Cost of Education

Norway doesn’t charge tuition fees. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you’re studying, you normally won’t pay a single Krone in tuition in Norway. However, this only applies to public schools that receive funding from the state.

Norway doesn’t charge tuition fees. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you’re studying, you normally won’t pay a single Krone in tuition in Norway. However, this only applies to public schools that receive funding from the state.

The logic of the Norwegian government is that, as Norway can be expensive, this can be offset through free tuition.

Private schools are free to set their own fees. These can vary from 86,000NOK (US$9500) for undergraduate programs to 103,000NOK (US$11,300) or more for postgraduate study. You can usually find out whether a school is public or private on their website.

Living Cost

There are no two ways about it: Scandinavia is expensive. In fact, Oslo has some of the highest living costs of any capital city in the world. This means that you’ll need to budget carefully.

There are no two ways about it: Scandinavia is expensive. In fact, Oslo has some of the highest living costs of any capital city in the world. This means that you’ll need to budget carefully.

International students can find themselves studying right across Norway, but, as Oslo is the capital, these costs will reflect the cost of living there.

Some average costs of living in Oslo (in NOK and USD) are:

• Monthly rent (1 bedroom apartment): 13,100NOK ($1550) *

• Utilities (monthly average): 1200NOK ($140)

• Monthly public transport pass: 770NOK ($90)

• Meal (inexpensive restaurant): 180NOK ($20)

• Coffee: 40NOK ($4.80)

• Milk (1 liter): 18NOK ($2.10)

• Vegetables (1kg): 20NOK ($2.40)

• Eggs (dozen): 35NOK ($4.20)

• Water (1.5 liter): 20NOJ ($2.40) **

• Chicken (1kg): 130NOK ($15.60)

• Wine (bottle): 150NOK ($18)

• Bread (loaf): 30NOK ($3.60)

*Rent in Norway can be expensive. That’s why many students, Norwegian and international alike, choose to live in corridors. These are like dorms in the US.

** You can drink the tap water in Norway, so you won’t have to factor this into your everyday expenses.

The Norwegian Krone is heavily tied to the price of oil, so it can fluctuate a lot. That means that these conversions can change.

The average cost of living for one person in Oslo is about 10,700NOK ($1280) per month. This doesn’t include rent. As in many countries, rent is counted as a separate cost in Norway.

Norway is mostly served by cards. Chip-and-pin and contactless payments are the norm. In fact, some places, particularly in cities, don’t even accept cash.

As Norway is an expensive country, many students choose to take up a parttime job while they study. You don’t need to know Norwegian to find work in Norway. But it can be tough to find work outside of Oslo and Bergen without at least some knowledge of it as most Norwegians also speak English.

As for healthcare, Norway has a great system. Its healthcare is universal, which it’s free or nearly free at the point of access. Your residence permit grants you access to healthcare for most things. You can find medical centers up and down the country, even in more rural areas.