Study in Norway

Norwegian higher education includes public universities, specialised university institutions and university colleges, plus private institutions such as BI. The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) handles recognition of foreign qualifications and maintains the country-by-country admission requirements, while NOKUT accredits institutions. • Bachelor’s: 3 years (180 ECTS), mostly taught in Norwegian. • Master’s: 2 years (120 ECTS), with a large choice of English-taught programmes. • PhD: 3–4 years; doctoral candidates are usually salaried university employees (research fellows). The academic year starts in mid-August, with an autumn semester (August–December) and a spring semester (January–June). Norwegian-taught programmes require proof of Norwegian.

1) There is no single national portal for international students: apply directly on each university’s own portal for English-taught programmes; Norwegian-taught programmes go through Samordna opptak (NUCAS). 2) Requirements: for a bachelor’s, a secondary-school certificate that meets HK-dir’s GSU list for your country (some countries also require one or two years of university study after school); for a master’s, a 180-ECTS bachelor’s with at least one and a half years in the relevant subject. English test requirements (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.) vary by university and programme. 3) Deadlines for an August 2027 start for applicants from outside the EU/EEA (check your programme page): • UiT: 15 October – 15 November 2026. • University of Oslo: 1 October – 1 December 2026 for most master’s programmes. • NTNU and University of Bergen: 1 November – 1 December 2026 (UiB allows only one master’s programme). • NMBU: 15 October – 1 December 2026; University of Stavanger: 15 November – 1 December. • NHH: by 15 February 2027; BI: by 1 March 2027. EU/EEA applicants usually have later deadlines. Results mostly come in March–April 2027, after which you pay the first-year fee and apply for the study permit.

Tuition: since autumn 2023, bachelor’s and master’s students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland pay fees set by each institution; PhD candidates, exchange students and students on Erasmus Mundus, NORPART, NORHED, StAR or Fulbright are exempt. Yearly examples: • University of Oslo 2027–28: NOK 186,000–218,000. • University of Bergen 2027–28: NOK 204,000–234,000. • NTNU 2026–27: mostly NOK 176,300 or 205,600 (medicine about NOK 528,650). • NHH 2026–27: master’s NOK 204,000, bachelor’s NOK 142,000; BI master’s from NOK 166,700. • Lower-cost options: NMBU NOK 80,000–150,000 (2027–28) and University of Stavanger NOK 60,000–85,000 (2026–27). In 2026 the Storting removed the rule that fees must cover the full cost of education, and some institutions have started cutting fees. Add a semester fee to the student welfare organisation of roughly NOK 600–1,000. Scholarships: the universities of Oslo and Bergen, NTNU, NMBU, UiT and NHH offer no tuition scholarships; the private BI Norwegian Business School awards merit scholarships. Living costs: the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) requires at least NOK 15,488 a month, or NOK 170,368 for the 2026–27 academic year, and Oslo is more expensive than other cities.

Students from outside the EU/EEA need a study permit from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) to study for more than three months: 1) After admission, apply online through the UDI application portal and pay the application fee (currently NOK 5,400), then hand in your documents at the Norwegian embassy or the appointed visa centre. 2) Money: NOK 170,368 for the 2026–27 academic year (NOK 15,488 a month), or NOK 77,440 for the autumn semester only and NOK 92,928 for the spring semester only, in a Norwegian bank account or the institution’s deposit account. You must also show that tuition is paid or that you have the money for it, or a confirmed fee exemption from your institution. 3) Other conditions: admission to a NOKUT-accredited institution, full-time study, somewhere to live, and circumstances indicating you will return home after your studies. UDI warns that permits for studies below master’s level can be hard to get for citizens of some countries. 4) Apply early: universities advise applying as soon as possible; applications submitted by 1 July are usually processed in time for the autumn semester. Your spouse and children can apply for family immigration, but UDI currently cannot process their applications at the same time as yours.

A study permit automatically lets you work up to 20 hours a week, including remote work, and full time during holidays, but you may not be self-employed or run a business. Wages are high, but part-time jobs are easier to find if you speak Norwegian, so do not rely on work to pay tuition or living costs. Time on a study permit does not count towards permanent residence. After graduation: you can apply for a job-seeker residence permit for up to one year, provided you completed your degree in Norway and apply before your study permit expires (ideally at least a month before), with NOK 28,448 a month (NOK 341,373 a year) of your own funds. During this time you may work in any job while looking for skilled work, then switch to a skilled-worker permit.