Starting to study again

If you have a loan from Lånekassen from before and you are going to start studying again, the loan will become interest-free and instalment-free if you get support for full-time education.

Income limits for conversion of loans to grants

If you get a student loan from us, your income and assets must fall below set limits in order for parts of your loan to be converted to a grant after you have completed your education. If you are married or cohabiting with joint children, we will consider your joint assets.

The same limits apply if you study part-time, but the reduction in the grant will be less if you earn above the limit.
More about income and assets

What happens to the student loan when you start a new education programme?

Your student loan will only be interest-free and instalment-free if you receive support for full-time education from Lånekassen.

This means that you will need to continue making repayments against your loan if you are studying part-time, i.e. if you are studying less than 30 credits or equivalent per semester. You must also continue making repayments if you are studying without receiving support from us.

You can receive support for 480 credits in total

This rule applies even if you have repaid previous loans. If you have received support from public schemes in other countries, this period will also count towards how long you can receive support for.

Upper secondary education or primary and lower secondary education that has been completed with statutory rights as a young person does not count towards the studies you can receive support for. In other words, you may receive support to take 480 credits in addition to the years in which you attended upper secondary education. 480 credits is the equivalent of eight years of full-time studies.

Note that this is a change in the rules that applies from 2021–2022. It does not apply retrospectively. This means that if you have received support for part-time education prior to 2021-2022, those periods will be counted in the same way as if you received support for full-time studies.

If you have been academically delayed because of illness, childbirth or reduced functional ability, you can receive support for more than eight years.

You may be eligible for an interest exemption if you are studying part-time or without support

If you are studying without support from Lånekassen or if you receive support for part-time education, your existing loan will not be interest-free during your studies. However, you may be entitled to an interest exemption on your loan for the period during which you are studying. If you are studying part-time, there is also a requirement for your income to fall below the limit for interest exemption.

There is no income limit if you are studying full-time without support from us.

Nevertheless, it is a condition that you must be entitled to support from Lånekassen in order to be entitled to an interest exemption due to education. Being entitled to support means that you would have received support if you had applied for it.

 

Read more about interest exemption

Are you above the age of 30?

Then you can apply for up to
NOK 115,880
in additional loans per year

You can borrow up to NOK 115,880 extra per year if you are a full-time student, which corresponds to 60 credits per year. If you are taking fewer credits, you will be given an offer to borrow a smaller amount. You may borrow up to NOK 231,760 in total, and you may choose how many years you want to allocate the loan across. You apply for the loan on the same form as for ordinary loans and grants.

The loan may not be combined with additional loans for those with children.

Read more about additional loans

 

Do you have children?

You may receive extra
loans and grants
if you have or get children

If you have a child during your studies, or within seven months of completing a degree, you can receive a parental grant.

Parental grant in the event of birth or adoption

If you have children while studying, your basic support and additional loan for school fees may be converted to a grant for up to 49 weeks.

Child grant

If you have children below the age of 16, you may qualify for an additional grant. If you have several children, you receive more in grants. The child grant is means tested, which means that the amount is reduced if the family has income or assets in excess of the limits stipulated in the regulations. If you are a part-time student, you also get a smaller amount.

Additional loans

You may also borrow NOK 57,940 extra per year when you have children below the age of 16, with an upward limit of NOK 115,880 in total. Income and assets have no impact on whether you can receive an additional loan. If you are a part-time student, you will be offered a loan with a smaller amount.

Read about children and childbirth

Do you have a fixed rate of interest and are about to start a new education programme?

If you have a fixed rate agreement and receive support from us, the fixed rate agreement will be automatically cancelled. We will then calculate lost interest or savings interest, i.e. whether Lånekassen earns or loses interest income as a result of the agreement being cancelled. We will add or deduct the amount from your debt.
Read more about the calculation of lost interest or savings interest