Majority of students stay in the capital after graduation
A new report from Statistisk sentralbyrå (Statistics Norway, SSB) reveals that 56% of students who completed higher education in Oslo remained in the city one year after graduating. This trend underscores Oslo’s continued pull as a hub for both academic and professional opportunities.
Notably, the retention rate is significantly higher among students who grew up in the capital. Of those, 86% continued living in Oslo after graduation. The data, published in the report “Studentbyen Oslo – En gjennomgang av kjennetegn og studieforløp blant studenter i Oslo kommune“ (“Student City Oslo – A review of characteristics and study pathways among students in Oslo Municipality”), provides a detailed picture of student mobility and outcomes.
Oslo attracts students from across the country
Three out of ten students in Norway pursue higher education in Oslo, making it the country’s largest education hub. Yet, only 17% of Oslo students originally come from the city itself. This proportion rises to 28% when including the surrounding Akershus region. The majority of students, however, hail from other counties such as Buskerud, Østfold, Rogaland, and Vestfold.
“This shows how institutions in Oslo municipality recruit broadly, as three out of five students have grown up outside Oslo and Akershus,” said Maj-Lisa Lervåg, co-author of the report.
Employment opportunities help retain graduates
Employment prospects appear to play a key role in graduates’ decisions to stay in Oslo. Excluding those who continued their studies, 88% of graduates were employed within a year after completing their education. The data suggests that employed graduates were more likely to stay in Oslo, especially among those who were not originally from the city.
“Opportunities in Oslo’s job market may contribute to more graduates choosing to remain in the city,” Lervåg noted.
Implications for regional development
The data has broader implications for regional mobility and development. With more than half of non-local students remaining in Oslo post-graduation, other regions may face challenges in retaining young talent. While Oslo benefits from a steady influx of students and new professionals, the trend highlights a potential brain drain in smaller counties.
The SSB report also compares student trends in Oslo to other key university cities like Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Kristiansand, and Tromsø, offering insights into how Oslo’s dominance may be shaping the national educational landscape.
