Folk high school in Norway

You may borrow up to NOK 137,900

If you attend a folk high school, you no longer receive a grant as you perhaps received for upper secondary education, but you receive a loan.

You may receive basic support of up to NOK 137,900 for the whole year.
  • 40 per cent of the loan can be converted to a grant if you complete the school year.
  • You do not receive a loan for tuition fees, but you can use the basic support to pay for the folk high school stay.

Loans and grants for attending folk high school

If you are a pupil at a folk high school, you may receive basic support for up to ten months.

What is basic support and what can you use it for?

All students can receive basic support, and this is what most people call a student loan. You can use the basic support to pay for the folk high school stay and any travel, but if the price is higher than the basic support, you must cover the rest yourself.

The loan is free of interest for as long as you are receiving loans for full-time education

In order for the loan to be free of interest and instalments, you must be taking a student loan for full-time education. When you no longer receive a student loan or go from full- to part-time studies, interest will accrue on the loan and you must start repayments.

When to apply

You must have a study place before applying, and you may apply no earlier then 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

Assessment time for applications

We process most applications within 24 hours, but more complex cases can take a long time to process. In any case, it is a good idea to apply as soon as you have been given a school place. Once you have shown up at school, the school will let us know. After that, it takes a few days before you have money in your account. 

To the application

Part-time or shorter academic year?

You receive a
smaller loan
if you study part-time.

Most students at folk high schools take full-year courses full-time. If you are taking a shorter course full-time, you receive ordinary basic support for the months the course lasts. If you are attending a course part-time, the basic support is reduced corresponding to your part-time percentage. This also means that the grant is reduced.

When do I receive the funds?

You receive larger
disbursements in
August and January.

The first disbursement in the school year arrives when the folk high school has confirmed that you are attending.

You receive a larger amount at the start of each semester than in the other months. 40 per cent of the support amount each semester is disbursed in the first month.

The funds are disbursed on the 15th of each month, with the exception of the first disbursement

High school boy with cell phone. Foto.

You take out a loan when you attend a folk high school

You do not receive a grant in the same way as in upper secondary education, but up to 40 per cent of the loan may subsequently be converted to a grant.

When you attend a folk high school, you receive loans and grants under the same rules that apply for university and university college education. There are some differences from receiving grants for upper secondary education that are important to be aware of.

You must repay the loan when you have completed your education

When you no longer receive loans for full-time education, you are sent a repayment plan and must start to pay instalments. The first instalment is due approximately seven months after the final disbursement from Lånekassen.

The loan is interest-free only for as long as you are receiving loans or grants for full-time education.

40 per cent of the basic support can be converted to a grant

If you complete the school year and have income and assets below the limits, 40 per cent of the loan is converted to a grant. This means that you are not required to repay it. You will receive a separate decision from us when the loan is converted.

If you live at home with your parents, you are not qualified for a grant

Only those living away from home may have loans converted to grants. If you are living in a dormitory, you are considered to be living away from home.

Conversion only takes place the year after you have completed your education

The loan is not converted to a grant until we have checked your income and assets. We only do this when your tax assessment is ready for the year or years in which you received the loan from us.

This means that if you completed a year at a folk high school in the spring of 2024, your loan is not converted to a grant before the spring/summer of 2025.

Read more about conversion

Extra grants and loans

If you have children, become ill or have reduced functional ability, you may receive extra grants and/or loans from Lånekassen.

What you may receive depends on your situation.

Related rules