Oslo varsity admits mass killer Breivik to study programme

Convicted mass killer Anders Behring Breivik has been admitted to the University of Oslo’s political science program although he will stay in his cell to study, the university’s rector said on Friday.

The 36-year-old, right-wing extremist is serving a 21-year prison sentence for killing 77 people in politically motivated bomb-and-gun massacres in 2011. The sentence can be extended when it expires. 

“All inmates in Norwegian prisons are entitled to higher education in Norway if they meet the admission requirements,” University rector Ole Petter Ottersen said Friday in an email to The Associated Press.

Yet two years ago, Breivik’s application had been rejected after the university said his qualifications were insufficient. At the time, the submission stirred a debate in Norway over whether someone convicted of such a horrific crime should even be considered for higher education.

Norway has a rehabilitation-focused justice system aimed at helping inmates prepare for life after they get out, which includes giving them the right to pursue higher education. Since his 2012 conviction, Breivik has been studying in jail.