Europe’s northernmost country with bountiful reserves of offshore oil and gas, Norway shares the Scandinavian Peninsula with Sweden and Finland. Norway is a prosperous country with the second-highest GDP per-capita in Europe, after Luxembourg, and the sixth-highest GDP per-capita in the world. Norway’s roughly 5 million people enjoy one of the world’s highest standards of living. According to the Foreign Policy magazine, it was the world’s most well-functioning and stable country in 2009. Norway has also placed favorably in other reports, it was fourth in the 2013 Equalised Better Life Index and third in intergenerational earnings elasticity.
Norway has also had the highest Human Development Index ranking in the world since 2009.

Except for a few private university colleges, all Norwegian higher education institutions are state-run and many of the private higher education institutions also receive public funding. There are currently about 9 universities, 8 university colleges and 5 scientific colleges in Norway The main differences between the types of higher education institutions are related to their self-accreditation rights. Universities can offer study programs without external accreditation, while university colleges must apply for external accreditation for their study programs. Higher education is free for all including international students. Only Private institutions charge tuition fees for their degree programs, but they are still usually on the lower side compared to other countries. Besides, international students do not necessarily have to worry about learning Norwegian if they choose to study in Norway since English is widely spoken as a second language.