Alliance of Norwegian Students Abroad
Encyclopedia
The Association of Norwegian Students Abroad (ANSA, in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...

: Samskipnaden for norske studenter i utlandet) is a non-profit and membership based organisation aiming to voice the educational, cultural, political and economic interests of Norwegian students studying outside Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 and to promote overseas students as a valuable resource to domestic employers.

As of 2009/2010 20,165 Norwegian students were studying abroad. In 2010 ANSA has 8,400 members at over 1200 educational institutions in more than 60 countries.

ANSA in particular works to influence rules and regulations governing student grants and loans, arguing that all students should have the right to study any subject in any country as they wish. The Norwegian government has a been funding higher education for Norwegian students abroad for more than 60 years, with the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund
Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund
The Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund is a government agency that provides loans and grants to Norwegian and certain foreign students for their education...

 (Lånekassen) providing students with loans and grants. ANSA was founded by Norwegian students in 1956 to address difficulties students encountered in dealing with Lånekassen.

The organisation targets services at students prior to, during, and after studies abroad. A range of membership benefits are central in attracting students as members. ANSA's Information Centre for higher education abroad is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research
Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research
Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research is a Norwegian responsible for education, research and kindergartens. The ministry was established in 1814, and since October 18, 2007 led by Tora Aasland and Kristin Halvorsen in 2009. The department reports to the legislature...

 to provide unbiased advice on higher education abroad. The Membership Department deals with enquiries from potential and current members, while ANSA's Student Adviser provides advice to students encountering problems during their studies abroad, such as with regards to their university, their insurance, or Lånekassen.

Headquarters and Governance Structures

ANSA is manned by 12 full-time employees. The Secretary-General heads the office in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

.

The President of ANSA is elected at the annual general assembly. The President's main responsibility is lobbying for ANSA’s political priorities towards the Norwegian authorities. The President is also chair of ANSA’s Board and main spokesperson of ANSA.

The board of ANSA consists of six students abroad, two students who previously have studied abroad, ANSA’s president and a representative for the employees at ANSA. The Board is responsible for ANSA’s political priorities and the main goals of the organisation.

Among ANSA's members are over 500 volunteers who organise various social and cultural events and represent ANSA at their places of study.

External links

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