The former 98 regional colleges were merged from 1 August 1994 into 26 state colleges. The objective was to make higher education more accessible and to raise the level of qualified expertise in outlying parts of the country. The programmes offered at these colleges are usually shorter and more occupationally oriented than those at the unisersities. The course of studies usually last two or four years. These are an essential link in the decentralisation of college-level education.
Many students combine their college studies with additional studies at a university.
Colleges also carry out research and development as well as artistic development. In order to promote co-operation and more rational division of labour, a network has been set up linking all Norwegian universities and colleges. This enriches the various academic departments by enabling them to so-operate with regard to fields of specialisation and division of labour. All educational programmes are being reviewed and reorganised so that each institution can concentrate on its own area of specialisation. The network will give students a larger range of options and make it easier to combine educational programmes from different institutions.