Verification of certificates/diplomas for third parties
BI Norwegian Business School produces electronic Certificates/diploma documents. In this article, we use the term Certificates about all the relevant documents.
When it comes to verification of courses/studies taken at BI, two portals are worth mentioning: The Digital Certificate portal and the Diploma Registry/Vitnemålsportalen.
The Digital Certificate Portal
The student will find the digital Certificates via the Digital Certificate portal once the document is published. Students will have access to this portal via BI's home page.
A digital Certificate can easily be shared with third-parties, or the student can order a paper version. In such cases, the third party will be sent an e-mail with details about how to create a username to access the document in question.
Digital Certificates from someone who studied at BI are much more secure than graduation documents issued on paper. Please note that the diploma normally consists of three parts: a front page, a Transcript of records and a diploma supplement.
The Diploma Registry/Vitnemålsportalen
The Diploma Registry was developed on assignment from the Ministry of Education and Research (Kunnskapsdepartementet). It is the place where students can find an overview of all courses taken at BI and/or any other institutions in Norway.
A person who studied at BI can easily share results from study courses with third parties using this portal. You can ask the student to share the results with you via the Diploma Registry. This is a safe, easy, and a secure process. Until further notice, the Diploma Registry will not provide information about degrees achieved at BI.
Only students with a Norwegian social security number will obtain transcript from the Diploma Registry. Students without a Norwegian social security number can ask BI to produce a transcript for the Digital Certificate portal.
Contact information
If the person does not share the results via the Diploma Registry / Vitnemålsportalen or the Digital Certificate portal, please contact BI for verification. The e-mail address for this type of enquiry is info@bi.no.
The following information must appear on your enquiry:
- Student's full name, including any previous names and date of birth
- Degree/title/study/courses that were achieved, and the year it was achieved
- A signed authorization/consent form from the student
- Copy/scanned version of the document that needs to be verified (if available)
BI does not have the opportunity to provide any information about diplomas or certificates of completion beyond this, due to privacy issues.
BI may charge a fee for verification.
Different documents and date of issue
Transcripts
Only exchange students and students without a Norwegian social security number can have transcripts from BI issued to them. Students with a Norwegian social security number will be referred to the Diploma Registry/Vitnemålsportalen and can easily share a transcript with a third party through this portal.
Course certificate
Students who have completed studies (not single courses), programmes or courses worth 60 credits or less will be able to receive a digital course certificate. This can be shared with a third party via the Digital Certificate portal.
Diploma
Students who have completed a degree at BI will be issued a digital diploma. This can be shared with a third party via the Digital Certificate portal.
Students who have achieved the following degrees will have the diploma sent automatically:
- College Candidate, approximately 1 October
- Bachelor's degree, approximately 1 October
- Executive Master of Management, approximately 1 October
- Master of Science, by the end of November
- MBA, by graduation
- PhD, by disputas
Students must submit a request for the diploma if they have:
- Studied a Bachelor of Management
- Ended his or her studies before the spring of 2017
- Previously received a diploma, certificate and/or improved grades who want this to be shown on the diploma
- Those who need their records before they are generated automatically (does not apply to MSc)
Date on the diploma for awarded degree:
The diploma will state the date when the degree was awarded. That date is 30 June for those who completed a degree in the spring semester, and 30 December for those who completed a degree in the fall semester.
Diploma Supplement
The Diploma Supplement provides complementary descriptions of the degree the student achieved. For more information about the Diploma Supplement, see NOKUT's websites.
Security
BI has implemented a Digital Certificate solution to protect the students from fraud. The Digital Certificate solution persists of a digital portal for viewing and sharing Certificates and a production environment that lets us produce printed Certificates using cutting-edge patented security features to prevent alteration and forged documents.
Due to the high risk of fraud and forgery BI has made a strategic decision to be "digital first" when it comes to production of diplomas and Certificates. By producing the diplomas and Certificates digitally, the students have the option to log on to BIs Digital Certificates portal and share their documents in a securely way. By sharing their documents digitally the student give third parties like universities and future employers the opportunity to see and verify the students results in a protected environment. BI can vouch for the authenticity of the documents since the documents are accessed on BIs closed servers.
If the students want a printed version of their documents it can be ordered in the student portal. When relying on university stamps and signatures for verification of authenticity, there is always a risk for fraud. By producing Certificates with built in security in both secure printers and paper used, we have eliminated the need for anyone to alter the documentation after it has been produced and therefore minimizing the risk of fraud and forgery. The documents are also equipped with a QR code that lets you verify the origin and authenticity of the document by using an ordinary QR scanner.
Frequently asked questions
-
Try a different browser, such as Google Chrome. In some cases, Google Chrome is not set up to download PDFs, so you must change this in the settings.
-
Try a different browser such as Google Chrome.
-
No, the student must bring or send his or her transcripts to the home university, or order a paper/printed version that can be sent directly to the university.
-
Yes, we send such documents abroad, using conventional mail. The student must order this.
-
No, it cannot be tracked when sent by conventional mail.
-
The student forgot to tick off which documents he/she wishes to share. Contact the person and ask him/her to check what was shared.
-
It is real if you accessed the records via digitalcertificate.bi.no. It can also be verified using the QR code at the bottom right corner of the diploma if you received a printed version of a digital diploma. The digital diploma is the student's original diploma from BI Norwegian Business School.
-
BI cannot generate a diploma for any education that we no longer offer. Students who have taken such an education will only get a transcript and a confirmation of the achieved degree. Ask the student to share his or her results via the Diploma Registry/Vitnemålsportalen so the education can be verified.
-
Send an e-mail to digitalcertificate@bi.no. Only a third party can log on to the solution via Digital Certificate. Students should log in via the student portal.
-
Siviløkonom is an title that cannot be directly translated. The Quality Reform for Higher Education which included Norwegian colleges and universities introduced a common weighting system in 2003 based on ECTS credits and a degree structure with a 3-year bachelor degree + a 2-year master.
We recommend explaining any education completed prior to 2003 using the number of full-time years of study at the relevant level (bachelor = undergraduate, master= graduate) instead of a direct translation.
-
NOKUT’s recognition of schools, studies and courses implies a common weighting system: ECTS/credits. A normal academic year, full progression, is weighted at 60 ECTS/credits.
Government approval of an education in the private university/college sector has not always had the same focus as it does today. Several private colleges never applied for public approval for their course and studies, even though the schools were approved so the students could receive funds and student loans from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. BI recommends that educations completed prior to 2003 are explained in the number of years of full-time study at the relevant level (bachelor = undergraduate, master= graduate) instead of a direct translation of the title and or study.
Last updated 2 November 2022