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HIGHER EDUCATION

How many international students choose Norway for their studies?

Several factors, such as no tuition fees at public universities for some students, make Norway an attractive proposition for prospective students. Figures have revealed how many come to Norway for their education.

Published: 25 January 2023 12:38 CET
Pictured is notes being taken in a library.
Pictured is notes being taken in a library. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

A high quality of life and free tuition at public universities for most students means Norway is a great place to live and study.

The attractiveness of Norway as a study destination may fade in the coming years as students from outside the EEA and Switzerland will have to pay tuition from the autumn term of 2023.

However, that hasn’t stopped large numbers of students from choosing Norway to live in alongside their studies, according to figures from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

Just under 11,000 people registered in Norway as studying under the EEA registration scheme or were granted an education permit for those from outside the EEA.

Slightly more non-EEA nationals came to Norway for education purposes than those using the EEA registration scheme. However, when only including students and post-doc candidates, the number of education permits dropped to just over 4,000.

Students from the Philippines, China and the USA were the largest group of nationals to be granted permits. Nearly twice as many Filipinos were granted study permits than those from the US or China. Nationals from Pakistan and Iran were the next largest groups to be given permits for education permits.

In 2022, around 92 percent of applications for a residence permit for educational purposes were granted.

When it came to EEA nationals, German, French and Italian citizens were the biggest groups to register a move to Norway for education purposes. Some 1,556 Germans registered in Norway for education purposes, and around half of Germans who moved to Norway in 2022 did so for their studies.

Those from the Netherlands and Belgium were the next largest groups to come to Norway for tuition. In both cases, more nationals from these countries came to Norway to study than they did for any other reason, such as work or to be with family.

While non-EEA students will be required to pay tuition in Norway, the rules for those from within the EEA remain the same- allowing them to study for free at public universities.

The number of those coming to Norway to study from outside the EEA increased between 2021 and 2022. However, these numbers are likely to go down again due to the tuition rules.

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RESIDENCY PERMITS

How Norway’s permanent residence rules have been tweaked

The rules for permanent residence in Norway have undergone a slight change to try and simplify the application process. 

Published: 19 April 2024 15:37 CEST
Updated: 24 April 2024 12:37 CEST
How Norway’s permanent residence rules have been tweaked

Permanent residence allows holders to live and work in Norway indefinitely and simplifies life by eliminating permit renewals and conditions such as needing to hold a specific type of job. 

Depending on your situation, you can apply for permanent residence after three or five years of living in Norway. 

The process for those who moved to Norway under the EU/EEA registration scheme can apply for the “permanent right of residence” under the Freedom of Movement rules. This doesn’t come with many rules other than residing in Norway for five years. 

The application for those from outside the EEA is a bit more stringent. You will need to have held a residence permit that qualifies you for permanent residency for three or five years. 

Most applicants will be eligible after three years, as this requirement applies to those with family and work permit holders. 

New rules on financial support 

Norway’s Directorate of Immigration has removed the financial support requirement as of April 18th, 2024. 

“The change comes in the wake of UDI’s work to identify and propose possible simplifications in the current regulations, with the intention of streamlining case processing and obtaining a more digitisation-friendly regulation,” the UDI wrote on its website. 

The rule required applicants to have not received financial benefits under the Social Services Act. Under this rule, applicants would have had to submit a document stating they had not received assistance. 

This is no longer necessary for applications submitted on or before this date. 

However, the income rule remains. This applies to those aged between 18 and 67 and requires applicants to have had an income of at least 296,550 kroner over the previous twelve months. 

What are the other rules? 

The other rules for permanent residence will remain the same. These require you not to have been convicted of a criminal offence or ordered to undergo enforced psychiatric treatment or care. 

You will also need to have completed mandatory tuition in the Norwegian language and social studies or document that you have been granted an exception. 

If you can document that you have all four parts of the Norwegian language test at A2 level: oral, listening, reading, and written presentation and that you have passed the social studies test in Norwegian, then you will be exempt. 

This is all in addition to having met the requirements for the residence permit that you held prior to applying for permanent residence. 

The UDI has a wizard that will give you an overview of the specific requirements that will apply to your situation. 

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