Student housing in Norway
How student housing works in Norway, including providers, queues, deposits, contracts and practical risks to check before signing.
Read the complete Norway study abroad guide.
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
Common questions
What should international students know about housing in Norway?
Apply to the Samskipnad the day you are admitted. Deposits are held in a separate account by law.