University and university college education abroad

Full degree or individual courses at a university or university college outside of the Nordic region

Documentation

Documentation is required both the first time you apply for support for an programme of education and during degree studies.

Read more about the documentation requirements

Approved programmes of education

Please refer to our overview of foreign programmes of education for which we have approved support.

Read more about approved programmes of education

Preliminary statement of loans and grants

Some foreign universities require confirmation that you are entitled to support from Lånekassen to finance your studies.

Download a preliminary statement

Studying abroad

Lånekassen may provide support to those who will be completing a full degree or individual courses abroad.

Application deadlines

You must have a study place before applying and you may apply no earlier than mid-May. The final deadline for applying is

15 November for the entire year or just the autumn semester
15 March for the spring semester

All students receive basic support and travel support

Most students receive three different types of support for studying abroad. Basic support, travel support and an additional loan for tuition fees if payable.

All students can receive basic support, which is what most people call a student loan. Basic support is a loan, not a grant, but up to 40 per cent of this may be converted to a grant if you live away from your parents, complete your programme of education and have income and assets below the set limits.

If you pay tuition fees to your university, you may be eligible for support to cover the tuition fees, up to a maximum amount. The maximum amount depends on where you are studying and how much you have to pay.

You must apply for grants and loans once per year

You must apply for study support each year. If something happens during your studies, such as dropping out before your examination or wanting to change your programme of education, you will need to log in and let us know.

Academic progress checks

Because we do not receive information about examinations passed or confirmation of how much you have paid in tuition fees from foreign educational institutions, you will need to submit documentation to us each year.

We will let you know when and how to submit such documentation. You need to document your academic progress in order for parts of your loan to be converted to a grant and for us to process your application when you apply for the next academic year.

Debt and repayments

Lånekassen loans are interest-free and you do not need to start making repayments for as long as you remain a student and receive support from us. When you no longer receive support from Lånekassen for full-time studies, interest on the loan will start to accrue and you will need to start repayments around nine months later.

Go to the application for degree studies

Are you going to study health sciences?

Familiarise yourself with the rules for authorisation

Language course

You may receive support for a language course if the teaching is in another language than English

When you are studying individual courses

You may be eligible for support to study individual courses at a university outside of the Nordic region even if you are not an exchange student or have not been admitted for degree studies.

You will receive the same amount as full degree students, provided that the programme of education fulfils our requirements.

Requirements for the programme of education

You must be a full-time student. This means that you are studying subjects that correspond to at least 30 credits per semester.
All of the subjects must be taken from the course plan for an approved degree available at the same place of study.
All of the subjects must, as a minimum, be equivalent to bachelor level studies in Norway.
The studies must be based on campus and take place at the university. You cannot receive support for session-based or online studies.

This means that you cannot receive support for individual courses equivalent to the first year of a bachelor’s degree in the USA and non-Western countries

Go to the application for individual courses

When unexpected things happen

When something happens in your life or in your studies, it may impact what you are entitled to receive from Lånekassen, either now or later.

Converting loans to grants

Up to 40 per cent of basic support may be converted to a grant if you complete your studies and graduate with a degree.

You must submit your degree certificate for conversion

When you have completed your studies abroad, you will have to submit a copy of your degree certificate and the official examination transcript so that we can convert the loan to a grant. Submit the results as soon as possible after completing your studies.

If you have received support for tuition fees, you will also need to submit documentation from the educational institution confirming that the tuition fees have been paid.

Submit a copy of your degree certificate and official examination transcript before the deadline

The deadline for conversion of passed credits is four years back in time, calculated from the calendar year in which we receive your results. The deadline for conversion of a passed degree is eight years back in time, calculated from the start of the semester in which you passed the degree.

In order to qualify for conversion of a completed degree, the documentation must clearly show the degree or qualifications you have achieved. You have to let us know if you end your studies before completing a degree.

Read more about the general rules for conversion

Are you above the age of 30?

Then you can apply for up to

100 000

in additional loans per year

Are you going to study at NORGINSA?

You can receive

NOK 20,747

per year in additional grants

Other resources

Rules