Upper secondary school

For those under the age of 21 without university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications. The information does not apply to you who are an external candidate.

Veileder utstyrsstipend

Parental signing

Have you applied for got approved a loan? If ypu are under 18, a parent or legal guardian get a copy of your application letter by mail or in Digipost. 

If you are under 18, one of your parents or your guardian must sign an agreement for support. Parents or guardians must log in to sign the agreement for you.

Log in to sign the agreement
Will you be living separately from your parents?

If you don't live at home when attending upper secondary education, you may in some cases qualify for a housing grant:

  • The distance between parental home and school is 40 kilometres or more, or
  • You spend three hours or more per day travelling between your parents’ home and school, or
  • There are conditions that prevent you from living at home
Housing grant
Does your family have a strained economy?

If your parents have a strained economy, you may be entitled to more grant.

The limits for how low your parents' income must be vary. This is because this also affects whether you can receive an income-dependent grant:

  • whether your parents live together
  • whether your parents have new partners
  • how many siblings you have
Check if you are entitled to this grant
Three pupils talking together. Photo

Pupil in Norway

Are you an upper secondary school pupil? You can apply for a grant for course materials and other grants from Lånekassen.

You must have a study place before applying. Most only receive a grant for course materials, but some also receive a housing grant and income-dependent grant.

Grants are not to be repaid

Grants are not the same as student loans, that students in university and university college education receive. Grants are funds you receive and are not required to repay.

The exception is if you receive more grant than you are entitled to. In this case, you must repay the excess. This may for example happen if you quit in the middle of the school year.

Common grants

The grant for course materials shall contribute to cover your needs for equipment on the course you are taking, such as for example a PC of cookery clothing. How much you receive depends on the course you are taking. Most people is entitled to the grant, but you must remember to apply.

There is also a grant for those who cannot live at home, have a long way to school or come from low-income families. You must meet certain conditions to receive such grants.

This page applies if you these criteria:

  • You are under the age of 21. That is, you will turn 20 years of age or less during the calendar year in which the academic year commences.
  • You do not yet have university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications. This means that you have not successfully completed a university and college admission or vocational education programme.
  • You are not taking subjects at upper secondary school as an external candidate.

Exceptions for everyone other than external candidates: Will you turn 21 to 24 years in 2025? Did you receive a grant for course materials or other loans and grants under the rules for ordinary upper secondary education during the 2023–2024 academic year? Then you may be a part of a transitional scheme. Check if you are part of a transition scheme.

Application deadlines

You must have a study place before applying. The same deadlines apply to all grants:

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

Are you required to pay tuition fees?

You may borrow up to
NOK 33,145
per year

If you will be attending a private upper secondary school where a tuition fee is required, you may also receive a tuition fee loan.

You are entitled to the loan regardless of how much your parents earn, but if others are paying all or part of the tuition fee for you, you must let us know.

This is a loan you must repay.

How to apply

There is no separate application for tuition fee loans. If you intend to attend a school where tuition fees are required, you will be asked if you want a loan for tuition fees in the ordinary grant and loan application.

International schools

If you will be attending an international school, you may receive a grant for partial coverage of tuition fees. The grant is for up to 85 per cent of tuition fees, but you may only receive NOK 115,221 per year. The school must verify that you pay tuition fees.

Go to the application for grants for partial coverage of tuition fees at international schools (P-skjema - Norwegian only).

Do your parents live far away?

Distance Grant
130 km NOK 290
350 km NOK 2,923
700 km NOK 5,506

If you live away from home and there is a long distance from where your parents live and the school, you may receive a travel grant. Above are som examples of the size of the travel grant you can receive for a full year.

The size of the travel grant depends on how many kilometres there are between where your parents live and your school.

Rates in 2025–2026

  • NOK 2.22 per kilometre for the first 300 kilometres
  • NOK 1.23 per kilometre for the next 301-1,500 kilometres
  • NOK 0.44 per kilometre for kilometres exceeding 1,500 kilometres

You are entitled to support for three return trips per year, but we deduct an excess of NOK 1,442 in total.

What should the travel grant cover?

The travel grant is a supplement for those with a long distance to travel. It is not intended to cover all of the actual travel expenses you have, or to cover the costs you have for travelling to and from school.

How to apply

There is no separate application for travel grants. When you apply for an ordinary grant and check the box indicating that you are living away from home, we check if you are entitled to a travel grant.

Are you above the age of 18 and want to take out a loan?

You may borrow up to
NOK 3,963
per month if you live away from home

If you are above the age of 18 and don’t live with your parents, you may borrow up to NOK 3,963 per month.

The loan is not means-tested against income. This means that you can receive the loan regardless of how much you or your parents earn.

The loan must be repaid

This is a loan you must repay. When you no longer receive grants and loans from Lånekassen, interest accrues on the loan and you must repay it. You must pay the entire loan plus interest, but you repay it in monthly instalments.

How to apply

There is no separate application for loans. When you apply for grants and check the box indicating that you are living away from home, you are asked if you also want to apply for a loan.

Are you a refugee?
Read about refugee grant

Related rules