Education is compulsory until age 16. The school system is divided into three, elementary, lower secondary and upper secondary. Most schools are state run and follow a standard general studies curriculum. Students who graduate high school are known as ‘russ’ and graduation is celebrated with lots of parties.
To go into Higher Education you need to pass an admissions certificate. The HE system is divided into three different types: universities which teach academic subjects, university colleges which are more vocational and private universities which can specialise in areas such as art or business. Norwegian universities were brought into line with the rest of Europe under the Bologna Process.
