# Studying in Norway > EEA/Swiss students remain exempt from tuition at public institutions, while most degree students from outside the EEA/Switzerland pay institution-set fees. From 1 August 2026 the statutory cost-covering minimum was removed, giving institutions more freedom to lower fees; living-cost proof remains a major budget requirement. Source of record: https://versityspot.com/study-abroad/norway Confirmation: 15 of 15 sections confirmed against their official source (last 2026-08-08). ## Overview Norway introduced tuition for most degree students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland from autumn 2023. EU/EEA and Swiss students at public institutions remain exempt, and important exemptions also apply to groups such as exchange and doctoral students and some people with particular residence statuses. Always check the institution's exemption rules rather than relying only on nationality. A further reform took effect on 1 August 2026. Universities and university colleges must still charge tuition to the covered third-country group, but the previous requirement that the fee be at least cost-covering was removed. Institutions therefore have more freedom to set strategic, lower fees. This makes old 2023–25 tuition tables particularly unreliable for 2026/27. Living costs remain a major barrier regardless of tuition. For university/university-college study, UDI currently requires at least NOK 170,368 for the full 2026/27 academic year, equivalent to NOK 15,488 per month, and tuition must be covered on top where applicable. Compare the exact programme fee, exemption rules, housing availability and permit budget before applying. Norway is not one uniform price point for non-EEA students. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements* ## Study System The academic year normally runs from August to December and January to June. International deadlines are programme-specific and can be much earlier than the general Norwegian admissions cycle. Many institutions set November or December deadlines for applicants outside the EU/EEA and later spring deadlines for some EEA applicants, but you must use the programme's own current page. Check that the institution and programme are properly accredited. Admission rules, English-language requirements and document handling are set by the institution and may differ even between similar programmes. Students normally pay a semester fee to the local student welfare organisation in addition to any tuition. Study in Norway describes the semester fee as approximately NOK 1,000; the exact amount varies by institution/welfare organisation. Norwegian academic culture is relatively informal, with independent work and direct access to academic staff. Assessment formats vary, so do not assume every programme rests on one final examination. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements* ## Visa & Immigration Nordic citizens have special free-movement arrangements. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not use the ordinary third-country study-permit route, although registration requirements can apply. Most students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland need a study permit for university study lasting more than three months. For a university or university-college study permit in 2026/27, UDI requires admission to full-time study and at least NOK 15,488 per month, or NOK 170,368 for the full academic year. For one semester, UDI currently publishes NOK 77,440 for autumn 2026 and NOK 92,928 for spring 2027. If tuition applies, you must also document that it can be paid or has been paid. UDI accepts combinations of student loans, grants and your own funds. Own funds are normally placed in a Norwegian bank account or the educational institution's deposit account; income from an already-offered part-time job may also be included under UDI's rules. Follow UDI's evidence instructions rather than trying to manufacture a particular transfer pattern. The current study-permit application fee is NOK 5,400 for applicants aged 18 or over and NOK 2,700 for applicants under 18, including renewals. Fees and subsistence figures change, so recheck both immediately before applying. *Source: https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/studies/studietillatelse/* ## Residence Permit Students from outside the EU/EEA who receive a study permit normally register with the police after arrival and receive a residence card. Follow the appointment instructions in your UDI decision and book early around semester start. Your Norwegian identification-number process depends on citizenship and the length/type of stay. For a non-EU/EEA student, the Tax Administration states that UDI notifies it after a study permit is granted; if the study permit lasts more than nine months, you are registered as resident and receive a national identity number. If the permit is not over nine months, the Tax Administration sends information about the next steps. A D number may be issued when an authority or organisation needs you to have an identification number, but it is not simply an automatic 'short-stay student number'. EU/EEA and Nordic students follow different registration and move-reporting rules. For example, EU/EEA students staying six months or more generally report a move to the Tax Administration, while Nordic citizens have their own simplified arrangements. For third-country students, renewals require continued full-time study, normal progress—UDI says you cannot be more than one year behind—and sufficient funds. UDI recommends applying and uploading documents no later than one month before expiry. *Source: https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/foreign/international-students/* ## Healthcare Healthcare and National Insurance membership depend on your citizenship, length of stay and social-security position, so avoid a blanket 'twelve-month student rule'. NAV states that foreign students staying for less than a year are generally not members of the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme, while other students may become members under residence rules or can have rights through EEA coordination. Students from the EU/EEA or Switzerland will often remain insured through their home social-security system and should check European Health Insurance Card arrangements. Students outside those systems, especially on shorter stays, should verify whether private insurance or voluntary National Insurance membership is needed. If you become entitled to ordinary public healthcare, register with the relevant services and arrange a regular GP (fastlege) where applicable. Even insured students still face patient charges for many services up to the annual exemption-card system. Confirm your exact position with NAV/Health Norway before arrival rather than relying solely on the study permit's duration. *Source: https://www.nav.no/en/home/rules-and-regulations/membership-of-the-national-insurance-scheme* ## Housing Apply to the Samskipnad, the student welfare organisation of your city, on the day you are admitted. SiO in Oslo, Sammen in Bergen, Sit in Trondheim. Their housing is cheaper and more secure than anything on the private market, and demand exceeds supply everywhere, particularly in Oslo. Proof of somewhere to live is a condition of the study permit, so this is not a task you can defer. On the private market a one bedroom flat in Oslo runs well above NOK 15,000 a month, which is why sharing is normal. A deposit is standard and, by law, must be held in a separate deposit account in your own name rather than paid to the landlord directly. If a landlord asks you to transfer a deposit to their personal account, that is not how it works. Never pay for a room you have not seen. Listings targeting arriving international students appear every August. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements* ## Bank Accounts A Norwegian bank account requires your national identity number or D number, so it follows registration rather than arrival. Bring your passport, your residence card and your registration documents. The account brings BankID, the electronic identity used to log in to public services, sign contracts and file your tax return. Almost nothing official happens without it. Norway is close to cashless. Cards work everywhere and Vipps, a phone based payment app, is how people split bills and pay individuals. Carry no cash; several shops no longer accept it at all. If your study permit required funds in a Norwegian account, that account is usually opened through your institution before you arrive. It is not the same as your everyday account. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements* ## Taxes If you work you need a tax deduction card, a skattekort, from Skatteetaten, the tax administration. Your employer downloads it directly. Without one, tax is withheld at a punitive flat rate that you then have to reclaim. Income tax is deducted at source. Every spring you receive a pre filled tax return, check it, and correct anything wrong. It is the least painful tax system most international students will ever meet. Students earning modestly across a year often pay little in the end, but tax is still withheld through the year and reconciled afterwards. You cannot be self employed or run your own business on a study permit. This is a hard condition, not a formality. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements* ## Transportation Transport is regional, and each city runs its own operator and its own app: Ruter in Oslo, Skyss in Bergen, AtB in Trondheim. Student discounts on monthly passes are substantial and generally require you to be under thirty. Trains and long distance buses connect the cities and the scenery does most of the work. Booking early is much cheaper. Cycling is common in Oslo and Trondheim and less so once the ice arrives. Winter tyres exist for bicycles and are not a joke. Norway is long. Flying between the north and the south is normal and often cheaper than the train. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/* ## Student Life Term begins with fadderuke, the buddy week, run by older students. It is the single best opportunity to meet people and it is worth arriving early for. Student life is organised through the Samskipnad and through student societies, which in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim run their own buildings, bars and festivals. Trondheim's student society is famously large. Alcohol is expensive and sold through a state monopoly, the Vinmonopolet, which closes early and on Sundays. People drink at home first, a practice called vorspiel, and go out late. Norwegians take friluftsliv, open air life, seriously: hiking, skiing and cabins are the default weekend. Winters are long and dark, particularly in the north. Buy proper clothing and go outside anyway, which is precisely what everyone here does. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/* ## Language There are many English taught master's programmes and you can complete one without Norwegian. Bachelor's degrees are largely taught in Norwegian and require documented proficiency. Norwegian has two written standards, Bokmaal and Nynorsk. You will learn Bokmaal. Spoken dialects vary enormously and Norwegians switch to English readily, which is generous and slows your progress. Most institutions offer Norwegian courses to international students, often free, and they fill immediately. Register the moment they open. The language matters most after graduation. Employers outside academia and the oil industry generally expect it, and the job seeking window is short. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/* ## Part-time Jobs A third-country university study permit normally gives permission to work up to 20 hours per week while studying and full time during ordinary holidays. UDI includes this work permission in the study permit rather than requiring a separate ordinary work permit. You may not be self-employed or run your own business on the study permit. If work is a required part of the education, different/full-time work arrangements can apply under UDI's rules. When you renew the study permit, UDI reassesses the work permission as part of the case. Falling substantially behind in your studies can therefore affect both the permit and your ability to keep working. EU/EEA, Swiss and Nordic citizens have different free-movement labour rules and are not subject to the same 20-hour study-permit condition. *Source: https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/studies/studietillatelse/* ## Post-study Work If you complete education in Norway and meet the requirements, you may apply before your study permit expires for UDI's job-seeker permit for people who recently graduated in Norway. UDI recommends applying at least one month before the existing permit expires. For the recently-graduated category, the permit can be granted for a maximum of one year. While looking for relevant skilled work, you may work full time or part time, including temporarily in jobs that do not themselves require skilled-worker qualifications. You may not be self-employed or run your own business. Once you obtain qualifying skilled employment, you normally move to the relevant work-residence route. Do not confuse the graduate category with UDI's separate general job-seeker category, which has different conditions. UDI explicitly states that time on the graduate job-seeker permit does not count toward permanent residence. Study permits are also temporary permits that do not themselves form the ordinary permanent-residence clock, so plan settlement around the later qualifying permit category rather than assuming your student years fully count. *Source: https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/work-immigration/job-seekers/* ## Emergency Numbers Norway uses three separate emergency numbers, and they are not the same as in Germany or Sweden. Fire is 110. Police is 112. Ambulance is 113. For urgent medical help that is not an emergency, call 116 117, the out of hours medical service. All work from any phone, and English is spoken. Save all three: the number you need in an emergency is not one to look up. Your institution will have its own emergency contact, and the Samskipnad provides free counselling to students. *Source: https://studyinnorway.no/* ## Government Websites UDI, the Directorate of Immigration, decides study permits, renewals and work rights. Its pages are the authority; consultancy blogs about Norway are unusually often out of date, still describing free tuition and stale subsistence figures. The police complete your registration and issue your residence card. Skatteetaten, the tax administration, issues your national identity number and your tax card. NOKUT accredits institutions. The Samskipnad of your city handles housing, health and welfare. Study in Norway, run on behalf of the Norwegian government, is the reliable general starting point. Almost everything requires an appointment booked online, and almost everything is booked out in August. *Source: https://www.udi.no/en/*