Financial Aid in Norway

Another one of our readers wanted to know about financial aid in Norway. Although by law, education is free for anyone living in Norway, Norway is expensive. The living cost in Norway is higher than most of the rest of the developed world. For this reason, students must plan well in order to manage their living costs. They can work part-time up to 20 hours per week, but in many cases this may prove to be insufficient. If this is the case, there are several financial aid and scholarship options available for international students studying in Norway.

However, the competition for these scholarships and financial aid is high. Acceptance for aid in Norway depends on the student’s academic background, the country in which they reside, and the course they study.

There are national programs offered by the Norwegian government, as well as various other programs offered by both private and non-profit organizations to provide scholarships and other types of funding for international students to help support their studies and stay in Norway. The Norwegian Center for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU) is a public administrative body under the Ministry of Education and Research in Norway that promotes international cooperation in education and research and administrates several programs under which international students are eligible for financial support.

Types of Aid Available in Norway

1. Quota Scheme – each year, in order to promote the internationalization of higher education, the Norwegian government provides full scholarships for 1,100 international students. The scholarships are offered to 800 international students from developing countries and 300 students from Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Generally, this scholarship is given to master’s and PhD level courses taught in English. Several universities and colleges of Norway are allocated the quota to provide funding to international students.
2. Norwegian Government Scholarship – this is provided by the Norwegian government each year to advanced international students and talented young researchers with the aim to promote good relationships between Norwegian and foreign students. It is offered through the Norwegian International Scholarship Section (IS) of the Research Council, and is available to all areas of academic studies, including applied and performing arts. However, this scholarship is not provided for the whole period of completion of a degree in Norway, but is intended to finance a temporary stay of up to one academic year.

In addition to these scholarships and financial aid programs, various other programs such as:

• Norad’s Program for Master Studies (NOMA)
• Fellowship Program for Studies in the High North
• Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Program
• The Norwegian State Educational Load fund

are available for international students to support their education in Norway. Be sure to also check out private scholarships for Norway here.

Posted in International Education, International Scholarships, Study Abroad