Norway gave county authorities the option to provide more extensive distance teaching in VG1 and VG2 vocational programmes in areas with low population density and long distances. The model must be combined with practical training and regular physical gatherings.
Norway removed the requirement for county authorities to set a written main language for each upper-secondary school. Students’ individual right to choose their written main language remains unchanged.
Norway amended the tertiary vocational education regulations to introduce conditions and procedural rules for institutional accreditation of fagskoler. Accredited institutions can establish and change programmes across all subject areas within the accreditation framework.
Norway amended education regulations so municipalities and private schools must offer the working life subject, while offering in-depth subjects in English, Norwegian, Sami, and mathematics becomes optional. A transition rule applies until 1 August 2027.
Norway amended the Private Schools Act to require schools applying for approval on religious or life-stance grounds to have a connection to the belief system used as the basis for approval. The change entered into force immediately on 19 June 2026.
Norway approved changes to higher-education law allowing universities and university colleges to set lower tuition fees for students from outside the EEA and Switzerland. The same legal package also gives authority to set an upper limit for legal-expense coverage in certain student cases.
Sweden introduced a broader school-rules framework that replaces earlier order rules and strengthens school responsibilities around safety, study environment, and consequences. The changes apply from 1 August 2026.
New register-check rules for people working or undertaking placements in education settings take effect on 15 July 2026. The changes expand the information included and shorten the permitted age of register extracts.
New education rules apply to children and young people placed in prison institutions from 1 July 2026. The rules clarify access to compulsory-school-equivalent and upper-secondary-equivalent education in these settings.
The Swedish Council for Higher Education amended rules on special eligibility for vocational teacher education. The update adds two knowledge criteria linked to industrial surface treatment and sheet-metal processing.