Exemption from tuition in Norway applies to more people than many think. State universities must charge tuition to citizens from countries outside the EEA and Switzerland. But the law exempts four groups entirely, and if you already live in Norway with a residence permit, you are often one of them.
Who is exempt from tuition in Norway?
The Universities and University Colleges Act (LOV-2024-03-08-9) § 2-6 second paragraph states that state educational institutions shall not charge tuition from four groups. This is a right you have under the law, not something the institution decides:
- Citizens who under international agreements have the right to be treated equally with Norwegian citizens.
- Citizens who "may have the right" to loans and grants on Norwegian terms. This covers most people who already live in Norway.
- Doctoral candidates (Ph.D.). They do not pay and do not need to apply for exemption.
- Students in an institutional exchange partnership. The institution may still charge payment if the agreement says so.
The Universities and University Colleges Regulation § 4-4 additionally exempts students in the programmes Students at Risk (StAR), NORPART, NORHED, Fulbright and Erasmus Mundus. Educational institutions may also exempt joint degrees with foreign institutions, and the Sámi University of Applied Sciences may exempt indigenous students.
If you are applying for a study place, SamfunnPrep has a guide to how to apply for study places through Samordna opptak.
The main rule: state universities must charge tuition to non-EEA citizens
If you are a citizen of a country outside the EEA or Switzerland, and not covered by an exemption, you must pay. Higher education at state educational institutions shall be free (§ 2-5), but § 2-6 makes exceptions: the institutions shall charge self-financing from this group.
The law calls it self-financing. Educational institutions say tuition, and at UDI (Directorate of Immigration) and in everyday speech it is called school fees.
- Citizens from EEA countries and Switzerland never pay this charge — see EEA citizens studying in Norway.
- If you were accepted to the study programme before autumn 2023, you do not pay. But NTNU counts a Norwegian language course as new admission, so the transition rule does not cover the course.
The old regulation on self-financing (FOR-2005-12-15-1506) was repealed on 1 August 2024, but is still cited by many websites. The rules now appear in the law and in the Universities and University Colleges Regulation (FOR-2024-06-28-1392) chapter 4.
Do you have the right to Lånekassen on Norwegian terms? Then you should not pay
This is the most important exemption for you who already live in Norway. The law says "may have the right" — you do not need to apply for or take out a student loan. It is enough that you meet the conditions in the Regulation on Educational Support (FOR-2020-04-15-798) § 7:
| § 7 | Your situation | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| a | Permanent residence permit | Easiest to document |
| b | Protection, strong humanitarian grounds or special connection to the realm | Lånekassen has established that collective protection for Ukrainians counts as asylum |
| c | Family member of an EEA citizen who is in Norway for a reason other than studies | Immigration Act §§ 113 and 114 |
| d | Family migration with Norwegian citizen, or with foreigner who has other grounds than studies | Also continued residence on independent grounds under Immigration Act § 53 |
| e | Married, cohabitant with shared child or partner with Norwegian citizen | Both must live in Norway |
| f | Full-time employment in Norway for 24 consecutive months | Requires residence, paid tax and residence permit as employee. Au pair does not count |
| g | Lived and studied in Norway for 36 months, passed 180 study points | Without public educational support during the period |
Routes f and g are little known, but apply to many migrant workers. If you are in Norway on a study permit, you are not on the list. Read more about who gets loans and grants from Lånekassen on Norwegian terms, and about permanent residence permit as grounds for exemption.
How to apply for exemption — and the deadlines that can cost you your study place
The exemption does not come automatically — you must apply yourself and document your grounds. NTNU explains why: privacy regulations mean the institution cannot see your residence grounds.
- You receive an admission letter and invoice for tuition.
- You apply for exemption. NTNU's deadline is three weeks after the admission letter, with around three weeks of processing time.
- You send documentation. At UiO (University of Oslo), the deadline is 8 August for autumn and 10 January for spring.
- At NTNU, the payment deadline on the invoice is automatically paused while the application is being processed, and the invoice is deleted if you receive exemption. Other institutions may have their own rules — check with yours.
Three traps: you cannot combine multiple grounds for exemption (UiO); if you receive an admission letter without tuition mentioned and you are not exempt, you have a duty to inform; and without payment and without exemption you lose your study place.
Exemption does not remove UDI's requirement for sufficient funds for living expenses. That requirement is in study permit: requirements, money and work alongside studies.
What does tuition cost if you have to pay?
There is no national rate. Each institution sets its own price, per study programme, and it changes from year to year. The figures below are examples, retrieved 29 July 2026.
| Institution and academic year | Field of study | Tuition per year |
|---|---|---|
| NTNU 2026/2027 | humanities, social sciences, economics | 176,300 kr |
| NTNU 2026/2027 | natural sciences, technology, health, teacher education | 205,600 kr |
| NTNU 2026/2027 | medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine | 528,650 kr |
| UiO 2026/2027 | entire programme table | 136,000–569,000 kr |
Neither UiO nor NTNU offer scholarships that cover tuition. UiO requires the full annual fee to be paid before the academic year starts, not in instalments.
From 2026/2027, NTNU has set much lower prices on five master's programmes: 26,445–61,705 kr per year. UiO's rates for 2027/2028 show that prices can go down as easily as up — a natural sciences master's goes from 295,000 kr to 218,000 kr.
Effective from 1 August 2026: minimum price disappears, private institutions get new obligation
The Amendment Act LOV-2026-06-19-60 comes into force on 1 August 2026. It does two things in opposite directions.
One: the requirement that self-financing must at least cover the institution's costs is repealed. From 1 August 2026 there is no statutory minimum price. The law does not require anyone to lower the price — it only removes the floor. Whether anyone actually lowers the fee is not decided.
The other: private universities and university colleges with government funding shall charge self-financing from students outside the EEA and Switzerland, and they decide themselves whether they will charge the four groups in § 2-6 second paragraph. Today, § 6-2 third paragraph only states that private institutions cannot use government funding for these groups. If you attend a private institution, you should ask whether your exemption applies from 1 August 2026. At state institutions, the exemption is unchanged.
What happens if my residence permit changes during my studies?
Exemption from tuition follows your residence grounds and must as a rule be renewed each academic year. If your grounds change, the exemption may lapse during your degree.
NTNU gives an example: if you have residence through family migration, both the residence grounds and exemption may lapse if the person you have residence with leaves Norway. UiO states that some must renew the exemption each academic year or semester, and when admitted to a new study programme.
Inform the institution as soon as something changes. If you are an asylum seeker without approved residence, you are not on the list in § 7 — ask the institution.
Tuition is not the same as semester fee
The semester fee is a separate, statutory fee to the student union. All students pay it, even those exempt from tuition. The Regulation on Student Unions § 15 states that everyone at the same union pays the same sum. The obligation applies to you as a student studying at least 15 study points per semester, and everyone who registers for an exam (§ 17).
The amount is a few hundred kroner per semester and is set locally, so check the sum at your union. UiO additionally requires a Kopinor fee at semester registration.
Many of these rules are topics for the social science test. See also support from Lånekassen for higher education. Ready to practise? Try SamfunnPrep for free.
