Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Høgskulen på Vestlandet
Campus Bergen
Type	University College
Established	2017 (1839)
Rector	Gunnar Yttri
Administrative staff	1,800
Students	16,000
Location	Bergen , Norway 60°22′09″N 5°20′58″E / 60.3691°N 5.3495°E / 60.3691; 5.3495
Website	www.hvl.no

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Norwegian: Høgskulen på Vestlandet) or HVL is a Norwegian public institution of higher education, established in January 2017 through the merging of formerly independent colleges across five campuses: Bergen, Førde, Haugesund, Sogndal and Stord. Its oldest programs - teacher education in Stord - can be traced to 1839. The total number of students at HVL is about 16000, and there are 1800 academic and administrative staff.^[1] Its main campus is in the Kronstad neighborhood of Bergen, Norway.

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences provides professional education within health and social sciences, engineering, economic and administrative science, music and teaching. It offers education on the Bachelor and Master levels, continuing education, and on the Doctoral (PhD) level. Around 2700 students graduate with degrees from HVL every year.

In June, 2016, after more than one year of negotiations, the executive leadership of three west Norwegian higher education institutions – Bergen University College, Stord/Haugesund University College, and Sogn og Fjordane University College – officially announced their decision to merge. From 2017, the English name is Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (abbreviated according to the Norwegian name: HVL).^[2][3]

The founding Rector (President) was professor Berit Rokne, and in 2021 Gunnar Yttri, a historian, was appointed the institution’s Rector for the period 2021-2024.^[4]