📚 Internships, RA and PhD: how to get into academia here without unnecessary detours
This is a short, practical guide to entering the university ecosystem of the land of fjords: where to find RA/TA/PhD and summer internships, how to read language requirements, what about housing and 24/7 access to reading, and where to look for deadlines.
🔍 Where to find internships for international students?
Start with academic boards: Jobbnorge (all universities post vacancies here) and the EURAXESS portal (a pan-European database of research positions). At the same time, check the ‘Vacant positions’ pages of specific universities — NTNU, UiB, UiO — and research centres (SINTEF, Simula). For summer jobs, look for ‘summer job’, ‘summer intern’, ‘student assistant’. SINTEF has ~100 summer positions every year; Statkraft regularly recruits students for projects in the energy sector; UiO has short summer research internships through Growth House/ISS.
💼 Which companies/universities offer paid internships?
Check out industrial research hubs: SINTEF (summer programme and vacancies), Statkraft (summer positions and trainee programme in renewable energy), and in ICT — Simula (cancels summer internships in some years, but offers schools/courses, such as Computational Physiology with ECTS from UiO). Local startup ecosystems are also useful: StartupLab Jobs and The Hub often publish internship positions in R&D/Data/Software.
🧑🔬 What tracks and roles are there: RA/TA/PhD — what is the difference and how are they funded?
PhD in the technology capital and other campuses is a full-time paid position (usually 3–4 years), advertised as a vacancy, with a salary according to code 1017. Example: NTNU advertisement indicates ~NOK 550,800 gross per year. RA (research assistant, SKO 1020/1019) — short-term contracts to assist with projects/data collection; TA/student assistant — support for courses, seminars, laboratories. Detailed rules and the hiring process can be found at NTNU/UiO, and the positions themselves are listed on Jobbnorge/EURAXESS and faculty pages.
⏰ What are the dates and deadlines?
For exchange/summer academic programmes at universities, there are fixed windows: at NTNU for exchanges — 1 October (spring), 1 April/1 May (autumn, for non-EU/EU).
UiO for exchange: 1 May (autumn) and 15 October (spring). For PhD/RA, deadlines depend on the specific announcement; some faculties (e.g. humanities at NTNU) open annual competitions in the autumn (September/October). From the ‘tentative’ dates to campus life: Orientation Week at NTNU for autumn 2025 — 11–15 August 2025.
🗣️ What language courses are required?
The working language of many departments is English; however, some announcements explicitly require A2 in Norwegian within the first year (found in job descriptions). At the same time, universities offer Norwegian for Foreigners courses for staff/PhD students (NTNU, UiO, UiB) with levels A1–C1 and separate application deadlines. The regulatory agenda around compulsory Norwegian changed in 2024–2025; keep an eye on the conditions of specific vacancies and faculty policies.
📑 What requirements can be compensated for with a portfolio and case studies?
For RA/TA/PhD, the following are often considered: relevant project, open publications (preprints), code on GitHub, experience in laboratory/field work, letters of recommendation. See the ‘Required attachments’ list in each announcement: as a rule, it includes a CV, diplomas and attachments, a motivation letter, a draft/summary of your master's thesis, publications, and the contact details of 2–3 referees. At NTNU, this is specified in ‘About the application’. Useful: look for groups/PIs and write directly (in the spirit of ‘fit for projects’), many centres are open about this (for example, the Michael Sars Centre asks you to contact the PI).
🏠 How to balance life and work: housing, transport, 24/7 libraries
Accommodation: check out student operators — SiO (capital region), Sit (technology capital), Sammen (city of seven hills). For short stays — apply early and keep a reserve of ‘mini-studios’/dormitories. Transport: Ruter (capital), AtB (Trondheim), Skyss (Bergen) — all offer long-term travel passes and student/youth tickets. Reading access: NTNU and UiB have rooms with 24/7 access with a card, UiO has extended hours and access to buildings with a card.
✅ Mini checklist ‘Quick route’
- Set up alerts on Jobbnorge/EURAXESS + ‘Vacant positions’ for your faculty.
- Prepare a package: CV, motivation letter, diplomas/attachments, draft master's thesis, contacts for 2–3 referees.
- Write a PI based on your fit: 5–7 lines, link to your portfolio/code/preprint, request for a short call. (This advice is based on the practice of centres/groups that encourage direct contact.)
- Plan your living arrangements: accommodation at SiO/Sit/Sammen, travel cards for Ruter/AtB/Skyss, 24/7 reading rooms.
📧 Template: Email to Professor/PI
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
My name is [First Name], a [degree/program] focusing on [topic]. I came across your project/group here: [link].
My relevant experience includes: [1–2 bullet points + link to code/preprint].
I would be glad to contribute as an RA/summer intern/PhD candidate (for project [X]).
Would you be open to a short 15-minute call next week?
Best regards,
[Contacts]
📋 Checklist of documents for submission (guideline)
- ✅ CV
- ✅ Motivation letter
- ✅ Diplomas/transcripts
- ✅ Master’s thesis (draft acceptable)
- ✅ Publications/preprints
- ✅ Contacts of 2–3 referees
- ✅ For foreign education — Diploma Supplement / confirmation from HK-dir (if available)
ℹ️ Always double-check the official list in the call text (“About the application”).
The academic ecosystem here is transparent: positions are published openly, requirements are clear, and the campuses have strong infrastructure for living and working. Put together a package, communicate with your PI, meet deadlines — and go ahead and apply for internships, RAs and PhDs. The next step is your dream project.
❓ FAQ
In addition to university boards, check out SINTEF (summer positions and ‘Summer at SINTEF’), Statkraft (summer internships and traineeships), FME centres (NorthWind, SecureEL, SUSOLTECH) — they run projects involving postgraduate students/undergraduates and sometimes open recruitment for the summer. In ICT, there is Simula (summer schools/courses and vacancies in Oslo/Bergen). Another channel is the StartupLab/The Hub ecosystem, where you can find internships in climate/energy tech.
In science: SINTEF, Statkraft, Simula, at UiO — Growth House/ISS, at NTNU/UiB — announcements on Jobbnorge and at the faculties. For exchanges and training, there is Erasmus+ (the country of fjords is associated with the programme) and Study in Norway (HK-dir) — basic guidelines and links to universities.
Focus your response: 1) select a laboratory/PI or industrial department (energy/ICT) and show your fit based on your stack/methods; 2) attach 1–2 relevant cases (GitHub/preprint); 3) check the language/security requirements (some positions require A2 in Norwegian after one year). SINTEF and Statkraft have clear ‘Students/Summer’ landing pages. Keep an eye on the dates — many summer announcements close in autumn/winter.
The standard is Erasmus+ (semester exchanges/internships), plus bilateral faculty agreements. For example, at NTNU, the deadlines are 1 October (spring) and 1 April/1 May (autumn). For exchanges at UiO, the deadlines are 1 May and 15 October. Central reference guides: Study in Norway (HK-dir) and NTNU/UiO exchange pages.
If you are already an employee/PhD student, NTNU, UiO, and UiB offer Norwegian courses for foreign employees/PhD students (A1–C1) with early deadlines. The mandatory policy has changed — refer to the current wording in the announcement and the faculty's internal rules (some positions require A2 within a year).
General steps: look for offers as a skilled worker or use the permit for job seekers after completing the programme — this is regulated by the UDI; requirements (deadlines, income/conditions) vary, so refer to the official pages ‘Work immigration’, ‘Job seekers’ and the section for researchers. We do not provide legal advice — check the current rules before applying.
