Studying in Norway

What a year costs

Tuition. Degree students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland normally pay tuition at public universities. Since 1 August 2026, universities may set fees below the cost of the study place, and they are using that freedom differently:

• NTNU, 2026/27, per 60 ECTS: NOK 176,300 for humanities, social sciences, economics and management; NOK 205,600 for natural sciences, technology, health and education; NOK 528,650 for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. NTNU offers no tuition scholarships.
• Nord University, 2026/27: NOK 60,000 for humanities, social sciences and economics; NOK 85,000 for natural sciences, technology, health, education and arts. Its 2025/26 fees ran from NOK 141,000 to NOK 280,000.

Fees are adjusted every year, and some universities require the full year's fee in one payment, with no instalments. Use the fee published for your programme and start year.

Living costs. The official planning figure is the immigration minimum: NOK 15,488 a month, or NOK 170,368 a year, for 2026-2027 according to Study in Norway. Oslo and Bergen rents push many students above that. Norway is expensive for food and eating out, so treat the minimum as a floor.

The visa

Norway does not issue a student visa for degree study. You apply for a study permit (residence permit) from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) through the Application Portal Norway, and pay the fee when you apply.

The fee: we could not verify it. UDI's fee page did not display the amount when we checked, and its study permit page only says a fee must be paid. BI Norwegian Business School states NOK 5,400, "subject to change and non-refundable". Confirm the current amount in the Application Portal before you pay.

The money. You must document enough to support yourself, pegged to full support from the State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen). UDI's page showed NOK 15,169 a month, or NOK 166,859 a year, for 2025/2026. Study in Norway gives NOK 15,488 a month, or NOK 170,368 a year, for 2026-2027. If you are applying for 2026-2027 or later, plan on the higher figure and check UDI before you submit.

Accepted sources are student loans, grants, your own money in a Norwegian bank account or the university's deposit account, or a combination. In practice most students transfer the full amount to the university's deposit account, and you should budget for tuition on top. BI, for example, asks bachelor's students to deposit about NOK 315,000 and master's students about NOK 353,000 to cover a year's tuition and living costs, with a transfer deadline of 15 June.

Processing. UDI does not publish a single figure. BI tells its students to allow 8-10 weeks. Your permit card is collected after arrival, when you register with the police or a service centre.

Working while you study

Your study permit automatically includes permission to work up to 20 hours a week in term, including remote work, and full time in holidays. You cannot be self-employed or run your own business.

Renewing your permit depends on satisfactory progress in your studies. Work that eats into your credits puts your right to stay at risk.

After you graduate

You can apply for a residence permit as a job seeker for up to 12 months after completing your degree in Norway. The conditions:

• Apply before your study permit expires. UDI advises at least one month before.
• You must be seeking work as a skilled worker, and have completed your degree, or have a confirmation that you have submitted your final thesis and completed all other credits.
• You may work full time or part time while you search, including in jobs that do not require your qualification.
• UDI's job seekers page lists a funds requirement of NOK 27,116 a month, or NOK 325,400 a year. That is far higher than the student figure, so plan for it well before you graduate.

Once you have a skilled job offer, you switch to a skilled worker permit. Time spent on a study permit does not count towards permanent residence.

Language

Most English-taught provision is at master's level; bachelor's programmes are overwhelmingly taught in Norwegian. English requirements are set per programme, usually as IELTS, TOEFL or Pearson scores, and test results must generally be no more than two years old at the deadline. Check your programme page for the exact scores.

No Norwegian is needed for the permit. Norwegians speak excellent English, but part-time and graduate jobs outside international firms and academia widely expect Norwegian. Start a course in your first term if you want to stay.

When to apply

Non-EU master's deadlines are early. At NTNU and NMBU the deadline for non-EU/EEA applicants is 1 December for programmes starting the following August; NMBU's portal opens 15 October and NTNU's application window opens 1 November. Many other universities use a similar date: check yours.

After admission, typically in spring, you pay tuition or make the deposit, then apply for the permit. BI names 1 July as UDI's final submission deadline for its students and 15 June for the funds transfer. Allow two to three months between admission and permit.

What to watch out for

Fees differ enormously between universities. After 1 August 2026, the same subject can cost under NOK 100,000 at one university and over NOK 200,000 at another. Compare before you apply, and confirm the fee for your start year in writing.

The permit fee and the 2026-2027 funds figure were not both confirmed on UDI's site. We have given the sources we could verify. Check the Application Portal and UDI's study permit page on the day you apply.

Job-seeker funds are much higher than student funds. NOK 325,400 a year is double the student figure. Graduates who assume they can stay on at student-level savings are caught out.

Housing. Student welfare organisations such as SiO in Oslo and Sammen in Bergen run student housing, and rooms go early. Apply as soon as you are admitted. Avoid transferring deposits for private rooms you have not viewed or verified.

No permanent residence credit. Years on a study permit do not count towards permanent residence. If you plan to settle, the clock starts with your work permit.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it. We could not verify the UDI study permit fee, and UDI had not yet published the 2026-2027 funds figure on its own page when we checked.