Childbirth and adoption

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

Veileder foreldrestipend

How much do I receive in parental grant?

Loans you have previously received are

converted to grants

You will not receive more than previously. Loans for the period you are entitled to a parental grant will be converted into grants, Additional loans and tuition fees loan for online studies abroad are not converted into parental grants.

Terms and conditions

You receive parental grant for three weeks before birth and 46 after birth. Father /co-mother can receive a parental grant for 40 weeks.

It is only the mother who is entitled to parental grant for the last three weeks before birth and the first six weeks after birth. The father or co-mother can receive a parental grant from week 7 and until week 49.

To receive a parental grant you must either be in education, be on maternity leave from your studies or have reserved a study place. You will not qualify for the grant if you interrupt your studies.

It is also a requirement that you must have been in an education programme and have been entitled to support for four months immediately before the child was born.

If you take leave earlier than three weeks before the due date, you may lose the right to parental grant.

For instance, if you take leave earlier because your health situation requires you to, or if it is recommended from your educational institution, you may still qualify for parental grant. However, you must include documentation that proves this when applying for parental grant.

You may be on leave from your course of education and still receive parental grant. And even if you receive parental benefit from NAV while also receiving the parental grant, the grant will not be reduced. If you are a student or apprentice with statutory rights as a young person, social security benefits and pension benefits, such as parental benefits from Nav, can still affect how much parental grant you can receive.

There are also some other rules you should be aware of.

You are not entitled to parental grant when your partner receives parental benefit from NAV.

If your spouse or cohabitant receives parental benefit from NAV, the may affect how must parental grant you may be entitled to. If your spouse/cohabitant receives 100 per cent parental benefit, you will not receive a parental grant in the same period.

It is an exception to the rule if the spouse/cohabitant has graduated parental benefit. If the benefit is between 50 and 99 per cent, you receive 50 per cent parental grant. If the parental benefit is below 50 per cent, it will not affect your parental grant.

See the regulations (Norwegian only)

 

The first nine weeks of the parental grant period are reserved for the mother, while the remainder of the period may be shared between you. You state in the application which period you are apply for parental grant for.

You may only apply for parental grant when the child has been born. The application deadline is within one year of the birth/adoption.

If your cohabitant or spouse will be receiving parental benefits from Nav during the same period, you must write in the application form when you plan for your partner to have parental benefits.

If your partner has not yet received the decision letter from Nav, it is still important that you state the planned start date. This is necessary information when we process your application for parental grant. Also remember that you must forward your partner's decision on parental benefits from Nav.

Female student looking through window glass

What is parental grant?

A parental grant is what you can receive when you are about to have or have had a child while studying. There is a separate application for the parental grant.

How much will I receive each month?

If you are a student in higher education, you will receive an amount that is the average of what you have received in the last four months before you went on leave.

If you are a student in upper secondary school, and meet these three requirements, you will receive a full parental grant:

  • You do not yet have university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications
  • You turn 20 years of age or less during the calendar year in which the academic year commences
  • You are not taking subjects at upper secondary school as an external candidate

In this case, you will receive a full parental grant even if you study part-time.

Until the academic year 2025-2026, this also applies to pupils/students in upper secondary school who are part of a transitional scheme. Check if you are part of a transition scheme.

How to apply for a parental grant

You can only apply for a parental grant after the child is born. There is a separate application to which you will find a link on this page. Before you apply for a parental grant, you must have applied for ordinary loans and grants. To receive a parental grant you must either still be in education, be on leave from your studies, or hold a deferred offer to study.

For those attending upper secondary school or are an apprentice

How much you can receive in parental grant depends on two things. One is whether you receive social security and pension benefits or have an apprentice salary. The other is the income of your spouse or cohabitant if you have one. You may receive a reduced parental grant if this is the case. If you receive transitional benefits, you can only receive a parental grant if you are over 18 years of age. In this case, you will also receive a reduced grant amount.

For those finished with their education

You may receive a parental grant if you have completed a degree (for instance a bachelor's or master's degree) and have had a child within seven months of taking the degree. This also applies if you have completed practical-educational training (PPU) or certain further education programmes in nursing.

It is still a requirement that you must have been studying and entitled to support for four months immediately before you finished your degree.

If you complete your degree in the spring semester, we calculate seven months from 15 June. For the autumn semester, we calculate seven months from 15 January.

What you may be entitled to is basic support and a child grant. This is paid as a grant, which means if will not be added to your debt. How much you receive depends on the amount you received during the last four months of your studies.

Go to the application for parental grant

Child grant and additional loan

In addition to the parental grant that you may receive in the initial period after the birth of the child, you receive a child grant when you have children below the age of 16. You may also receive an additional loan when you have children.

Related rules