English version below
Som kjent har Stortinget vedtatt ? innf?re studieavgifter for studenter fra land utenfor EU, E?S og Sveits fra og med studie?ret 2023/24. Studieavgiften skal minimum dekke de reelle kostnadene institusjonene har p? de enkelte studieprogrammene og gjelder for de studentene som startet p? sitt studieprogram i august i ?r. Innf?ring av studieavgifter ble fulgt av en reduksjon i bevilgningene til universiteter og h?yskoler med internasjonale studenter.
Innf?ring av studieavgift for studenter fra land utenfor EU, E?S og Sveits rammer s?rlig opptaket av internasjonalt selvfinansierende masterstudenter (SFM-studenter). If?lge et framleggsnotat til universitetsstyrets m?te 5. desember, har UiO i snitt hatt 164 SFM-studenter i perioden fra 2018 til 2022, som er det siste ?ret f?r det ble innf?rt studieavgifter. Alle fakulteter med unntak av Det odontologiske fakultet har hatt SFM-studenter, men antallet varierer en god del b?de mellom ?r og mellom fakultetene. Flest SFM-studenter finner vi p? Medisinsk fakultet, som i gjennomsnitt i ?rene 2018-22 hadde 33 SFM-studenter. Deretter f?lger Det humanistiske fakultet med et gjennomsnitt p? 30 SFM-studenter; Det matematisk naturvitenskapelige fakultetet med et gjennomsnitt p? 27 SFM-studenter og Juridisk fakultet med et gjennomsnitt p? 25 SFM-studenter per ?r i perioden 2018-22. V?rt fakultet har i gjennomsnitt hatt 17 SFM-studenter per ?r i perioden 2018-22.
Alle fakulteter med SFM-studenter vil bli ber?rt av kuttet i UiOs basisbevilgning som har kommet som en f?lge av innf?ringen av studieavgifter og som universitetsstyret p? sitt m?te 5.desember skal viderefordele. Universitetsdirekt?ren foresl?r at kuttene tas der aktivitetene og studentene befinner seg og potensialet for inntekter fra SFM-studentene eksisterer. For v?rt fakultets del foresl?r universitetsdirekt?ren overfor styret et kutt p? ca. 3,9 millioner kroner i 2024 og rundt 5,2 millioner i 2025.
Studieavgifter fra SFM-studentene genererer ogs? inntekter, men universitetsstyret har s? langt ikke tatt stilling til hvordan disse inntektene skal fordeles. I alt 61 studenter fra land utenfor EU, E?S og Sveits har betalt studieavgifter for studie?ret 2023/24 ved UiO. Sv?rt mange studenter fra land utenfor EU, E?S og Sveits har ikke mulighet til ? betale for studier i Norge, og det knytter seg naturlig nok mye usikkerhet til hvor mange studenter som vil betale studieavgifter til UiO i ?rene fremover og ikke minst hvilke studieprogrammer som kan regne med ? tiltrekke seg slike studenter.
Lite tyder p? at Stortingets beslutning om ? innf?re studieavgifter for studenter fra land utenfor EU, E?S og Sveits vil bli reversert med det f?rste, s? jeg tror vi gj?r klokt i ? legge til grunn at denne studentgruppen ogs? fremover m? betale studieavgift til UiO dersom de ?nsker ? studere hos oss.
Internasjonale studenter representerer naturligvis en potensiell inntekt, men etter mitt skj?nn b?r hensynet til ? kunne rekruttere virkelig talentfulle studenter veie tyngre enn hensynet til inntektspotensialet. Ettersom studieavgifter er helt nytt for UiO og selvsagt ogs? for fakultetet, har vi ingen strategi for hvordan vi kan og b?r arbeide for ? rekruttere virkelig godt kvalifiserte og betalende internasjonale studenter til studieprogrammene v?re.
UiO jobber for tiden med en handlingsplan for internasjonal studentrekruttering. Dette er et viktig arbeid som vi skal f?lge n?ye. Flere av fakultetets masterprogrammer har hatt SFM-studenter, selv om antallet aldri har v?rt sv?rt h?yt. B?r UiO og fakultetet arbeide systematisk for ? tiltrekke seg internasjonale studenter med betalingsevne og -vilje?
Erfaringene fra h?stens opptak av SFM-studenter viser at det krever betydelige administrative ressurser ? ta opp denne studentgruppen og hente inn studieavgiftene. B?r innsatsen eventuelt konsentreres til ett eller to masterprogrammer, og i s? fall hvilke(t) og med hvilken begrunnelse? B?r vi eventuelt m?lrette innsatsen mot et f?tall enkeltland, og i s? fall hvilke? Sp?rsm?let om hvordan UiO og fakultetet b?r svare p? innf?ringen av studieavgifter reiser en rekke praktiske og prinsipielle problemstillinger som det finnes f? klare svar p?, men som det blir viktig ? finne gode og hensiktsmessige l?sninger p? fremover..
Editorial: Introduction of tuition fees - the way forward
Anne Julie Semb discusses the introduction of tuition fees for students outside Europe in today's editorial.
As known, the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) has passed a resolution to introduce tuition fees for students from countries outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland starting from the academic year 2023/24. The tuition fee is intended to cover at least the actual costs incurred by the institutions for each study program and applies to students who commenced their studies in August this year.
The introduction of tuition fees was accompanied by a reduction in funding for universities and colleges with international students. The introduction of tuition fees for students from countries outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland particularly affects the admission of internationally self-financed master's students (SFM students). According to a presentation note for the University Board meeting on December 5th, on average, UiO has had 164 SFM students in the period from 2018 to 2022, which is the last year before tuition fees were introduced. All faculties, except the Faculty of Dentistry, have had SFM students, but the number varies quite a bit both between years and between faculties. The highest number of SFM students is found at the Faculty of Medicine, which had an average of 33 SFM students in the years 2018-22. The Faculty of Humanities follows with an average of 30 SFM students; the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences with an average of 27 SFM students, and the Faculty of Law with an average of 25 SFM students per year in the period 2018-22. Our faculty has had an average of 17 SFM students per year in the period 2018-22.
All faculties with SFM students will be affected by the reduction in UiO's core funding, which has resulted from the introduction of tuition fees and will be further allocated by the University Board at its meeting on December 5th. The University Director proposes that the cuts be made where the activities and students are located and where the potential for revenue from SFM students exists. For our faculty, the University Director proposes to the Board a cut of approximately 3.9 million NOK in 2024 and around 5.2 million NOK in 2025.
Tuition fees from SFM students also generate income, but so far, the University Board has not decided on how to distribute these revenues. A total of 61 students from countries outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland have paid tuition fees for the academic year 2023/24 at UiO. Many students from countries outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland do not have the means to pay for studies in Norway, which naturally creates uncertainty as to how many students will pay tuition fees at UiO in the coming years and, not least, which study programs can expect to attract such students.
Little indicates that the Parliament's decision to introduce tuition fees for students from countries outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland will be reversed anytime soon, so I believe it is wise to assume that this student group will also have to pay tuition fees to UiO in the future if they wish to study with us. International students naturally represent potential income, but in my opinion, the consideration of being able to recruit truly talented students should outweigh the consideration of income potential.
As the introduction of tuition fees is completely new for UiO and, of course, for the faculty as well, we do not have a strategy for how we can and should work to recruit highly qualified and paying international students to our study programs. UiO is currently working on an action plan for international student recruitment. This is important work that we should closely follow.
Several of the faculty's master's programs have had SFM students, although the number has never been very high. Should UiO and the faculty work systematically to attract international students with the ability and willingness to pay? The experiences from the admission of SFM students this fall show that it requires significant administrative resources to admit this student group and collect the tuition fees. Should the effort be concentrated on one or two master's programs, and if so, which ones and for what reasons? Should we potentially target the effort towards a small number of individual countries, and if so, which ones?
The question of how UiO and the faculty should respond to the introduction of tuition fees raises a number of practical and principled issues for which there are few clear answers but that it will be important to find good and appropriate solutions to in the future..