Norwegian higher education institutions fall into four main categories:
Most institutions are public. There are also private ones – some of them charge tuition fees to all students.
Norway follows the Bologna system:
Some programmes, including medicine, nursing and teacher training, have additional subject requirements or minimum grades.
Most master's programmes and many courses at bachelor's level are taught in English.
Norway – bachelor's programmes
Norway – integrated (single-cycle) programmes
Norway – master's programmes
Norway – doctoral programmes
Bachelor's programmes taught in Norwegian – you apply centrally through Samordna opptak (the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service). The portal opens every year on 1 February. The key dates:
Whether your school leaving certificate gives you general admission to higher education in Norway (generell studiekompetanse) you can check on the GSU list published by the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, HK-dir.
Programmes taught in English, mostly at master's level, admit students directly. Applicants from the EU/EEA usually have a later deadline than others – e.g. at UiT for autumn 2027: from 1 February to 1 March 2027. If you are from outside the EU/EEA, apply much earlier – at UiT by 15 November 2026 – because after admission you still need a study permit (see: Residence and formalities).
There is no national entrance exam. Many programmes have more applicants than places, and applicants are ranked mainly by their secondary school grades.
Arts programmes, e.g. in music, have their own deadlines and extra admission stages – the institution gives the details in the programme description.
For programmes taught in Norwegian you need to know Norwegian. You can prove it, for example, with:
If the GSU list requires applicants from your country to prove their English separately, for general admission it is enough to have, for example, TOEFL iBT with at least 60 points or IELTS with an overall score of at least 5.0.
For programmes taught in English, institutions set their own, usually higher requirements – check them in the programme description.
EU/EEA citizens do not need a visa. If you stay in Norway longer than 3 months, you must register in the registration scheme for EU/EEA nationals – no later than 3 months after arrival. You apply through the website of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, UDI, and the police issue the registration certificate.
Conditions for students:
Registration is free.
Students from outside the EU/EEA need a study permit from UDI, which you usually apply for before you travel. You apply online after you have been admitted, pay the application fee and hand in your documents at a Norwegian embassy or an application centre in your home country. You must have somewhere to live and prove that you can support yourself: NOK 170,368 a year, i.e. NOK 15,488 a month (2026/27). With a study permit you may also work part-time (see: Working while studying). Note: Study in Norway (HK-dir) gives NOK 170,368 for 2026/27, but the UDI website was still showing the 2025/26 amount (NOK 166,859) – check the current amount with UDI before you apply.
Health insurance for students from outside the EU/EEA: if you stay more than 12 months and have a valid residence permit, you are automatically covered by the National Insurance Scheme (folketrygden). For shorter stays you need private insurance; universities recommend taking out private health insurance before arrival in any case.
Students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland pay no tuition fees at public institutions. Since autumn 2023, however, students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland have to pay tuition. At UiT, for example, it is NOK 100,500, 150,500 or 351,000 a year, depending on the field. Study in Europe gives a typical range of NOK 130,000–390,000 a year.
All students pay a semester fee to the student welfare organisation (studentsamskipnad), which runs student housing and social services, among other things. At the University of Oslo it is NOK 690 for SiO, plus NOK 220 for Kopinor (copying of course materials) and a voluntary NOK 50 for the SAIH foundation. At UiT the semester fee is NOK 670.
Private institutions may charge tuition fees to everyone – check the amount on the institution's website.
Norway is expensive. The official estimate of a student's living costs for 2026/27 is NOK 15,488 a month, or NOK 170,368 a year – the amount students from outside the EU/EEA must document for their study permit. EU/EEA citizens don't have to prove it, but it is a realistic benchmark for your budget.
Housing: start with the student welfare organisation in your university town – your semester fee gives you access to its services, including student housing. In Oslo it is SiO, in Tromsø the Arctic Student Welfare Organisation. Apply for student housing as soon as you are admitted, and if you don't get a place, look for a room on the private market.
Norway has no government scholarships for all international students – you need to finance your studies in other ways. Your options:
EU/EEA citizens can work in Norway without restrictions.
Students from outside the EU/EEA with a study permit may work up to 20 hours a week during the semester (remote work included) and full time during the holidays.
Norwegian helps a lot when you are looking for a casual job. Start with your university's careers service. Vacancies are also published by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, NAV.
Sources: European Commission – Study in Europe (education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe), Eurostat, official national study and residence portals and authorities, Eurodesk, enic-naric.net, studentnews.eu. As of September 2026.
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