You can receive loans and grants corresponding to 480 credits or the equivalent. This is the same as eight years of full-time study.
Upper secondary education and lower secondary education for adults / preparatory education for adults for which you have received the basic loan are included in the 480 credits or equivalent. See further down for what “equivalent” may mean. Upper secondary education for which you have not received a basic loan is not included in the 480 credits or equivalent.
This means that when you receive an equipment grant, an income-dependent grant or a housing grant, or an income-dependent grant or housing grant awarded as a refugee grant, this does not count towards the 480 credits or equivalent.
Loans and grants for a total of 480 credits
You can receive loans and grants for education amounting to 480 credits or the equivalent. This is the same as eight years of full-time study. If you study part-time, you may receive loans and grants for more than eight years. If you have received student financial support from public support schemes in other countries, this will be included in the 480 credits or equivalent for which you can receive loans and grants.
Limits for loans and grants
You can receive educational support for up to four years of preparatory education for adults (previously called lower secondary education for adults). If you have received loans and grants for preparatory education for adults for school years that started in the year you turned 16–20, those years count towards the four-year limit.
You can receive educational support for up to two years at a folk high school. This means that even if you study part-time, you can still only receive loans and grants for a maximum of four years of preparatory education for adults, and two years at a folk high school.
If you undertake a PhD program abroad after having used up the 480-credit limit or the equivalent, the limit can be extended by up to four additional years for the PhD program.
Limits that are extended by two or four years apply regardless of whether you study full-time or part-time.
Exceptions to the 480-credit limit
If your education is delayed because you became ill, had children, or have a disability, the limit may be extended. This means you may still receive loans and grants for a longer period than what corresponds to 480 credits. The limits of two and four years for folk high school and preparatory education for adults cannot be extended.
If your delay is due to failing exams, the limit cannot be extended. The limit also cannot be extended if you still have years left of your education but have used up the number of credits for which you can receive loans and grants. The limits are not extended even if you have repaid your loan.
Conversion of annual hours and teaching hours – equivalent to credits
- Before 2025–2026: One year of full-time academic-track upper secondary education (general studies) consisted of 840 annual hours. This corresponds to 60 credits.
- From 2025–2026: One year of full-time academic-track upper secondary education (general studies) consists of 784 annual hours. This corresponds to 60 credits.
- Before 2025–2026: One year of full-time preparatory upper secondary education (except general studies) consisted of 980 annual hours. This corresponds to 60 credits.
- From 2025–2026: One year of full-time preparatory upper secondary education (except general studies) consists of 924 annual hours. This corresponds to 60 credits.
- Before 2025–2026: One year of full-time vocational upper secondary education consisted of 980 annual hours. This corresponds to 60 credits.
- From 2025–2026: One year of full-time vocational upper secondary education consists of 924 annual hours. This corresponds to 60 credits.
- A language course with a duration of three months corresponds to 18 credits.
- A full-time professional driver training course lasting six weeks corresponds to 9 credits.
- One year at a folk high school is also calculated as 60 credits.
- One year of preparatory education for adults corresponds to 60 credits. Before 2024–2025, lower secondary education for adults was full-time education with at least 20 teaching hours per week and was considered full-time education corresponding to 60 credits.
- See also the Regulations on Educational Support, section 70, and the comments to this provision on our website.