Admission

Please read this page carefully, including the Q&A section at the end, before contacting us with any queries.

The application portal opens on 1 October, with the deadline set for 1 December 2026 at 23:59 CET. After this date, the application portal will close automatically, meaning it will no longer be possible to apply.

Applicants must meet the following admission requirements:

Educational Requirements:
A Bachelor's degree (or equivalent, minimum 180 ECTS credits) in one of the following fields according to ISCED 2013 classification:

o 01 Education (all areas)

o 02 Arts and Humanities (all areas)

o 0312 Political Sciences and Civics

o 0313 Psychology

o 0314 Sociology and Cultural Studies

o 0321 Journalism and Reporting

o 0915 Therapy and Rehabilitation

o 0921 Care of Elderly and Disabled Adults

o 0922 Childcare and Youth Services

o 0923 Social Work and Counselling

Grading Requirement: Minimum average grade of C. Only applicants with a minimum average grade equivalent to C (“Good”) will meet the academic requirement for admission.

English Proficiency: Proof of English language proficiency according to HVL standards.

How to apply

Submitt your application through HVL’s official website. (When the application portal is open, a large red 'Application Form' button appears on the programme's website at HVL).
On HVL's official website, log in to Søknadsweb (the application portal) using the relevant login method. International applicants should choose "Register new international applicant" under "Login International Applicant" method.
After completing the registration, select the admission called "Erasmus Mundus Joint Master", and select "Theatre SPACEs" from the list.
Click the "Add" button, and then "Submit application".
After submitting your application, you can upload your documents by clicking the "My documents" tab.
You must upload the following documentation* when applying:

Secondary School certificate or High School diploma
University degree certificate or diploma with a grading scale
Transcript of records (an official statement listing all courses/subjects and results completed at university). Transfer credits must be documented with transcript from the instituition where they were originally taken.
Documentation of English language proficiency
Copy of your passport or picture ID, including full name, date of birth and gender
CV - Please use this template
Signed and dated Acknowledgements (use this template)

*If the original language of your documents is not English or a Scandinavian language, officially certified copies of a translation to one of these languages must accompany certified copies of documents in the original language.

Once finished, click on "Done" and complete the submission of the application

Please ensure that your application is complete and contains all the necessary information, as incomplete applications will be rejected.

Please note that Theatre SPACEs has a highly competitive selection process. In the previous round, 1,074 candidates applied for 25 places, meaning that only around 2–3% of applicants will be offered a place. Half of those admitted will be offered a scholarship and the other half will be offered a self-financing place. Thanks to the support of the European Union, both scholarship and self-financing students will be exempt from tuition fees.

In the event of any discrepancies between information provided here or elsewhere and the information published on HVL’s website shall prevail and be legally binding.

Selection Criteria and Process

Eligibility of applicants against the admissions criteria will be assessed by the Admissions Office, based on the submitted documents. Please do not submit empty or incomplete applications, as these will be rejected.

Eligible applications will be evaluated by the Joint Selection Committee (JSC), composed of members delegated by each partner institution. Candidates are assessed based on the following:

Written Application Assessment:

Previous education, professional experience, and competencies based on CV and diploma(s) (1–10 points)

Motivation statement (1–10 points)

Minimum total score to proceed: 15 points

Oral interviews with the top candidates will be conducted if necessary, based on an assessment of their written applications:

Motivation to work with theatre in diverse contexts (1–5 points)

Research interests (1–5 points)

Artistic interests (1–5 points)

Pedagogical / social / community interest (1–5 points)

Maximum oral interview score: 20 points

Final Selection:

Total scores from the written application and oral interview will be combined.

Holistic factors, including geographical balance, gender, and diversity, are considered in final admission decisions. (Stipulation by Erasmus+: no more than 10% of the total number of scholarships awarded during the six years of the project can be awarded to candidates from the same nationality.)

Top-ranking candidates will be offered admission.

Selected candidates will be offered a scholarship (1400 € / month for 24 months).

By applying, you accept that if selected, you will be required to sign a Student Agreement. This Agreement confirms your acceptance of the study place offered under the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programme.

Timeline

(indicative, subject to changes)

Application window opens

1 October

Application deadline

1 December

Invitations for oral interviews

early March

Oral interviews conducted

first half of March

Notification of results

late March or early April

Deadline for confirming admission &
submitting signed agreement

one week after notification

Information

General information for all applicants

You can enrol only as a full-time student and commit to participating in the Theatre SPACEs Master programme for 24 months.
Students from EU/EFTA will have to hold a valid European Health Insurance Card for the duration of the programme.
If you are selected for admission, you will be required to sign the Student Agreement upon acceptance of your offer, which is legally binding and confirms the student’s acceptance of the study place offered under the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master programme.
Any appeals will be treated following HVL’s general appeal mechanisms and regulations.
Note that Theatre SPACEs students are exempt from government-regulated tuition fees applicable to other studies in Norway.
In case a selected and admitted student’s VISA application is rejected by the Norwegian authorities, the student’s admission will be revoked. Unfortunately, it is not possible to attend the study distantly. Note that admission to the programme, including the award of a scholarship, does not guarantee that the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) will grant you a visa or residence permit. Applicants from countries affected by conflict should be aware that visa or residence applications may be rejected. Please apply only if you understand and accept this risk before starting the application process. We recommend reviewing UDI’s general guidelines on visa and residence permit applications (in particular, e.g. this one).
Deferral of studies may generally be granted in accordance with § 7-1 of the Regulations relating to admissions to Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), only in cases where documented, compelling circumstances apply, such as military service, childbirth, adoption, or long-term illness/hospitalisation. Deferral cannot be granted for reasons such as work, family circumstances, or lack of funding. Please apply only if you are able to start your studies if admitted.

Students selected to receive a scholarship will be granted an EMJM scholarship of 1,400 EUR/month for 24 months.

Students who have benefited from an EMJM scholarship before cannot apply for a scholarship.
The EMJM scholarship may not fully cover visa fees, travel expenses, accommodation, and/or living costs. The student accepts responsibility for securing additional personal resources if necessary.
Scholarship instalments will be transferred only to an EUR bank account in EUR after the student’s arrival to Norway, once the Coordinating Institution confirms the arrival and receives the student’s EUR account details. The student is responsible for covering or pre-financing all costs incurred prior to their arrival to Norway. Scholarship payments cannot be disbursed before the official start of the programme and cannot be transferred to non-EUR bank accounts.

Students can also participate in the Theatre SPACEs Master programme as a self-financing student without paying tuition fees. In case a student is willing to join the study as a self-financing student, it will increase their chances of admission, since not all applicants will receive a scholarship.

Students who benefited from an EMJM scholarship before can still apply as self-financing students.

Self-financing students will be fully responsible for covering all costs related to participation in the programme, including but not limited to travel, visa, accommodation, subsistence, insurance, and any living expenses, including travel and accommodation for mandatory field visits organised as part of the programme. The Consortium will not provide any financial support beyond the benefits expressly stated in the Student Agreement.
Participation in the EMJM programme exempts the student from paying tuition fees to the Consortium; however, the partner institutions may still require registration, administrative, or other minor fees according to their general regulations.
Only for self-financing students from a country outside EU/EFTA: When applying for a VISA, you will have to document your ability to finance your stay in Norway in order to be granted a residence permit for study purposes. You will have to transfer a deposit prior to applying for a visa to prove you have sufficient resources to cover living expenses for one year, which is currently NOK 166,859. This is the current amount required by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration in order to get a study permit for 1 year. This is not requested from citizens of EU/EFTA countries, nor will it be requested from scholarship holders from outside EU/EFTA countries, as proof of receiving the scholarship will be sufficient. More information can be found on the website of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration.

Questions & Answers

Q: My English test scores are lower than the accepted level. Can I get an exemption, or can I submit my new certificate at a later date?
A: Unfortunately, neither of these options is possible. You must upload proof of your English proficiency that fulfils the criteria before the application deadline.

Q: I am from an English-speaking country/I studied in an English-speaking country. Do I still need to submit an English language certificate?
A: You normally do not have to provide evidence of your English language skills if you have:

- completed at least one year of your university studies in academic subjects with English as the language of instruction in Great Britain, Ireland, the USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia. Please note that students on branch campuses, validated programmes, franchised programmes and distance learning programmes are not exempt from providing an English language test.
- a bachelor's degree or at least one year of master's studies (60 ECTS) with English as the medium of instruction, completed in one of the Nordic countries.
- a university degree in English language and/or literature (a degree in other disciplines taught in English does not meet this requirement).

Q: I have studied in English outside the above-mentioned countries. Do I still need to submit an English language certificate?
A: Yes. Please note that branch campuses, validated and franchised programmes, and distance learning students in the above-listed countries are not exempt from providing an English language test.

Q: I have lived/worked in an English-speaking country and can provide documentation. Do I still need to submit an English language certificate?
A: Yes. Please note that having worked or lived in an English-speaking environment does not satisfy the English language requirement.

Q: I have a Bachelor's degree in a different subject to that listed in the call. Can I still apply?
A: Unfortunately not; Norwegian admissions regulations do not allow that.

Q: Although I have a Bachelor's degree in a different field, I have a Master's degree and/or years of experience in the field of study. Can you consider that instead of the Bachelor's degree?
A: Unfortunately not. Norwegian admissions regulations do not allow that. When checking candidates' eligibility, we assess their Bachelor's degree. Master's degrees and work experience will be considered at a later stage, during the selection process.

Q: Can the Programme Coordinator grant me exemption from any of the eligibility criteria?
A: No, the Programme Coordinator cannot override any of the eligibility criteria. Please do not contact him regarding such requests.