IB Diploma and University Admission in Norway: The Official Points Table
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Norway accepts the IB Diploma as a full entrance qualification, and it has an official table that turns your IB total into Norwegian grade points. That makes Norway one of the easier countries for an IB student to plan for, as long as you understand two separate routes: Samordna opptak for programmes taught in Norwegian, and direct application for most programmes taught in English.
Recognition
HK-dir's GSU list, which sets the entry requirement for every foreign qualification, lists the IB on its own. The IB Diploma gives general entrance qualification (generell studiekompetanse) by itself.
If you did not get the diploma, Diploma Programme Course Results (formerly the IB Certificate) are enough when you have:
- three subjects at SL and three at HL (or two at SL and four at HL);
- at least 20 points, including any points for TOK and the Extended Essay;
- grade 3 or better in every subject;
- TOK and the Extended Essay passed, and CAS "fully satisfied".
Norwegian and English
For programmes through Samordna opptak you must document both languages. The IB covers them if you have:
- Norwegian: grade 3 or better in Norwegian A (SL or HL), Swedish A or Danish A. For diplomas from 2021 onwards, Norwegian B counts only at HL.
- English: English in the IB with grade 3 or better, or English as the language of instruction.
Otherwise you need an approved Norwegian test and an English test. English-taught programmes set their own English rules.
How IB points become Norwegian points
Samordna opptak converts your total IB points, including TOK and EE points, into Norwegian grade points (karakterpoeng) using a table set by the Ministry of Education:
| IB total | Grade points | IB total | Grade points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43–45 | 60.0 | 32 | 45.7 |
| 42 | 59.3 | 30 | 42.9 |
| 40 | 57.1 | 28 | 40.0 |
| 38 | 54.3 | 26 | 37.1 |
| 36 | 51.4 | 24 | 34.3 |
| 35 | 50.0 | 22 | 30.5 |
| 34 | 48.6 | 20 | 26.0 |
Sixty is the maximum, so a score of 43 or more is treated the same as a perfect diploma.
Science and language points
On top of the grade points you can earn up to 4 extra points for some subjects passed with grade 3 or better:
- Mathematics: 1.5 for Analysis and Approaches (SL or HL) or Applications and Interpretation HL; 1.0 for Applications and Interpretation SL.
- Physics: 1.5 at HL, 0.5 at SL.
- Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Design Technology: 1.0 at HL, 0.5 at SL.
- Foreign languages: 1.5 at HL, 0.5 at SL. English, Scandinavian languages and ab initio courses give no points.
Example: 36 IB points give 51.4. With Mathematics AA HL (1.5), Chemistry HL (1.0) and Physics SL (0.5), the school score is 54.4.
Quotas
- Quota for first-time diplomas: if you turn 21 or younger in the year you apply, you compete here with your school points only. Half of all places go to this quota.
- Ordinary quota: everyone competes here with school points plus age points and other additional points. Most additional points, including age points, are removed from 2028.
Entry scores for many programmes are on our entry scores for Norway page.
Special requirements and medicine
Many programmes need particular subjects. The IB covers them subject by subject. Medicine at the University of Oslo, for example, requires Mathematics R1 (or S1 and S2), Physics 1 and Chemistry 1 and 2. In IB terms this means any mathematics course, Physics at SL or HL, and Chemistry at HL, each with grade 3 or better. Where a programme asks for a grade of 4 in Mathematics R2, you need grade 5 in Mathematics AA (SL or HL) or AI HL.
Medicine is taught in Norwegian, applied for through Samordna opptak by 15 April, and very competitive.
Timing with IB results
May session results arrive in early July, after the Samordna opptak deadline of 1 July for uploading documents. Final-year students therefore fill in the IB's Request for Results Service with their IB coordinator, naming the institutions that will process the application, so those institutions can see the results online. If you finished the IB in an earlier year, upload the diploma or Course Results.
Direct admission: NHH and BI
English-taught programmes have their own rules:
- NHH Norwegian School of Economics accepts the IB Diploma, or Course Results on the same terms as above, with any IB mathematics course and English A at grade 3 or English B at grade 5. EU/EEA applicants can get a conditional offer on predicted grades, with the final diploma due by 6 July. Non-EU applicants must already hold the diploma by 15 November; predicted grades are not accepted, so non-EU students usually apply in the November after their final exams and start the following autumn.
- BI Norwegian Business School offers the BI International Baccalaureate Scholarship, which covers 100% of tuition for up to three years. The minimum for consideration is 33 IB points, final or predicted, and the deadline for international applicants not resident in Norway is 1 March.
Where to look next
- How to get into a university in Norway
- Bachelor's degrees in English in Norway
- How much it costs to study in Norway
- IB Diploma: universities in continental Europe
Official sources
- Samordna opptak: applying with the IB (in Norwegian)
- Samordna opptak: IB points calculation (in Norwegian)
- HK-dir: The GSU list
- NHH: admission requirements for the bachelor's programme
- BI: International Baccalaureate Scholarship
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.