Before you read further — the honest truth
The Norwegian government offers no individual scholarships open to all international students. This is stated on their official website. What follows is every real option that exists. Some are competitive, some are limited to specific countries, and most are not "fully funded" in the way clickbait websites describe. We built this page because students deserve accurate information, not traffic-farming headlines.
Scholarships That Actually Exist
These are the programs that are currently active and accepting applications. Each entry includes who is actually eligible, what it actually covers, and how competitive it actually is. No padding, no filler.
Currently Active Programs
1. BI Presidential Scholarship
Honest take: This is probably the single best scholarship available in Norway for international master's students. BI is a private institution, so this is the exception. It is genuinely generous — but the GPA bar is very high.
2. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters
Honest take: A genuinely excellent scholarship — but it is not Norway-specific. You study across multiple European countries. Norwegian universities happen to participate in some consortia. Highly competitive with thousands of applicants globally. Do not think of this as a "Norway scholarship."
3. Fulbright Norway
Honest take: A legitimate, well-funded program — but it exists only for Americans. If you are not a US citizen, this does not apply to you, regardless of what aggregator websites imply by listing it alongside "scholarships in Norway."
4. NORAM Scholarship
Honest take: NOK 10,000–40,000 is roughly EUR 850–3,400. This will cover a month or two of living expenses, maybe. It helps, but it is nowhere near "fully funded." Think of it as supplemental support, not a scholarship that pays your way.
5. Anglo-Norse Society Awards
Honest take: One of the easier ones to get since it is automatic for qualifying students. GBP 3,000 per year will not cover living costs, but it helps. Extended through the 2026–27 academic year. Only available at two specific universities.
6. High North Fellowship
Honest take: This one has a double restriction — you must be from one of five specific countries AND your home institution must already have a cooperation agreement with a Northern Norwegian institution. Individual applicants cannot simply apply on their own.
7. Erasmus+ Exchange Grants
Honest take: A solid program for EU/EEA students wanting to spend a semester or two in Norway. But this is an exchange program, not a degree scholarship. You remain enrolled at your home institution.
8. Nordplus
Honest take: EUR 200 per month is a token contribution in a country where rent alone exceeds EUR 600 in most cities. This is pocket money support for Nordic/Baltic students, not a scholarship that makes studying in Norway affordable.
Discontinued Programs (Still Appearing on Websites)
These programs are ended, cancelled, or being phased out. If you see them listed on other websites as "available scholarships," that information is outdated.
9. Norwegian Quota Scheme
Ended in 2016. No new admissions have been possible for nearly a decade. Despite this, many scholarship aggregator websites still list the Quota Scheme as an active program. It is not. If you see it listed as "available," the website has not been updated.
10. NORSTIP (Norwegian Students in Partnership)
Cancelled from the 2026 budget. NORSTIP was established in 2023 specifically to offset the new tuition fees introduced for non-EU/EEA students. It lasted barely two years before being cut. This tells you something about the political priority of international student funding in Norway.
11. NORPART (Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation)
Government proposed ending support in the 2025 budget. Only about 7 projects were funded. Existing projects will continue until completion, but no new applications are expected. NORPART was an institutional partnership program — individual students could not apply directly anyway.
University-Specific Scholarship Notes
| University | Scholarships for Degree Students? |
|---|---|
| University of Oslo (UiO) | No — does NOT offer its own scholarships for degree students |
| NTNU (Trondheim) | No — does NOT offer institutional scholarships |
| University of Bergen (UiB) | No — does NOT offer scholarships for degree students |
| UiT (Tromsø) | No — no institutional scholarships for full degrees |
| NHH (Bergen) | Some scholarships available for economics/business programs |
| Private universities | May offer merit-based awards — check each institution individually |
PhD Positions — Not Scholarships, But Worth Knowing
If you are considering doctoral studies, Norway is one of the best places in the world to do it — not because of scholarships, but because PhD positions are paid employment. You are hired as a university employee with a salary, not given a stipend.
Bottom line: If you want funded study in Norway without nationality restrictions, a PhD position is realistically the only path that is open to everyone, pays well, and does not require you to already have money. It is not a scholarship — it is better than one.
The Clickbait Problem
Search for "scholarships in Norway" and you will find dozens of articles titled things like "25 Fully Funded Scholarships in Norway for International Students!" or "Top 30 Norway Scholarships — Apply Now!" Here is what is actually happening with those articles:
They aggregate expired or extremely limited programs
The Quota Scheme (ended 2016) and NORSTIP (cancelled 2026) still appear on most lists. Padding a list from 3 real options to 25 requires including programs that no longer exist.
Institutional partnership programs are listed as individual scholarships
Programs like High North Fellowship and NORPART require agreements between institutions. Individual applicants rarely get selected for programs that require institutional partnerships.
"Fully funded" often means "tuition waiver" without living costs
A tuition waiver in Norway still leaves you needing NOK 137,000+ per year for living expenses, plus the NOK 137,000 bank deposit required for your student visa. That is not "fully funded" by any reasonable definition.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
Verify every listing against official university websites. If a blog post says University of Oslo offers "full scholarships for international students" but the university's own website says otherwise, trust the university.
Our recommendation: Before spending hours on an application, go directly to the official website of the program or university. Check the current year's information. If the webpage has not been updated in the last 12 months, the information may be stale. Official Norwegian sources include studyinnorway.no, individual university admissions pages, and hkdir.no (Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills).
What About Lånekassen?
Lånekassen (the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund) is frequently mentioned in scholarship guides. Here is why it almost certainly does not apply to you:
Limited exceptions for international students:
Key point
Lånekassen is not a scholarship — it is a loan program where 40% converts to a grant if you complete your degree. If you are an international student arriving in Norway for the first time, you are almost certainly not eligible. Do not plan your finances around accessing Lånekassen unless you fall into one of the narrow exception categories above.