Tuition Fees in Norway 2027: The Full Picture

The policy that changed everything

Norway’s approach to international student tuition has gone through more upheaval in the past few years than in the previous three decades combined. If you’re confused, you’re not alone. Here’s the chronological breakdown of what happened and where things stand for the 2027 intake.

1. 1
   Before August 2023

   Free for everyone

   All public universities in Norway were free for everyone, regardless of nationality. A Bangladeshi student, an American student and a Norwegian student all paid the same: nothing. The only charge was a small semester fee of around NOK 600–900, which went to student welfare organisations. Norway was one of the last countries in Europe — and the world — to offer truly free higher education to international students.

2. 2
   August 2023

   Tuition fees introduced

   Fees were introduced for students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. The change was announced during the 2022–23 academic year, so some students who had already applied suddenly discovered they would need to pay. The timing was widely criticised; there was no transition period worth mentioning. The government argued it was necessary for fiscal reasons, while critics pointed out that the revenue was a rounding error in the national budget.

3. 3
   2023–2024

   The fallout

   Enrolment from outside the EU/EEA fell sharply. Programmes that had attracted dozens of qualified applicants from Africa, Asia and Latin America saw their numbers collapse; some master’s programmes couldn’t fill their seats. University World News reports third-country enrolment fell from about 3,700 students in 2022 to about 2,000 in 2024.

4. 4
   June 2025

   Government proposes flexibility

   The government proposed removing the rule that fees for non-EU/EEA students must cover the full cost of teaching, so each institution could set its own level. It was a proposal, not an immediate change, and it did not bring back “free for everyone”.

5. 5
   June 2026

   The law change is passed

   Parliament passed the amendment to the Universities and Colleges Act (Prop. 58 L (2025–2026)); it was sanctioned on 19 June 2026 (Lovdata), with the start date set separately by the King in Council. Universities such as UiS apply lower fees from August 2026. Institutions must still charge students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, but they decide the level based on their own needs. The ministry’s text makes clear the fee must be real, not a symbolic sum.

6. 6
   2026–27 and 2027–28

   Where we are now

   Each public university sets its own non-EU/EEA fee. The University of Stavanger cut fees to NOK 60,000 or NOK 85,000 a year from 2026–27 (UiS). NTNU kept its full-cost categories for 2026–27. UiO kept its 2026–27 fees but has published lower ones for 2027–28 (UiO). NHH expects to set its 2027–28 fees in the first quarter of 2027. Other universities announce on their own timelines.

Actual tuition fee ranges

These are the fee ranges for non-EU/EEA students, based on the published 2026–27 rates at UiO, NTNU, UiB and UiS. Private institutions are listed separately because they follow different logic entirely.

For example, NTNU’s 2026–27 categories are NOK 176,300 (humanities, social sciences, economics and management), NOK 205,600 (natural sciences, technology, health and similar) and NOK 528,650 (medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine). UiB charges NOK 197,000 or 226,000 for most English-taught master’s, and UiO NOK 204,000 or 295,000. UiO’s 2027–28 rates drop to NOK 186,000 or 218,000. A few programmes cost much less: NTNU charges NOK 26,445 for Childhood Studies and for Global Relations and Sustainable Development (NTNU fees). The BI figure is our estimate: BI tells master’s students to deposit about NOK 353,000 for a year of tuition plus living costs.

Who is exempt from tuition fees

Several groups are completely exempt from tuition at Norwegian public universities. If you fall into one of them, you pay nothing beyond the small semester fee.

The semester fee everyone pays

Expect roughly NOK 1,000 per semester (it varies by city, often NOK 600–1,000). This is not tuition. It never was. It’s a mandatory contribution to your student welfare organisation (samskipnad), and every student in Norway pays it — Norwegian, European, international, scholarship holder or self-funded. In return you get:

• Student health services and counselling
• Access to sports facilities and gyms
• Cultural events and student activities
• A student card for discounts and identification

This fee existed even when tuition was free. Articles from before 2023 saying “studying in Norway is free” usually added a footnote about it. Think of it as a student-union membership, not tuition.

Private vs public: a confusing comparison

The assumption that public universities are cheap and private universities are expensive is wrong for non-EU/EEA students. The 2023 change flipped it on its head.

Before 2023 the rule was simple: public was free, private charged. That assumption is now actively misleading. Compare actual fee tables, not whether an institution calls itself public or private.

What about 2027–28 and beyond?

If you’re applying for autumn 2027, the legal position is now clear but the prices are not. Since the 2026 law change, universities may charge non-EU/EEA students less than full cost — but they must still charge a real fee, and they are under no obligation to lower it.

• Each institution decides independently. There is no central directive. University A might cut its fee while University B next door keeps charging NOK 180,000 a year. One university’s decision tells you nothing about another’s.
• Get fee confirmation in writing. Don’t accept an admission offer until you have the fee amount in writing — an email from admissions, a letter in your admission package, or a published fee schedule. “We’re probably going to reduce fees” is not enough to plan on.
• Don’t make financial plans on assumptions. Plan for the fee being charged, and be pleasantly surprised if it isn’t. If you budget on a cut that doesn’t happen at your university, you’ll be stuck with an offer you can’t afford.

So far the moves have been cuts: UiS lowered its fees for 2026–27 and UiO for 2027–28. But one university’s cut is not a trend you can bank on, and NTNU’s 2026–27 page says its fees are adjusted every year.

Next, explore the scholarships and funding that can help cover these costs, and the cost of living.