You don't apply to Norway to become an exchange student. You apply to your home university, which nominates you under an exchange agreement it already has with a Norwegian institution. So the first conversation you need to have is with the international office at your own university, not with a Norwegian campus.
Start with your home university, and start early
An exchange student is someone temporarily enrolled at a university in another country for a semester or two while still working towards a degree at home. That definition tells you where the paperwork starts: at home.
Your home university knows which exchange agreements it has, what the requirements are and what the deadlines are. It is also the body that nominates you. Study in Norway advises contacting your home university first, and well in advance of the planned exchange. Do that even if you already know exactly which Norwegian institution you want, the agreement has to exist on both sides before anything else can happen.
If you are still choosing where to study more broadly, our guide for international students is a good place to get your bearings before you approach anyone.
What an exchange in Norway actually involves
Norwegian institutions have exchange agreements with universities all over the world. Most agreements allow a stay of between three months and up to a year, and that stay can be for studies, a traineeship or a combination of the two. So an exchange is not always a straight semester of lectures, if your agreement covers a work placement, you may be able to build that in.
Teaching is rarely the obstacle. Most Norwegian institutions offer a broad portfolio of courses in English to exchange students from partner institutions, so you do not need to know Norwegian to study in Norway. You will need to pick courses that your home university will recognise, which is a conversation to have with your home department before you commit.
If you want a sense of how Norwegian institutions structure their degrees in general, bachelor's degrees of three years and 180 ECTS, master's degrees of two years and 120 ECTS, and roughly 60 ECTS for a year of full-time study, our overview of all universities in Norway shows what is in the catalogue.
Money: what exchange changes, and what it doesn't
The fee picture is genuinely better for exchange students than for degree students. Exchange students are covered by an institutional exchange programme and are normally exempt from tuition fees at public institutions, although an institution may charge a fee if the exchange agreement says so. Read the agreement, or ask your coordinator to translate it, rather than assuming.
That is a different position from degree-seeking students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, who must normally pay tuition fees at Norwegian institutions, with fees varying between institutions and programmes.
Scholarships are the thin part of an exchange. The Erasmus+ programme offers scholarships for exchange studies or traineeships. The Norwegian government offers no individual scholarships to exchange students, though a few other foundations and schemes do. Our scholarship directory is where to look for those, and you can cross-check with your home university, which often knows about mobility grants that your Norwegian host has never heard of.
Permits and practicalities
The permit rules do not soften because you are an exchange student. Students from outside the EU/EEA who stay in Norway for three months or longer need a study permit, and the requirements are the same for exchange and degree students. Plan for that process to run alongside your academic paperwork rather than after it.
Applications and decisions are handled by UDI, so use udi.no for the current requirements and any fees. We can't give immigration advice, and neither can your exchange coordinator in Norway, however helpful they are.
You will also sort out accommodation, insurance and registration with your host institution. Your host's exchange or international office is the right place for all three, and they will usually send you a checklist once your nomination is confirmed.
Exchange versus a full degree
The two routes look similar from the outside and are completely different to organise. The table below sets out where each one starts.
| Question | Exchange | Full degree |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you apply? | Your home university | Norwegian institution's own system, or NUCAS for Norwegian-taught bachelor's degrees |
| Who nominates you? | Your home university | Nobody, you apply directly |
| Typical fee position | Normally exempt from tuition fees at public institutions, unless the agreement says otherwise | Degree-seekers from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland normally pay fees |
| Scholarships | Erasmus+; the Norwegian government offers no individual scholarships to exchange students | No individual scholarships from the Norwegian government |
| Study permit | Required for stays of three months or longer from outside the EU/EEA | Same rule |
| How long? | Three months up to a year | Three years for a bachelor's (180 ECTS), two years for a master's (120 ECTS) |
Note that master's programmes are not part of the NUCAS coordinated application service, so if you later decide to return as a degree student, master's applicants apply through the institution's own website. Entry to English-taught bachelor's degrees also goes through the institutions' own systems.
How to get started this month
- Email your home international office and ask which Norwegian partner agreements your university holds, in your subject.
- Ask for the nomination deadline, the language requirement, and the list of courses you would need to have approved.
- Shortlist one or two Norwegian institutions from those partners. This site lists 27 Norwegian higher education institutions and 353 programmes imported from the Study in Norway register, which is a useful starting point.
- Check the host institution's exchange pages for English-taught course lists and their own deadlines, you will usually have to submit something to them after nomination.
- Check udi.no for the study permit as soon as your nomination looks likely, not after you are accepted.
- Ask both sides, in writing, whether any fee applies to your specific agreement.
On money and numbers: tuition fees, application deadlines and programme details on this site are shown as listed in the Study in Norway register, and you must confirm them with the institution. The same goes for the fee your host may charge under an exchange agreement, the register is a starting point, not the final word. For any figure you actually need, check with the institution, studyinnorway.no, udi.no, hkdir.no or lanekassen.no.
Sources
- Study in Norway, become an exchange student
- Study in Norway, scholarships for exchange students
- Study in Norway, tuition fees
- Study in Norway, cost and requirements
- Study in Norway, the Norwegian education system
- Study in Norway, admission to degree programmes
- Study in Norway, scholarships for degree students
- Samordna opptak, English home page
- This site's catalogue, imported from the Study in Norway register
Frequently asked questions
Do I apply to the Norwegian university or my own university for an exchange?
You apply to your home university, which nominates you under an exchange agreement it holds with a Norwegian partner. Your home university knows which agreements it has and what the requirements and deadlines are, so contact them well in advance of the planned exchange.
Do I need to speak Norwegian to go on exchange to Norway?
No. Most Norwegian institutions offer a broad portfolio of courses in English to exchange students from partner institutions. Check the host's course list for your subject before you commit, since you also need your home university to approve the courses.
Do exchange students pay tuition fees in Norway?
Exchange students are covered by an institutional exchange programme and are normally exempt from tuition fees at public institutions, although an institution may charge a fee if the exchange agreement says so. Ask both your home and host institution to confirm in writing whether a fee applies to your agreement.
Can I get a scholarship as an exchange student in Norway?
The Erasmus+ programme offers scholarships for exchange studies or traineeships. The Norwegian government offers no individual scholarships to exchange students, though a few other foundations and schemes do, and your home university may know about mobility grants.