Lowest proportion of men admitted to higher education in 15 years

The numbers indicate that Norway is likely to have fewer male lawyers, doctors, dentists, and psychologists in the future, according to the Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations (Akademikerne).

“We must prevent men from being excluded from important professions,” Lise Lyngsnes Randeberg says. She is the president of Akademikerne.

Increasing the proportion of men in these fields will be an important task for the Minister of Research and Higher Education who will take over after Ola Borten Moe (Centre Party), she believes.

“We can introduce gender quotas, ensure good role models, and provide early intervention,” Randeberg suggests.

Lowest proportion of men in veterinary studies

The admission figures from the Norwegian Universities and College Admission Service (Samordna opptak) were released on Monday. They showed that almost 105,000 applicants have been offered higher education placements.

Among all areas of study, the proportion of men is lowest in veterinary studies, where only 7.3 per cent of those who have been offered places are men. In child welfare education, the proportion is 15.6 per cent, and in nursing, it is 16 per cent.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is the highest proportion of men in the field of ‘technical engineering’, with 75.9 per cent of the men being offered a place in this year's admissions. In the fields of ‘maritime technology’ and information technology, the proportions of men offered study placements are 75.4 and 62.9 per cent, respectively.

Much of the explanation for the decline in the proportion of men is that more women are choosing preparatory courses earlier in their education, according to the director of the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills.

“To achieve a more balanced gender ratio in higher academic education, we need to make this type of education more attractive to men while simultaneously making vocational education more attractive to women,” Director Sveinung Skule says.

Record-high threshold for medicine

Of all those offered study placements this year, over 63,000 applicants have been admitted to their first choice, which is equivalent to 60.5 per cent.

The six most competitive courses to get into are all in medicine. Oslo is the most difficult city to get a placement in. The entry requirement is a record-high 70.2 points.

Further down the list of courses with the highest entry requirements is psychology at the University of Oslo (68.5 points) and industrial economics and technology leadership at NTNU in Trondheim (68.4 points).

———

Translated by Alette Bjordal Gjellesvik.

Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no