What VID vitenskapelige høgskole does

VID vitenskapelige høgskole is a Norwegian private specialized university offering higher education and research programs across health sciences, social sciences, theology, diaconia, and management. Established in 2016 through the merger of four diaconal and church-related colleges (Diakonhjemmet Høgskole, Haraldsplass diakonale høgskole, Høgskolen Betanien, and Misjonshøgskolen), with institutional roots tracing back to 1843, VID operates as Norway's oldest private higher education institution. The institution serves approximately 5,840 students (2,462 full-time, 3,042 part-time, 115 PhD) across six Norwegian locations in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Sandvika, Tromsø, and Sandnessjøen, supported by roughly 600 employees.

The institution delivers education through a digital ecosystem anchored by Canvas (learning management system), Studentweb (student administration), and My Page (student portal), with library services via Oria and academic databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus). Revenue is primarily derived from public government funding tied to student enrollment and completed degrees, supplemented by semester fees, international student tuition, scholarship administration (notably Liv Ulvens Stiftelse distributing NOK 500,000 per semester to single mothers), and facility rentals at prices ranging from NOK 750 to NOK 22,000 per day. The institution is owned by VID Holding AS, which is controlled by four church- and diaconia-related foundations, with Stiftelsen Diakonhjemmet as majority shareholder.

VID's go-to-market centers on direct-to-consumer recruitment through Norway's national Samordna opptak coordinated admission system for undergraduate programs, complemented by local institutional admission for master's and continuing education, dedicated international admission for non-EU students, and Erasmus+ exchange partnerships across Europe. The institution pursues an ambition to achieve full university status by 2028 and holds Miljøfyrtårn environmental certification. The current leadership team is led by Rector Bård Mæland, with Pro-Rectors for Research (Gunhild Odden) and Education (Ellen Marie Sæthre-McGuirk), and Deans across three faculties.

Name

VID vitenskapelige høgskole

Legal name

VID vitenskapelige høgskole AS

Website

https://vid.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

VID vitenskapelige høgskole is a Norwegian private specialized university offering bachelor's, master's, and PhD programs in health, social sciences, theology, and diaconia across six Norwegian campuses, serving approximately 5,840 students funded primarily through public government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Government Funding: As a private non-profit institution, VID receives substantial government funding for educational activities, primarily based on student enrollment numbers and completed degrees.
2. Semester Fees: Students pay semester fees each term for registration and access to student services. International students may pay tuition fees.
3. Liv Ulvens Stiftelse Scholarships: VID distributes scholarships from Liv Ulvens Stiftelse to qualifying students (enslige mødre), with 500,000 NOK distributed per semester. This is a pass-through funding mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

VID vitenskapelige høgskole is a Norwegian private specialized university that delivers accredited higher education and research across bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels in nursing, paramedicine, occupational therapy, social work, theology, diaconia, family therapy, social sciences, and management. The institution also provides continuing education programs and operates through six Norwegian campuses supported by digital learning infrastructure.

Product overview

VID vitenskapelige høgskole is a Norwegian private specialized university offering higher education across bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels. The institution operates through a digital platform ecosystem centered on Canvas (learning management system), Studentweb (student administration), and My Page (student portal). Supporting services include VID Library Services with access to academic databases, the Mission and Diakonia Archives for historical research, VID Alumni Network for career development, and specialized programs like the Liv Ulvens Stiftelse scholarship for single mothers. The institution also offers campus facilities for rental and maintains a press room for media relations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor's Degree Programs Three-year undergraduate programs in nursing, paramedicine, occupational therapy, social work, community studies, theology, diaconia, family therapy, and management, delivered at campuses across Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Sandvika, Tromsø, and Sandnessjøen.
• Master's Degree Programs Two-year master's programs in social sciences, diaconia, family therapy, leadership, citizenship and interaction, child welfare, and related fields, with admission through VID's local admission process and flexible part-time options for working professionals.
• PhD Programs Doctoral research programs with approximately 115 PhD students, supporting VID's research mission across health sciences, social sciences, theology, and diaconia.
• Continuing Education (Videreutdanning) Flexible part-time continuing education programs for working professionals, available with open admission across multiple subject areas in health, social sciences, and management.
• VID Alumni Network Alumni network providing newsletters, career days, course invitations, lectures, and mentorship opportunities to former VID students for ongoing professional engagement.
• VID Library Services Library access including Oria discovery system, databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus), e-journals, e-books from Taylor & Francis, and research support services for students and staff.
• Mission and Diakonia Archives (Misjons- og diakoniarkivet) Historical archive preserving records from Norwegian missions, diaconia organizations, churches, and foundations including Norwegian Missionary Society, Normisjon, The Salvation Army, Diakonhjemmet, Betanien, and Diakonova Haraldsplass.
• Campus Facility Rental Rental of classrooms, auditoriums, group rooms, and chapels at VID Bergen, Oslo, and Stavanger campuses for external events and conferences, with pricing varying by room configuration and duration.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European University Partners (Erasmus+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVID has Erasmus+ agreements with educational institutions across Europe for student and staff exchange. Students pay no tuition fees at partner institutions and receive monthly stipends. The institution was named Erasmus Institution of the Year 2022 for its strategic commitment to internationalization.
• Norwegian National ArchivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission and Diakonia Archives preserves records from missions, diaconia organizations, churches, and related foundations including Norwegian Missionary Society, Normisjon, The Salvation Army, Diakonhjemmet, Betanien, and Diakonova Haraldsplass.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights11 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Bergen: UiB is a major Norwegian public university located in Bergen, offering broad programmes in health, social sciences, psychology, and theology. It is the dominant incumbent in one of VID's primary campus markets and a key competitor for regional students and research funding.
• University of Oslo: UiO is Norway's largest and oldest public university, dominating research output and offering broad programmes in health, social sciences, and theology. It is the dominant incumbent competitor to VID in the Oslo market and a primary benchmark for VID's university-status ambition.
• OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University: OsloMet is Norway's largest state university college with a broad portfolio spanning health sciences, social work, education, and engineering. It competes with VID for Oslo-based applicants in health and social science programmes but operates at significantly larger scale with public funding.
• University of Stavanger: UiS is a Norwegian public university in Stavanger with strong programmes in health sciences, social work, and teacher education. It directly competes with VID's Stavanger campus in overlapping professional programmes and research areas.
• NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology: NTNU is Norway's largest public university, with leading programmes across health, social sciences, and humanities. While geographically concentrated in Trondheim, it competes with VID for top faculty, research funding, and the most ambitious students in overlapping disciplines.

Direct peers

• Høyskolen Kristiania: Høyskolen Kristiania is Norway's largest private specialized university, offering health, social sciences, management, and technology programmes. It is a direct peer in the private specialized university category and a benchmark for scale and commercial positioning within Norwegian higher education.
• NLA University College: NLA Høgskolen is a Norwegian private specialized university college with a Christian/diaconal value base, multi-campus presence (Oslo, Bergen), and similar focus on teacher education, theology, and professional programmes. It is the closest comparable Norwegian private specialized university to VID in mission, scale, and value orientation.
• Lovisenberg Diaconal University College: Lovisenberg Diaconal University College is a private specialized university in Oslo with a diaconal foundation and primary focus on nursing, health, and social sciences. It shares VID's diaconal origins, programme mix, and Oslo-based operating model.
• MF Norwegian School of Theology: MF is a private specialized university in Oslo offering theology, religious education, and related programmes with a Christian/evangelical value base. It overlaps directly with VID's theology and diaconia programmes and competes for the same faith-aligned student segment.
• Dronning Mauds Minne Høgskole: DMMH is a private specialized university college in Trondheim focused on early childhood education, arts, and social sciences. It is comparable to VID as a small, foundation-supported private specialized university with a defined professional mission and PhD-level research activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vidhogskole
• YouTubeyoutube.com/VIDvitenskapeligeh%C3%B8gskole
• Facebookfacebook.com/vidhogskole
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/vid-vitenskapelige-h%C3%B8gskole
• Instagraminstagram.com/vidhogskole

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about VID vitenskapelige høgskole