The third University Board meeting of the year was held online on 6 May. The meeting had fewer items on the agenda than usual, and as several board members have a long journey to make, it was held without any members attending in person.
Convert the study programme in psychosocial work with children and young people into a continuing education course
The Board decided to establish an interdisciplinary continuing education programme in psychosocial work with children and young people worth 60 credits. Since 2007, the programme has been run by UiA on behalf of the Norwegian Directorate of Health, but state funding ceased from the 2026–2027 academic year.
The Faculty of Health and Sports Sciences believes the need for this expertise is at least as great as before, and wishes to continue offering the programme. The programme will be offered on a part-time basis and will be block-based, with up to 25 students admitted every other year. The first cohort is planned for autumn 2027.
The Faculty of Humanities and Education is continuing to work on a joint degree programme in interpreting and translation in the public sector, in collaboration with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and the University of Bergen.
The Board also took a positive view of this, and a final application for establishment will be submitted to the Board at a later date.
Compile the application form
The application figures for autumn 2026 were presented to the board for information. UiA has already reported on the overall figures.
The picture for UiA’s study programmes is mixed.
The number of first-choice applicants to UiA rose from 6,327 to 8,007, an increase of 26 per cent. This growth is largely driven by two new programmes: the professional degree programme in psychology, with 1,451 applicants for 45 places, and the online one-year programme in responsible digitalisation, with 612 applicants for 100 places.
The application figures clearly show that flexible and online programmes are recruiting well and reaching new target groups, whilst UiA wishes to maintain strong campus-based programmes, particularly for the youngest student group.
More than half of the applicants are aged 21 or younger, which shows that UiA continues to recruit well among young students.
Nevertheless, there are concerns regarding several subject areas, and the faculties are urged to be proactive in the admissions process and fill as many places as possible.
Tighter times call for long-term planning
The Board was also presented with UiA’s long-term budget for the period 2026–2030. The faculties and the administration have been working systematically on their own long-term budgets and forecasts.
The overall budget for UiA shows an expected annual deficit throughout the period, in the region of NOK 45 to 62 million per year. This largely involves the planned use of funds set aside by the faculties.
The new psychology programme is also costly to launch, and the university is still working on securing external funding for the start-up costs.
A key point in the discussion was the link between student numbers and finances. Unfilled places have a direct impact on the university’s income, and student numbers are decisive for its financial flexibility.
The university has accumulated funds that can cushion the impact of any fluctuations in income and provide time to find good solutions. Nevertheless, vigilance regarding the financial situation and student numbers must remain high in the coming years.