Start with the student welfare organisation linked to your institution. They offer housing that is usually cheaper than the open market, but it is competitive, especially in the big cities. Apply as soon as you are admitted, and make sure you have a contract for your study permit.
Who provides student housing?
Most Norwegian institutions are linked to a student welfare organisation (samskipnad). These organisations were set up by the Ministry of Education and Research and get some funding from it, but they are not part of the state administration. All students pay them a semester fee, around NOK 1,000, to be allowed to study and take exams. In return, you get access to housing, health services, childcare, food and sports facilities.
Which organisation serves you depends on your institution. Study in Norway lists 14: Nord studentsamskipnad (Studentinnord), Norges arktiske studentsamskipnad (Samskipnaden), Studentsamskipnaden i Agder (SiA), Studentsamskipnaden i Gjøvik, Ålesund og Trondheim (Sit), Studentsamskipnaden i Indre Finnmark (SSO), Studentsamskipnaden i Innlandet (SINN), Studentsamskipnaden i Molde (SiMolde), Studentsamskipnaden SiO (SiO), Studentsamskipnaden i Stavanger (SiS), Studentsamskipnaden i Sørøst-Norge (SSN), Studentsamskipnaden i Volda (SiVolda), Studentsamskipnaden i Østfold (SiØ), Studentsamskipnaden i Ås (SiÅs) and Studentsamskipnaden på Vestlandet (Sammen).
Housing through these organisations is normally secure and more reasonably priced than the open market, but it is competitive. Many students share a flat to keep costs down. For a full picture of what you will spend each month, see our cost of living guide.
How the waiting list works: SiO in Oslo as an example
SiO has student housing across Oslo and Lillestrøm and publishes the clearest guide, so we use it as an example. Other organisations have their own rules, so check theirs.
To apply with SiO, you must be enrolled at an institution SiO serves, pay the semester fee through it, and be 34 or younger. As a general rule, PhD candidates cannot apply; they should contact their university for housing help.
You choose a type of housing, build a wish list and can apply for up to six units. You can change your application at any time without losing your place in the queue.
Housing in the city centre is popular and often has long waiting lists. If you want housing quickly, SiO suggests filling all six preferences, favouring the larger student areas such as Kringsjå, Sogn and Bjølsen, and ticking the option to receive offers for similar units. If you decline a similar offer, you lose your place in the queue.
For a start in August, SiO advises applying for unfurnished housing. If you are offered a room and sign the contract in time, you can apply for an internal move once you have moved in. If you decline or do not sign by the deadline, you go to the back of the queue.
Timing matters. SiO says there is high demand for the August start, and that priority for the August and January move-in dates goes to the youngest new students and to some international students with a housing guarantee from their institution. It cannot predict waiting times, because they depend on when you apply, who else is queuing, and how many people move out.
Housing guarantee in Bergen
Sammen, the welfare organisation for Vestlandet, offers a housing guarantee for international students coming to Bergen for the first time. The guarantee is valid for one stay only, and the room will be furnished. It covers exchange students, self-financed Master's and Bachelor's students, and students in other collaboration programmes with a minimum duration of one semester.
If you are coming to Sogndal, Førde, Haugesund or Stord, you will receive information by email.
You apply within a set period. For the autumn semester, the application period is 1 April to 15 May, with a deadline of 15 May. For the spring semester, it is 1 October to 1 November, with a deadline of 1 November. You can choose among all housing alternatives and select three preferred options. Sammen will try to meet your request but will allocate according to availability. At Fantoft TRE, Fantoft and Hatleberg, one-semester students may be allocated a room sharing with one other student, even if they did not apply for this option.
If you are offered a room, you must accept within the deadline given in the agreement. You sign the lease using an SMS code, so make sure you register a valid phone number when applying. If you do not accept in time, the offer is cancelled.
If you need to cancel because you are not going to study in Bergen after all, you can do so by providing a written statement from your place of study through Sammen's contact form, no later than 24 June for the autumn semester and 30 November for the spring semester. Any other reason for cancellation is treated as an ordinary termination period.
Other international students who are not in the guaranteed categories are not guaranteed a room. The deadline for applications for the autumn semester is still 15 May.
What UDI needs to see
If you are applying for a study permit, UDI asks for documentation that you have somewhere to live: a house, flat, room in a shared flat or similar. A rented home needs a written contract approved by the owner, manager or housing co-operative. If your institution arranges the accommodation, the admission letter is enough.
UDI recommends that the contract states the dwelling number, an H followed by four digits such as H0101. Keep your contract safe; you will need it for the permit.
For more on permits and insurance, see our healthcare and insurance page.
A plan that works from abroad
Ask the international office before you accept your place. Find out whether the institution reserves housing for international students and note the deadline in writing. Do not treat an admission letter as a housing offer.
Apply to the student welfare organisation as early as it allows, and fill in every preference you are given. Keep the contract for UDI.
Budget from the national estimate. The official living-cost figure is NOK 15,488 a month for 2026/27 and includes housing. That figure covers food, electricity, transport and other costs too, so use it as a starting point and adjust for your own habits.
If you are looking outside the student welfare organisations, ask your institution which sources it trusts. Read any contract before you pay, and never pay for a home you have not been able to verify.
Before you choose where to study, it helps to compare cities and institutions. Our universities guide can help you see what each place offers.
What if you do not get an offer?
SiO says its waiting lists change constantly, and it is hard to predict when you will get an answer. Check your email regularly and be patient.
If you want housing quickly, fill in all six preferences, consider the big student areas where there are many units, and accept an offer even if it is not the type you hoped for. You can apply for an internal move afterwards. Remember that housing in the city centre is popular and has long waiting lists.
Other organisations have their own rules, so check the one that serves your institution. Many students share a flat to keep costs down.
What about costs?
The official sources we used give no rent figures, so we give none. Each organisation lists its own rents. The national living-cost estimate of NOK 15,488 a month for 2026/27 covers housing together with food, electricity, transport and other costs. For a detailed breakdown, see our cost of living page.
Housing through a student welfare organisation is normally more reasonably priced than the open market, but it is competitive, especially in the bigger cities.
Quick comparison: SiO and Sammen
| Feature | SiO (Oslo) | Sammen (Bergen) |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply | Enrolled at a SiO institution, pay semester fee, 34 or younger; PhD candidates generally cannot apply | Students at Sammen institutions who have paid the semester fee and are at least 18; others may apply with lower priority |
| Application deadline for autumn | 1 June for priority if you are a new student or have a housing guarantee | 15 May |
| Number of preferences | Up to 6 | 3 |
| Housing guarantee | Some international students with a guarantee from their institution | Yes, for certain international students coming to Bergen for the first time |
Use this table as a starting point, not as a full list of rules. Always check the official page of the organisation that serves your institution.
Frequently asked questions
Does my institution arrange housing for me?
Some do for some students. SiO in Oslo says that if your educational institution has reserved housing for you, follow the instructions from the institution and ignore SiO's general application guide. Policies differ, so ask your international office what it offers and by when you must act. Do not treat an admission letter as a housing offer.
How early should I apply for student housing in Norway?
As early as possible. SiO says that in most cases the people who apply earliest receive offers first, and that for move-in dates other than 1 August and 2 January applications are ranked by the date of the original application. For the August and January start dates, priority goes to the youngest new students and to some international students with a housing guarantee, who must apply by a set date; SiO's guide gives 1 June for the autumn and 1 November for the spring. Check SiO's page for the current dates.
Who can live in student housing?
That is decided by each student welfare organisation. SiO's conditions are that you are enrolled at an institution it serves, that you pay the semester fee to SiO through the institution, and that you are 34 or younger; as a general rule PhD candidates cannot apply and get help with housing from their university. Check the rules of the organisation that serves your institution.
What does UDI need to see about housing for my study permit?
If you apply for a study permit, you must show that you have somewhere to live. A rented home needs a written rental contract approved by the owner, manager or housing co-operative. If your institution organises the accommodation, it is enough that it says so in your letter of admission. UDI recommends that the contract states the dwelling number, an H followed by four digits such as H0101.
Sources
- Study in Norway: Student welfare organisations studyinnorway.no/student-welfare-organisations Used for: The 14 organisations, their services and the semester fee
- Study in Norway: Cost and requirements studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements Used for: Housing through the student welfare organisations; sharing a flat; the NOK 15,488 estimate
- SiO: Student housing in Oslo sio.no/en/housing Used for: Housing in Oslo and Lillestrøm; thrift store
- SiO: Application process and waiting list sio.no/en/housing/information/how-to-apply Used for: Who can apply, how early, six preferences, waiting list, accepting an offer
- UDI: Checklist for students udi.no/en/checklists-container/studies-au-pair/checklist-student/ Used for: What counts as proof of housing for a study permit; dwelling number
Last checked: 29 October 2026. Rules and amounts change; confirm them on the official page before you act on them. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.
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