final semester of their bachelor's degree during the spring semester can apply for admission. You then need to document transcripts from your higher education showing all the courses completed so far and grades obtained in all the courses. When applying for admission, you must indicate very clearly when the final degree diploma and transcript will be out after graduation. If given a conditional offer of admission, you will be given a deadline to submit your final degree diploma and transcript. 

Admission requirements when it comes to grades from your previous education.

• Your grades will not be directly converted to the Norwegian grading system (ECTS grades) but will rather be evaluated according to the grading system at the higher educational institution where you have completed your education. It is therefore important that the transcript of records submitted with your applications also contains information about the grading scale/system.
• You should have a minimum average grade equivalent to a Norwegian grade C in the ECTS grading system to be considered for admission. Preferably First Class/First Division, Second Class Upper Division or equivalent grades like a CGPA of 3.0 of 4.0. Applicants with an average grade of Second Class Lower Division or Third Class/Third Division or equivalent average grades, will usually not be offered admission.

Step 2. Check the financial requirements

Sufficient funds to cover living expenses.

• You must document sufficient funding to obtain a temporary student residence permit and part-time work permit in Norway, and to meet the conditions for applying for admission.
• The required yearly amount is NOK 137 907 for the academic year 2023/2024, and will later in 2024 be updated for the academic year 2024/2025. You can relate to the figures for 2023/2024 when you apply for admission. The required yearly amount is also mentioned on UDI's home page: http://www.udi.no. 
• Documentation of sufficient funding must be uploaded with your online application. HiMolde is not using any standard format when it comes to financial documentation.
• You should preferably upload copies of bank documents showing that you have enough money in your own bank account, and the corresponding amount to either NOK, EUR, UK £ or US $ must be given with this documentation from the bank.
• If you use a sponsor/guarantee letter, the following must be clearly stated in the letter: Name, date of birth, sex and nationality, e-mail and postal address of the sponsor, that the sponsor is willing to sponsor the MSc student for at least two years (name, date of birth, sex and nationality of the applicant + the name of the MSc degree programme applied to at HiMolde). In addition, the sponsor letter must include a copy of the bank statement showing that the sponsor has minimum NOK 137 907 to sponsor the applicant for his or her first year of the MSc studies + there must be a clear plan showing how the sponsor will finance the applicant for the second year of the MSc studies. All sponsor letters must be signed by both capital letters, and signature in handwriting, by the sponsor.
• Only admitted MSc students will be informed about how to transfer a minimum of NOK 137 907 to our Deposit Account for International Students within a deadline mentioned in the formal letter of admission. Usually, this deadline for transferring the money will be relatively short, approximately 2-3 weeks after the formal letter of admission has been issued by HiMolde.

Sufficient funds to cover tuition fees.

• You must also fill in, sign, and upload the "Tuition Fee Declaration Form" with your online application. You can download this form below (Step 6. Upload documents and submit your application).

• Applicants who believe that they might fall under one of the formal exemption categories from paying the full tuition fee, must indicate this in the Tuition Fee Declaration Form.

• During the admission process, HiMolde will evaluate and then finally decide if you will be given an exemption from paying the full tuition fee based upon the exemption categories, and the documentation provided. 

Step 3. Check the English language requirements

Recognised English tests.

• Most international applicants need to pass and document a formal English language test with their application. You should try to schedule and sit for the required test in good time before the application deadline of 15 January.  
• The required way to document your English language proficiency is by either passing a TOEFL iBT test with a minimum total score of 79, or an IELTS Academic test with a minimum score of 6.0 (overall band), or a Pearson PTE Academic test with a minimum score of 53. 
• The result from one of these tests should be uploaded with your online application no later than the application deadline 15 January. For verification reasons, the test score result must not be older than two years (not older than 1 March 2022 for admission in 2024). 

Exemption from the English language requirements.

• Applicants who are either native speakers/citizens, or who have completed at least one year's education at university level from Ireland, UK, US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, where the main language of instruction has been English, are exempted from the formal English language requirements (this is not valid for overseas education controlled by one of the higher educational institutions in one of these countries, but rather offered in another country overseas). 
• Applicants from "English speaking" African countries with a BBA, BA, BSc, BEng or BTech degree where the main language of instruction has been English, or who have passed English as a subject at GCE O- or A-levels, SSC in West African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone), English speaking part of Cameroon), Cambridge Overseas School Certificate or equivalent secondary education at A-level in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, and Zambia, and applicants in these countries with a university degree where English is the main academic field of study (BA in English), are exempted from the formal English language requirements.  
• Applicants from Asian countries (for example Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, P.R. of China, Thailand, Vietnam) with a BBA, BA, BSc, BEng, BTech degree where the language of instruction has been English, are not exempted from the English language requirements, except for applicants holding a BA degree in English (English as the major academic discipline). 
• For more information about the formal English language requirements, please see the Country List. 

Step 4. Create a user account

Go to the Online Application Portal - Søknadsweb

1. Click on the top right corner where it says "Norsk bokmål" and change the language to English.
2. When you get a question to choose an institution, choose Molde University College - Specialized University in Logistics from the drop-down list, and click "Continue".
3. Choose "International Applicant".
4. Click "Register new international applicant", and follow the instructions given. Make sure your personal information is correct:
   •  Please give your names exactly as they appear in your passport. 
   • Please give your private and personal e-mail address.  
   • Please give your private postal address, not your university, institutional or company address. It is important that you enter the city code/postal code and city.
5. Click "Save" to finish the registration. You will be redirected to the log in page.
   • An e-mail confirming your registration has been sent to your registered e-mail address
   • This e-mail also contains your password required to log in.
6. Log in to Søknadsweb, and start the application process. (See Step 5 below).

Step 5. Register your application

Register a new application in the online application portal - Søknadsweb

1. Complete "My Profile". Use your private address, not your university address. It is important that you enter the city code/postal code and city. Click "Next".
2. Choose admission: "International MSc Programs".
3. First select the international MSc programme you wish to apply for. You can only apply for one of the international MSc programmes at HiMolde. Please read the academic admission requirements and the study plan carefully before deciding which study option you want to apply for. Click "Next".
4. Uploading documents. Click "+ Choose new document" to upload a document. Select the correct "type of document" for the documentation you are about to upload. (See Step 6 for a complete overview of the documentation requirements, and also see the check list mentioned in the "Additional Application Form").
5. When you have finished uploading all your documents click "Next".
6. Click "Done" on the receipt page, and your have registered your application. There is no submit button that you need to press. 

Step 6. Upload documents and submit your application

Document requirements

• You must upload the documents as PDF-files of good quality.
• We require all documents to be scanned from original documentation, and that the scanned documents include all the pages of the documents.  
• If the original language of your documents is not English or a Scandinavian language, officially certified copies of a translation to one of these languages must accompany the certified copies of your original documents in the original language.
• Please notice that HiMolde will verify the documents of admitted students/ applicants, either as part of the application process, or after  the students have arrived in Molde. 

You must upload the following documents with your online application in the following order: 

Document no 1.  Additional Application Form.

Document no 2:  CV including information about your educational background, and information about your relevant work experience, if any.

Document no 3:  Secondary School Certificate  and Higher Secondary School Certificate -  officially signed and stamped documents of both  transcripts and diploma must be documented

Document no 4: University degree certificate(s)/diploma(s), including the following documents:

A. Diploma/Degree Certificate - Officially signed and stamped by the recognized higher educational institution where the degree has been completed. This will not be required by applicants who are first completing their bachelor's degrees in the spring semester 2024, and who have not yet obtained the degree diploma/certificate at the time of their application. These applicants must indicate when their final degree diploma and transcript will be out when they apply for admission, by giving their additional comments. 

B. Transcript of records (an officially signed, and stamped transcript, showing all the courses you have completed from the higher educational institution where you have completed your degree(s), and showing all the grades you have obtained in all courses completed within the degree(s). The transcript should also include information about the grading scale. For some countries there are additional requirements (see the Additional Application Form under document no 1 for further information). 

Document no 5: Documentation of English language proficiency/recognised English test for applicants who are not formally exempted from the English language requirements:

A) IELTS Academic test scores. Please upload a copy of the Test Report Form with your application. We will verify your test results online.

B) TOEFL iBT test scores. Please upload a copy of the test results with your application and make sure the test score is sent electronically from ETS to HiMolde. Our TOEFL code is D571.

C) PTE Academic – Pearson Test of English Academic test scores. Please upload a copy of the PTE Academic score report with your application and send it to HiMolde through your Pearson account.

Due to verification reasons, the tests cannot be older than two years (not older than 1 March 2022 for admission in 2024). If you have not completed an English test before the application deadline, you must upload a registration form for one of these tests, and information about when the test results will be out, with your application.

Document 6: Copy of your passport showing your full name, date of birth, sex and nationality. Applicants who already have a temporary residence permit in Norway must in addition also upload a copy of their valid residence card in Norway. 

Document 7: Motivation letter, maximum 450 words. Describe your own personal motivation for applying to this international MSc programme.

Document 8 (optional): Recommendation letters from your higher education institution, and from your relevant work experiences, that you believe can strengthen your application. Work experience mentioned in the application, must be documented by confirmation letters of employment from the respective employers. Undocumented work experience mentioned in the application, will not be considered. 

Document 9: Financial documents.

To cover living expenses and meeting UDI's yearly financial requirement for the first year of the MSc studies (option 1 or 2): 

1. Bank statement/print out (dated after 15 October 2023) in your name, showing your possession of the minimum required amount for the first year of the planned MSc studies at HiMolde (NOK 137 907 or the equivalent amount in local currency and converted to NOK, or to either EUR, UK £ or US $). The statement must be officially signed and stamped by the bank. You should also mention a plan for how you will finance the second year of the MSc programme applied for at HiMolde. This can be done by uploading one extra page, explaining this financial plan.    
2. Financial documents provided by a sponsor: Sponsor/Guarantee Letter and official bank statement/print out, showing that the sponsor is willing to sponsor you for two years' MSc studies at HiMolde, and that the sponsor is in possession of the required minimum amount NOK 137 907 or the equivalent amount in EUR, UK £ or US $ in his/her bank account. The sponsor letter must include the name, date of birth, sex, nationality, e-mail address and postal address of the sponsor, the name, date of birth, sex and nationality of the applicant, and the MSc programme the applicant has applied for at HiMolde. The sponsor/guarantee letter must be signed by the sponsor and include both the name in capital letters and the signature of the sponsor. Sponsor/guarantee letters not fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements will not be considered in relation to admission.

You must also submit the completed Tuition Fee Declaration Form.

Click "Next".

Application receipt

Check the receipt and click "Done". We will also send the receipt to your registered e-mail address. 

When you log in later, you must use the top menu to navigate as the application portal looks different after you have saved the application for the first time. You will be able to change your application in the period 1 November to 15 January (when "Søknadsweb" will close for International Applicants outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland).

Application status and processing time

The admission results should be out sometime in the period between the middle of April and late May. HiMolde is not announcing the results at the same time for all the international applicants. 

HiMolde does not have the administrative capacity to answer requests regarding the status of your application over phone, e-mail or post before the admission has been finalised.

Since we consider the information given in the online application as private and confidential, we can also not consider requests from friends/students/relatives or other third parties/ persons already staying in Norway or abroad, who on the applicant's behalf have been asked to contact our admission office to find out more about the applicant's application or status. The result of the application for admission will first be sent directly to the applicants after the admission process has been finalised.

Most likely, HiMolde, will first send a First Notification e-mail about the admission results to the admitted students. The admitted students then need to confirm their interest for joining the respective MSc programme. First after receiving this first confirmation, HiMolde will send a more formal letter of admission with more detailed information. With the formal letter of admission, the admitted students will be given a deadline to return the Acknowledgement Form and accept the seat at the MSc programme. The conditions for the admission will be stated in the letter of admission.

Rejection letters will be sent to the applicants by e-mail. 

Information about Deposit Account for International Students, accommodation, and arrival information in Molde.

Admitted students will first receive more detailed information about how to transfer the required amount of NOK 137 907 to our Deposit Account for International Students, how to pay the tuition fee, how to apply for a student residence permit and part-time work permit in Norway, and how to apply/book a single room accommodation at one of the Student Welfare Organisation's (SiMolde's) Accommodation Halls here in Molde with the formal letter of admission.

Students who have transferred a minimum of NOK 137 907 to our Deposit Account for International Students, can first expect to receive their money back after they have obtained a Norwegian ID number and then opened their own Norwegian bank account. This process can take several months after arrival in Molde. 

The arrival information for Molde will probably be sent to the admitted students who have accepted their seats during the month of June.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work part-time during my MSc studies in Molde? Answer: International MSc students from countries outside EU/EEA and Switzerland, can work part-time within an upper limit of maximum 20 hours per week during the semester time, and full-time during all holidays (Summer holiday, Christmas holiday and Easter holiday) during the first year of the MSc studies, and also in the second year of their MSc studies if they are following a normal study progression. International students who are delayed in their MSc studies after the first year of studies, do not necessarily get any recommendation from HiMolde to the Police/ UDI to work part-time also during their second year of the MSc studies. 

Can I fulfil the financial requirements of my application by working part-time after arrival in Molde to start the MSc studies? Answer:  No, all applicants from countries outside EU/EEA and Switzerland must meet the financial requirement when applying for admission, and within the application deadline. International students who already have a temporary student residence permit in Norway, and who have obtained a Norwegian ID-number, also need to meet all the requirements as "International Applicants" at HiMolde", including the financial requirements. They also need to apply within the application deadline of 15 December as International Applicants.

Are the international MSc programmes at HiMolde offered as distance education? Answer: No, these MSc programmes are full-time studies, and the international MSc students are expected to be present during their MSc studies here in Molde during the semester time.