Study in Norway: Costs, Visa, Universities and Scholarships for Pakistani Students

For years Norway was famous among Pakistani students as the country where public universities were free for everyone. That changed in autumn 2023, when Norway introduced tuition fees for students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Norway is still worth a close look, though: teaching quality is high, many master's programmes are taught in English, students may work part-time, and PhD positions in Norway are paid jobs with a full salary, not scholarships. For Pakistani researchers, that last point makes Norway one of the best options in Europe.

Currency used in this guide: NOK 1 ≈ PKR 28 (approx., October 2026). Exchange rates move, so treat all PKR figures as rough guides.

Quick facts	Norway
Language of teaching	Norwegian for most bachelor's degrees; many master's and almost all PhD programmes in English
Academic year and intake	Mid-August to June; main intake in August (very few January intakes)
Tuition at public universities (non-EU)	About NOK 176,000 to 206,000 a year for most programmes at NTNU (approx. PKR 4.9 to 5.8 million); medicine much higher
Private institutions	Charge all students; often similar to or above public non-EU fees
Living costs	UDI minimum NOK 15,488 a month for 2026/27 (approx. PKR 434,000)
Part-time work	Up to 20 hours a week during studies, full-time in holidays
After graduating	Job-seeker permit of up to 1 year

Budget options: what you can do on every budget

Budget	Route	What it looks like
Fully funded (and paid)	PhD research fellow post (stipendiat) at a Norwegian university or research institute	A salaried job, about NOK 575,000 a year gross in 2026 (approx. PKR 16 million). No tuition. You apply to advertised vacancies on Jobbnorge or university job pages, not to a scholarship scheme.
Fully funded master's	Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's with a Norwegian partner university, or a NORPART/NORHED partnership exchange	Erasmus Mundus covers tuition, travel and a monthly allowance. NORPART and NORHED students are exempt from Norwegian tuition. Places depend on your Pakistani university having a partnership.
Low fee	Exchange semester through your Pakistani university, or a master's at a lower-fee programme	Exchange students pay no Norwegian tuition. A few NTNU programmes have special fees (for example about NOK 26,000 to 62,000 a year).
Self-funded	Full master's with tuition plus living costs	Roughly NOK 350,000 to 380,000 for the first year (tuition plus UDI living amount), about PKR 9.8 to 10.6 million. Norway has no government scholarship for individual international students.

Be honest with yourself here: for a self-funded master's, Norway is now one of the more expensive options in Europe. If you need a fully funded master's, Erasmus Mundus is the realistic route. If you are aiming for a PhD, Norway is excellent.

University costs

Public universities. Since 2023, public universities set their own fees for non-EU/EEA students. NTNU (Trondheim), the largest university, lists these fees for 2026/27 per year (60 ECTS):

NTNU programme group	Fee per year	Approx. PKR
Business, economics, humanities, social sciences	NOK 176,300	4.9 million
Engineering, natural sciences, health, arts, media, education	NOK 205,600	5.8 million
Medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine	NOK 528,650	14.8 million

NTNU states it offers no tuition scholarships, discounts or instalment plans. The University of Oslo, University of Bergen, UiT and others publish similar fee tables; always check the programme page, as fees change every year.

Who does not pay tuition at public institutions:

• Doctoral candidates (PhD)
• Exchange students
• Students on Erasmus Mundus, NORPART, NORHED, Fulbright and StAR schemes

Other costs. Every student pays a semester fee of about NOK 1,000 (approx. PKR 28,000) to the student welfare organisation. Most Norwegian universities do not charge an application fee.

PhD: a job, not a student place. In Norway a PhD candidate is usually employed as a "PhD research fellow" for three or four years, on the state salary scale. A March 2026 advertisement listed NOK 575,400 a year gross. You pay income tax and get employee rights such as pension and paid holiday. Because you are an employee, you apply for a skilled worker permit, not a study permit. Positions are advertised openly with deadlines throughout the year.

Living costs

Norway is expensive. The official minimum for 2026/27 is NOK 15,488 a month (NOK 170,368 a year). Real costs in Oslo are often higher. The figures below are approximate monthly ranges for a single student.

City	Rent (student housing or shared room)	Food	Transport	Total per month
Oslo	NOK 6,000 to 9,500	NOK 4,000 to 5,000	NOK 500 to 600	NOK 13,500 to 18,000 (PKR 378,000 to 504,000)
Bergen	NOK 5,000 to 8,000	NOK 4,000 to 4,500	NOK 450 to 550	NOK 12,500 to 16,000
Trondheim	NOK 4,500 to 7,500	NOK 3,800 to 4,500	NOK 400 to 500	NOK 12,000 to 15,500
Tromsø	NOK 4,500 to 7,000	NOK 4,000 to 4,800	NOK 400 to 500	NOK 12,000 to 15,500

Apply early for student housing (SiO in Oslo, Sammen in Bergen, Sit in Trondheim). Private rooms are scarce in August, and UDI wants to see that you have somewhere to live.

Scholarships and need-based funding

• No Norwegian government scholarship for individual international students. The old Quota Scheme ended years ago. Be wary of any agent offering a "Norway government scholarship".
• Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters: search the official catalogue for programmes with a Norwegian partner. Deadlines are usually between October and January for the following September. https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en
• NORPART and NORHED: funding for partnerships between Norwegian and Global South institutions, administered by HK-dir. You cannot apply as an individual; ask your Pakistani university whether it has a current project.
• PhD and postdoc positions: search https://www.jobbnorge.no and university vacancy pages. These are salaried. Strong applicants usually have a relevant master's, a clear research interest and a good CV with publications or a strong thesis.
• University support: some Norwegian universities and private colleges occasionally offer small grants or fee reductions. These change yearly and are rare; check each university's fees page.

See all current listings at /scholarships?country=Norway.

Student visa: steps, documents and fees

Norway uses a study permit (studietillatelse) applied for through UDI's online portal.

1. Accept your offer and pay the first year's tuition, or the amount your university asks for.
2. Show funds: at least NOK 170,368 for one academic year (2026/27; changes yearly), about PKR 4.8 million. Many universities let you deposit this into a university account, which is then paid to you in Norway. A loan or scholarship can count.
3. Secure housing: UDI requires proof that you have somewhere to live.
4. Apply online at UDI and pay the fee: NOK 5,400 for applicants over 18 (approx. PKR 151,000).
5. Hand in documents at the Norway visa application centre run by VFS Global in Islamabad. VFS sends the file to the Norwegian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, which handles applications from Pakistan with UDI.
6. Wait for a decision: check UDI's waiting-time page. Apply as early as you can; summer is busy.

Documents usually include your passport, admission letter, proof of tuition payment, proof of funds, housing confirmation, and attested degrees and transcripts. Get your degrees attested through HEC (/library/guides/hec-degree-attestation-guide) and keep a full set of copies (/library/guides/document-checklist-pakistan). English proof is normally IELTS or TOEFL (/library/guides/ielts-toefl-duolingo-guide); check whether your university accepts an English-medium letter.

Health: students staying 12 months or more normally join the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme after registering. Shorter stays need private insurance.

PhD candidates apply for a skilled worker permit on the basis of their employment contract, not a study permit.

Working while studying and after graduating

• During studies you may work up to 20 hours a week, and full-time in holidays. Do not count on work income to pay tuition.
• After graduating, you can apply for a job-seeker permit of up to one year. You must show your own funds of about NOK 27,116 a month (NOK 325,400 a year), usually in a Norwegian bank account. Former PhD candidates who held a skilled worker permit need far less (NOK 81,350 in total).
• Once you find a relevant job, you switch to a skilled worker permit. Learning Norwegian greatly improves your chances.

Month-by-month timeline (for an August 2027 start)

When	What to do
October to November 2026	Shortlist programmes; take IELTS; start HEC attestation; check Erasmus Mundus deadlines
December 2026 to February 2027	Most master's deadlines for non-EU applicants (often 1 December to 1 February; check each programme)
March to April 2027	Offers arrive; compare total costs; apply for student housing
May 2027	Pay tuition; deposit funds; submit UDI application and book VFS Islamabad
June to July 2027	Wait for decision; book flights; buy winter clothing
August 2027	Arrive, register with the police and tax office, start classes
All year	PhD vacancies open and close on Jobbnorge; set up search alerts

Common mistakes Pakistani applicants make

• Believing old "Norway is free" advice. Tuition for non-EU students has applied since 2023.
• Applying for PhD "scholarships". Norwegian PhDs are job vacancies. Apply to the advertised post with a tailored CV and research proposal.
• Showing borrowed money. Funds must be genuinely available to you; UDI checks.
• Leaving housing too late. No housing proof can delay your permit.
• Paying agents for "guaranteed admission". Norwegian universities do not use paid agents for admission. Read /library/guides/avoiding-scholarship-scams.
• Weak motivation letters. See /library/sample-letters/motivation-letter-masters.

Official links

• Study in Norway, costs and requirements: https://studyinnorway.no/cost-and-requirements
• UDI study permit: https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/studies/studietillatelse/
• UDI fees: https://www.udi.no/en/word-definitions/fees/work-studies-and-au-pair/
• UDI job-seeker permit after graduation: https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/work-immigration/job-seekers/a-job-seeker-who-has-recently-graduated-or-is-a-researcher/
• NTNU tuition fees: https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/tuition-fees
• University of Oslo tuition: https://www.uio.no/english/studies/admission/tuition/
• Norway in Pakistan, visa handling: https://www.norway.no/en/pakistan/services-info/central-visa-handling/
• VFS Global Norway (Pakistan): https://visa.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/norway/pakistan/english/
• PhD vacancies: https://www.jobbnorge.no
• Erasmus Mundus catalogue: https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/scholarships/erasmus-mundus-catalogue_en

Figures checked on 10 October 2026. Always confirm on the official sites before applying.