Norway improves PhD completion rate

The number of Norwegian PhD candidates who complete their studies increased from 42 per cent in 1980-81 to 76 per cent in 2002-03, according to a review by the Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU).

But the report, published on 15 August, warns that the average age of graduates is too high. Graduating PhDs in 2011 were 36,4 years old on average. There are differences within fields, with candidates in social sciences pulling up the average, but the situation is not ideal, the institute says.