– This is an awaited conclusion and very good news. It means a lot for Innlandet county and for our further development as an institution of higher education. We are not only going to be a university, but a good university known for academic quality in our studies and close collaboration with our surroundings, says Chairman Maren Kyllingstad.
The committee writes, among other things (translated to English):
'The expert committee makes the assessment that INN has made significant progress since the rejection of the first application for university accreditation in 2020. The university of applied sciences has shown a reassuring and good development, and it has achieved much in a short amount of time.'
'The expert committee particularly notes how INN has strengthened its research activities and further developed their doctoral programmes since the rejection in 2020. The university of applied sciences has transitioned from being a traditional educational institution to a more research-intensive institution, now presenting a good balance between education and R&D.'
– A great recognition
The university of applied sciences' application was submitted in December 2022. The formal review did not start until the autumn of 2023 due to capacity issues at the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT).
NOKUT appointed an expert committee to review and assess the application. The committee have now delivered their report, with a positive conclusion.
– We have received a very thorough and solid report from the committee. We feel that we have clearly met the requirements to become a university. I see it as a great recognition of the work we have done to strengthen our academic quality. All employees deserve a big thank you for their contributions leading to this conclusion, says Rector Peer Jacob Svenkerud.
Strengthening the academic quality
The university of applied sciences' application for university status was rejected in 2020 after meeting 10 out of 13 criteria for becoming a university.
– We have actively worked to improve in the areas where we were deemed too weak. We have increased the number of academic staff, focused on our doctoral programmes, and expanded and strengthened the international quality of our academic activities. The committee's conclusion shows that we have succeeded, says Svenkerud.
There are several reasons why the university of applied sciences has sought to become a university. Such a status will further elevate academic activities, allow us to attract more highly qualified competence, strengthen our position in the international competition for research funding, and make us more attractive as a collaboration partner and in student recruitment.
University status also means that the institution gains greater autonomy and, among other things, can accredit its own study programmes at all levels.
Awaiting ripple effects
– Experience shows that university status brings significant ripple effects for the community. There is every reason to believe that this will also happen in Innlandet county. A university can be a catalyst that contributes to competence-building in public and private enterprises in a time that requires restructuring, says the rector.
He points out that partners have considered the establishment of a university as important. For example, 'Sparebankstiftelsen Hedmark' and Innlandet County Council have contributed financially to the academic strengthening.
– Internationally, university status is advantageous because a university college or a university of applied sciences is not intuitively understood to have the same academic quality as a university, says the rector.
A lasting boost
– The university status has been our most important goal since the merger of Hedmark University College and Lillehammer University College in 2017. The process leading to this goal has also been important. I do not see this as just an effort to meet the criteria, but as a lasting strengthening of our academic activities, says Peer Jacob Svenkerud.
– The threshold for accreditation as a university is high. We will likely be the last university college or university of applied sciences to be accredited under the old regulations. Several other university colleges plan to apply for university status, but their applications will probably be processed under a proposed new and simplified regulation.
The report from NOKUT’s expert committee will be formally reviewed by the NOKUT board, which makes the final decision on INN's university status.
It is the King in Council who formally establishes the new university.