In total, USN's international summer school Cultural Heritage has received 101 applications this year, of which 92 applicants are assessed as qualified according to the admission requirements for the course. So far, 68 students have accepted a study place and are set to come to campus Notodden in August 2026.
By comparison: In its inaugural year, 2022, the summer school had 32 students; in 2023, 22 students participated; and in 2024, 32 students took part. In 2025, the summer school had a pause.
This is how the students are distributed
BIP partners (40 participants)
- University of Oulu (Finland): 4
- UCL University College (Denmark): 11
- University of Turku (Finland): 6
- University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland): 19
EDUC partners (22 participants)
- University of Pécs (Hungary): 2
- Masaryk University (Czech Republic): 15
- University of Cagliari (Italy): 4
- University of Potsdam (Germany): 1
InterGlocal partner (4 participants)
- Savitribai Phule Pune University (India): 4
Leap
Coordinator Karl Christian Alvestad believes the surge in applications has two main reasons, which together add up to a higher entity:
– Firstly, I believe we can talk about a “Norway Effect”, that Norway is popular both as a destination and as a country to study in. Secondly, I believe the theme of cultural heritage and Norway evokes a genuine interest out there, which many of the applications attest to, says Alvestad.
The biggest so far
Coordinator Karl Christian Alvestad highlights the great support in promoting the summer school through USN's partners as an important reason for this year's strong application numbers.
– This year's summer school is set to become the absolutely largest so far! This emphasises how international partnerships and networks contribute to increased visibility and recruitment to USN's study programmes, says Alvestad.
The EDUC effect
25 of the students participating come from universities in the EDUC alliance:
– It is very pleasing to see such an EDUC effect, and that the alliance contributes to creating concrete international opportunities for both students and academic environments at USN. That so many applicants come through EDUC and other international collaborations shows the value of long-term relationship building and academic cooperation across borders, says Heidi Tovsrud Knutsen, institutional coordinator for EDUC at USN.
A further 40 students come from so-called BIP partners, participating through a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) under Erasmus+. Additionally, four students come from USN's Indian InterGlocal partner, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).
World Heritage
The summer school Cultural Heritage is an intensive, international study programme starting at campus Notodden on 4 August 2026. The programme combines physical teaching with digital follow-up sessions later in the autumn, and brings together bachelor's and master's students from several European countries.
Through lectures, workshops, excursions and collaboration with local actors, the students explore how cultural heritage influences identity, education, sustainability and community development. The teaching is based, among other things, on the world heritage site Rjukan–Notodden and cultural-historical places such as Heddal Stave Church.