27 institutions and 353 English-taught degree programmes from the Study in Norway register, tuition that depends on where you come from and where you study, and a study-permit process run by UDI. This is how it fits together.
Tuition fees
Normally no fee for EU/EEA and Swiss students at public institutions; others pay, and fees vary
Read more →Cost of living
The official estimate for 2026/27 is NOK 15,488 a month
Read more →Residence permit
Students from outside the EU/EEA apply to UDI once admitted
Read more →International students
Applying, language requirements, work rules
Read more →Supporting yourself
NOK 170,368 for the year, and how to show it
Read more →Health insurance
The national insurance scheme and private cover
Read more →Accommodation
Student welfare organisations and how their waiting lists work
Read more →Programmes
Browse English-taught degree programmes
Read more →Who teaches what
Study in Norway describes the sector as public and private universities, specialised universities, universities of applied sciences and university colleges. This directory currently lists 11 state universities, 2 specialised universities, 3 university colleges, 8 private institutions and 3 arts academies. You can browse them by type from the universities page.
Degrees follow the usual bachelor’s and master’s pattern. A bachelor’s degree is comparable to 180 ECTS credits, and Study in Norway asks for a degree of that size, from a recognised and accredited university, as the starting point for a master’s. NHH, for example, runs its bachelor’s over three years and its master’s over two, and the University of Oslo’s fee table lists two-year master’s programmes alongside a few of one and a half years. Study in Norway also mentions one- and two-semester programmes and summer schools. The register behind this directory covers English-taught degree programmes only. Study in Norway puts the number of English-taught programmes at more than 350, particularly at master’s level.
How the system works, in short
- Entry requirements. The basic requirement for a bachelor’s degree is the Higher Education Entrance Qualification (GSU), and HK-dir’s GSU list says what that means for your country. For a master’s you need a bachelor’s degree that includes at least one and a half years of study in a subject relevant to the programme. See the international students guide.
- Where you apply. English-taught bachelor’s degrees are applied for through each institution’s own system. Norwegian-taught bachelor’s degrees go through the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (Samordna opptak, NUCAS), which does not handle master’s applications. Deadlines are set per institution and programme, so read them on the programme page.
- Money. Students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland normally pay tuition. Everyone pays a semester fee of about NOK 1,000 to the student welfare organisation (samskipnad) tied to the institution, and there are 14 of these organisations. UDI expects students who need a study permit to show NOK 170,368 for the 2026/27 year, plus tuition where it applies.
- Quality. UDI requires the place of study to be on the list of approved institutions kept by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT). We know of no official star rating; see how we handle that.
- PhDs are outside this degree-programme register. Study in Norway points to jobbnorge.no for PhD positions, and doctoral candidates are among the groups exempt from tuition fees.
Popular fields of study
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