From the midnight sun to the northern lights, from the highest peaks to the deepest fjords, Lofoten has it all. This is your opportunity to live the dream.
Our school, Aust-Lofoten videregående skole, was authorized as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School in May 2024. We will welcome our first students to the Diploma Programme in August 2025.
More information about the upcoming offerings in our IB program and how to apply will be published on the website continuously.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a not-for-profit foundation, motivated by its mission to create a better world through education. The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
By choosing the IB DP at Aust-Lofoten vgs you are making an investment in your future. The Diploma Programme is a two-year program (Vg2 and Vg3) with an international focus, and classes are taught in English.
As an IB Diploma student, you will find that both Norwegian and international universities highly value your education. Through the program, you will receive extensive training in scientific thinking and methodology, as well as have the opportunity to conduct research projects in all subjects. This will equip you with valuable skills and knowledge that will prepare you well for higher education.
What does your future look like as an IB-student at Aust-Lofoten vgs?
- Subject selection: You must choose six subjects from a total of five study groups. (Please note that as of now, The Arts will not be offered as a sixth subject group in 2025).
- In-depth study: You must select an in-depth study in a higher level (HL) of at least three subjects. Your other subjects will be at Standard Level (SL).
- The Core is unique to the IB Diploma and is mandatory for all students and play a special role in the programme. The Core consists of Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) and Extended Essay (EE)
- TOK provides among others opportunity for students to:
- Reflect critically on areas of knowledge in their own culture and the wider world.
- Be aware of themselves as thinkers and recognise the need to act responsibly.
- You will have to complete an Extended Essay (EE), which allows you the opportunity to demonstrate your interests and take the time to do in depth-research on a topic of your choice.
- Not everything is just academics. Every student must complete the core element CAS as part of the Diploma Programme Studies. CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies helping them to understand the importance of being contributors to the local and global society.
- You will become more confident in English as you will learn concepts and vocabulary relevant to your subjects in English, thus becoming truly bilingual.
- You will be a part of the IB community, and you will be encouraged to participate in a wide range of student led activities.
As an IB-student at Aust-Lofoten vgs you may choose among the following subjects*:
*We are exploring the possibility of expanding our subject offerings such as Norwegian A (subject group 1), Environmental System and Societies (subject group 3 and 4), Biology (subject group 4), Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations (subject group 5). ** Please note that The Arts will not be offered as a subject group in August 2025, but it may be offered later. Students must therefore choose electives from other subject groups.
Additional information:
Aust-Lofoten videregående skole/Upper Secondary School, located in Svolvær, in the Lofoten islands, has a long history as an educational institute. As an upper secondary school with students between the ages of 15-19, we offer vocational training, general studies, introductory classes for refugees/citizens with a foreign language, and classes for students with special challenges. The Department of Education in the county of Nordland is responsible for and the legal owner of the school, along with 15 other upper secondary schools in the county.
Facilities and Student Services at Aust-Lofoten vgs: Our school building is modern with up-to-date classrooms and laboratories. Aust-Lofoten vgs also hosts the public library of Vågan municipality and a Newton room where students from the region can practice as scientists for one day. Newton is an active STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) that takes place in specialized STEM rooms.
Our Student Service (Elevtjenesten) has specialists employed, including the school nurse, milieu therapists, counsellors/special educational advisers, and a specialized minority adviser that guides and helps minority students.
International Cooperation and Projects: Aust-Lofoten vgs cooperates with several schools abroad and participates in international programs, such as Erasmus+-projects. Students at our school also take part in different projects that explore local and global issues, such as our project called “Lofoten – de grønne øyene” (Lofoten – the green islands), where our students do field work and meet with a wide range of businesses and organizations to explore local and global problems that threaten the sustainability of the Lofoten islands.
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Our school has students representing many nationalities, making it a melting pot of cultural and linguistic backgrounds that manifest itself in a lively atmosphere throughout the school buildings and surroundings. Svolvær and the Lofoten islands represent coastal culture with a thousand-year-long history of fish export. Today, tourism is a major industry in Lofoten and especially in Svolvær, which gives this city a cultural pulsation, possibilities but also challenges unique for an arctic region.
Aust-Lofoten Upper Secondary School mission statement
Our students shall:
- Experience well-being and safety at school
- Experience a positive school environment free from harassment and offensive behaviour
- Experience the feeling of belonging
- Be strengthened academically and socially
- Experience that a good social environment is everybody’s responsibility, both the students and the employees at school.
Aust-Lofoten Upper Secondary School pedagogical platform is based on our slogan:
Take the leap – create your future with us!
At our school, students should experience being motivated, engaged, and included.
For further information about the IB and its programmes visit https://www.ibo.org/
For questions and further information about the school please contact our IB Coordinator:
Svenn-Erik T. Busch
