The aim of the state university colleges is to make higher education more widely available while increasing the amount of academic expertise available to the different regions of Norway. The 26 colleges primarily offer shorter courses of a more vocational orientation than those offered by the universities. Courses normally have a duration of two to four years. In addition to teacher training and courses in engineering, health and social work and other vocational courses of two to four years duration, the colleges offer undergraduate courses interchangeable with those offered by the universities. These make an important contribution to the decentralisation of higher education.
Many students combine courses at the colleges with courses at universities.
Some colleges now offer second degree courses. One of the colleges has been given the right to grant doctorates. The university colleges are also engaged in research and development work including development work within the arts. In order to promote cooperation and division of labour between universities and colleges, a network, known as Network Norway , was set up for higher education and research. The network benefits the various academic environments by enabling them to cooperate with regard to fields of specialisation and division of labour.