Abstract: In this chapter, the integration of the Norwegian higher education field is analyzed in regard to the implementation of two reforms in Nordland County: the college reform in 1994 and the structural reform in 2015. The first resulted in two autonomous higher education institutions: Nesna College and Bodø University College. The last was a result of geographical considerations in connection with the location and autonomy of higher education institutions, here called ‘the geographical paradigm’ being replaced with quantitative measures of quality in a new academic paradigm. The structural reform led to the amalgamation of the two and, including Sør-Trøndelag University College, the formation of North University in 2016. One key question is how this paradigm shift occurred and in what way it affected the higher education institutions in Bodø and Nesna.