2015 was a year with record numbers of applicants and new students. It was a particularly good year for BI’s bachelor programmes.
5266 new full-time students started at BI in the autumn of 2015, a 13 % growth compared to 2014. For the first time in history, BI had waiting lists on several of the most popular bachelor programmes. Overall, BI had 18 728 active students at year-end 2015.
Number of international students
The attractiveness of BI’s study programmes has surged in recent years, both in Norway and on the international arena. The latter is evidence that BI’s programmes hold top international quality. 432 new international students began their degree programmes at BI in 2015, a 29 % growth compared to 2014. The increase in international students over the past years has been substantial, both in Master of Science and in the Bachelor programmes.
Bachelor completion rate
MSc completion rate
The student completion ratio is a measurement for success for BI. Close interaction with students, more efficient individual follow up and focus on creating an inspirational learning environment are prioritised measures aiming to strengthen the completion rate.
In October, the first graduates from the international network collaboration Quantitative Techniques for Economics and Management (QTEM) received their diplomas. QTEM is a programme for the most ambitious master students focusing on analytical skills and advanced quantitative techniques in an international business environment.
In October, the first class of the customized executive master in health management commenced. The programme was commissioned by the Norwegian Directorate of Health, and is aimed at leaders in the Norwegian health sector.
In October, the BI Executive Master of Business Administration (BI EMBA) became the only all-Norwegian Executive MBA-programme ranked by Financial Times.
By the end of June, BI had carried out two successful pilots of digital examinations using DigiEx. DigiEx is now used as a digital examination tool at BI. DigiEx was developed by BI in collaboration with Capgemini, and it is the only digital exam tool that offers the entire examination process in one solution, which adheres to higher education law and was implemented seamlessly into the BI application portfolio.
In September, 30 top students at BI Master of Science programmes were awarded BI Presidential Scholarship, a scholarship rewarded to selected Norwegian and international students with an average grade of A or equivalent. This is an increase from 21 Presidential Scholarships in 2014.