Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse

What Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse does

Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse (HK-dir) is a Norwegian government directorate under the Ministry of Education and Research (Kunnskapsdepartementet), established on 1 July 2021 through the merger of Diku, Kompetanse Norge, Universell, and parts of Unit, NSD, and NOKUT. The directorate consolidates national administrative responsibility for higher education, higher vocational education (fagskole), and skills policy in Norway. It serves universities, university colleges, vocational colleges, students, prospective students, employers, NAV/career-guidance centres, and adult learners across six primary segments: Higher Education and Research, Higher Vocational Education, Working Life and Skills, Adult Learning, Career Guidance, and Kindergarten/Primary/Secondary Education (for international cooperation).

HK-dir's core products include Samordna opptak (the national coordinated admission system for universities, colleges, and fagskoler), Karriereveiledning.no (a free public career-guidance portal offering chat, phone, and email support), and Godkjenning av utenlandsk utdanning (recognition of foreign education and qualifications, transferred from NOKUT on 1 January 2023). Statistical and knowledge products include DBH-HYU (vocational-education database), Studiebarometeret (annual study-quality survey), and a repository of 248+ reports, surveys, and statistics. The directorate also administers national grants and subsidies (Tilskuddsutlysninger) and acts as Norway's National Agency for the European Commission's Erasmus+ programme, distributing EUR 43 million in 2026 mobility funding.

The underlying technology is a standard government stack: Microsoft Azure cloud hosting with routing/affinity cookies and SiteImprove for usage analytics. HK-dir operates from five locations — Bergen (headquarters), Oslo, Trondheim, Tromsø, and Brussels — and is led by Director Sveinung Skule. Its revenue model is government appropriations via the Norwegian state budget; all public services are provided free of charge to citizens and institutions, with no commercial pricing. The directorate has a stated workforce of over 450 employees with varied educational backgrounds.

Name

Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse

Legal name

Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse

Website

https://hkdir.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

HK-dir is Norway's government directorate for higher education, higher vocational education, and skills policy, operating under the Ministry of Education and Research. It provides coordinated admissions, foreign-qualification recognition, career guidance, Erasmus+ administration, and national education statistics to universities, colleges, students, employers, and adult learners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Education Administration

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (92311), Public Administration (92), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Education Department Administration (BPAIABAJ)

Keywords

• Higher education administration
• Vocational education management
• Education recognition services
• Skills policy development
• Education grant management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: HK-dir is a government directorate under the Ministry of Education and Research. It receives its operational funding through the Norwegian state budget. The directorate manages various grant programs and distributes funding to educational institutions and mobility programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HK-dir is the Norwegian government executive agency that delivers national administration for higher education, higher vocational education (fagskole), and skills policy. It operates the coordinated national admission system (Samordna opptak), processes recognition of foreign education and qualifications, runs the national career guidance service (Karriereveiledning.no), administers Erasmus+ and other grant programs for Norwegian educational institutions, and publishes national education statistics and surveys.

Product overview

Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse (HK-dir) operates as a unified government services platform providing national administration for higher education, higher vocational education (fagskole), and skills policy in Norway. The directorate's core products include: Samordna opptak for coordinated admission to universities and colleges; Karriereveiledning.no for career guidance services; Godkjenning av utenlandsk utdanning for recognition of foreign qualifications; and DBH-HYU/Studiebarometeret for statistical databases and quality surveys. These services are complemented by Tilskuddsutlysninger for grant management, Arrangements for event coordination, and a comprehensive Rapporter og statistikk knowledge repository covering research reports and surveys from 2020-2026. The organization was established July 1, 2021, through the merger of Diku, Kompetanse Norge, Universell, and parts of Unit, NSD and NOKUT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Godkjenning av utenlandsk utdanning (Recognition of Foreign Education) National service for recognition and evaluation of foreign education and qualifications for work or study in Norway. Provides guidance on whether recognition is required, processes applications, and publishes the GSU-lista reference database of country-by-country credential evaluations. Task transferred from NOKUT to HK-dir on 1 January 2023.
• Samordna opptak (Coordinated Admission)

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Norwegian Ministry of Education and ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHK-dir operates as an executive agency under the Ministry of Education and Research. The ministry sets policy direction while HK-dir implements and manages programs within higher education, higher vocational education, and skills policy.
• European Commission (Erasmus+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHK-dir serves as the National Agency for Erasmus+ in Norway, managing the European Union's education, training, youth, and sport program. This includes distributing funding and supporting Norwegian participation in international educational cooperation.
• NIFU (Nordic Institute for Studies of Innovation, Research and Education)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIFU conducts research and analysis for HK-dir, including the Graduate Survey (Kandidatundersøkelsen) and other educational research projects.
• ideas2evidencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch consultancy conducting evaluations and studies for HK-dir on topics including Erasmus+ benefits, career guidance, and education policy.
• Proba SamfunnsanalysemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization conducting evaluations and analysis for HK-dir on topics including adult education, flexible education, and welfare services.
• Norway's Knowledge Office in BrusselscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHK-dir maintains a presence at Norway's Knowledge Office in Brussels, celebrating 10 years of operation in 2026. The office works to safeguard Norwegian interests in research, education, and innovation within the EU.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR): Sweden's national agency for higher education services, including coordinated admissions (antagning.se), recognition of foreign qualifications, and Erasmus+ National Agency duties. Closest Nordic peer in mandate and service portfolio.
• Finnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus / EDUFI): Finland's national education agency under the Ministry of Education and Culture, responsible for early childhood, K-12, and higher education development, including recognition of foreign qualifications and Erasmus+ National Agency functions.
• NOKUT (Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education): Quality assurance agency for Norwegian higher and vocational education and the former owner of functions HK-dir absorbed (recognition 2023, study surveys 2025). Strongly comparable in mission, data assets, and ongoing coordination with HK-dir.
• Utdanningsdirektoratet: Norway's Directorate for Education and Training, the K-12 counterpart to HK-dir. Both are executive agencies under the Ministry of Education and Research and jointly cover Norway's full education pipeline, making them the most direct peer in mandate structure and parent ministry.
• Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science (UFS): Denmark's agency administering higher education policy, recognition of foreign qualifications, and Erasmus+ coordination. Directly comparable in statutory role, Nordic context, and service offerings.

Others

• NIFU (Nordic Institute for Studies of Innovation, Research and Education): Research partner of HK-dir for surveys like the Graduate Survey (Kandidatundersøkelsen). Comparable as a knowledge partner and data/research provider within the Norwegian higher-education policy domain.

Regional players

• Universities Norway (UHR): The membership organisation for Norwegian universities and university colleges — a primary 'customer' and policy counterpart of HK-dir. Comparable in operating environment and policy influence within the Norwegian higher-education ecosystem.
• Vocational Norway (Fagskolerådet): Norwegian council representing fagskoler (higher vocational colleges) that receive funding and policy direction from HK-dir. Comparable in serving the higher vocational segment that HK-dir administers and regulates.

Broad incumbents

• NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration): Norway's Labour and Welfare Administration, a key domestic partner of HK-dir for career guidance and labour-market integration of persons with foreign qualifications. Comparable as a large Norwegian public agency delivering cross-ministry services.
• European Commission DG EAC: The EU's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture that designs and funds Erasmus+ and related programmes. HK-dir is a downstream National Agency partner and is structurally comparable as a public administration body for education policy implementation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hk-dir
• Xx.com/hkdir_no
• Facebookfacebook.com/hkdirektoratet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse