Study permit requirements
In order to be granted a residence permit as a student in Norway, you must:
1. Be able to document your identity
A certified copy of a valid travel document (passport) must be enclosed with the application.
2. Be admitted to an approved full-time education programme
3. Possess financial means (subsistence)
You must be able to support yourself and your family for the whole period for which you are applying for a study permit. You must have funds corresponding to the amount of full support from the
Norwegian State Education Loan Fund. If you are to pay tuition fees, this sum will come in addition to those fees. Student loans, grants, own funds or income from employment can be included in these funds.
You must present a concrete offer of employment if you plan to cover all or part of the financial maintenance requirement by means of income from employment. A complete offer of employment contains a description of your position, working hours per week and hourly wage in NOK, as well as the duration of the offer of employment.
If you have own funds, you must transfer the amount to an account in your own name in a Norwegian bank or deposit the amount in an account established by the educational institution for this purpose. You can document that you possess the funds by means of a transcript of your bank balance, or a confirmation from the educational institution that the money is deposited in an account.
4. Be guaranteed accommodation
It must be guaranteed that you have somewhere to live during the period that the application refers to. The accommodation requirement is met if you have at your disposal a house, an apartment, a bedsitter or a room in a hall of residence.
5. Leave Norway when your residence permit expires
It must be probable that you will return to your home country when you have completed your studies, and circumstances in your home country must also indicate that you will be able to return.
How to apply
You submit an
application form to
the Norwegian embassy or consulate in your home country or in the country where you have held a residence permit for the past six months. You cannot enter Norway and start working until you have received your residence permit. You will receive an answer to your application from the embassy or consulate or, if relevant, through the person you have authorised in Norway.
Exemptions for certain groups
If you are among those who can apply from Norway, you can enter the country before you have been granted the residence permit. You can apply from Norway if you:
- have been admitted through programmes organised by the American Field Service (AFS), American Scandinavian Student Exchange (ASSE), Fulbright, Youth for Understanding (YFU), STS High School Foundation (STS), Rotary or the Research Council of Norway (NFR)
- have a scholarship from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) or other Norwegian public institution
- are going to study at an institution of higher education through an exchange scheme under the auspices of the EU or pursuant to an agreement between a Norwegian and a foreign institution of higher education.
What must be enclosed with the application?
When you apply for a study permit, you must submit:
- a completed application form for a student residence permit
- a copy of your passport
- a passport photo/ photo that meets specific requirements
- a letter of admission from the educational institution containing your name, the study programme you have been admitted to and the duration of your studies
- documentation of financial maintenance (subsistence), for example in the form of documentation of support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund, a transcript of your bank balance or a confirmation from an educational institution that the money is deposited in its account
- documentation that you have somewhere to live
- you must pay a fee
- a translation of the documents into Norwegian or English.
As a rule, it is sufficient that you enclose a copy of the documents with your application, but you must present the original documents when you hand in your application.
Do you have to apply for a permit to take part-time work?
When you are granted a student residence permit, you are automatically also granted a permit to work part-time in addition to your studies, and you can work full-time during holidays. You do not need to apply specifically.
How long will it take to process the application?
The Directorate of Immigration’s (UDI) goal is to process all educational cases well before the start of the school year. This requires you to apply as soon as you have been admitted to an educational institution, enclosing all necessary documentation.
The content of the permit
Is the permit renewable?
Your study permit is renewable. In order to be entitled to stay on the same conditions, you must submit your application for renewal at least one month before your permit expires. Read more about how to apply for renewal of your study permit, and what documentation must be enclosed.
You can be granted a residence permit after you have completed your studies
Persons who have recently completed their studies or researchers can be granted a residence permit for up to six months (a jobseeker period) to seek employment as a skilled worker or specialist.
You must be able to document that:
- you have become qualified as a skilled worker during your stay in Norway, or
- you had specialist training before your stay in Norway and took further education in Norway
- you meet the subsistence requirement
You can take unskilled work during the jobseeker period, but you must have obtained employment as a skilled worker before the permit expires. If you fail to find work during the jobseeker period, you have to return to your home country when you permit expires.
You can appeal a rejection
Further information
