Living in Norway as a Student - Study in Norway

Living in Norway as a Student

Norway is safe, beautiful, and expensive — and student life here works differently than you might expect. This guide covers the practical side: finding housing, registering for healthcare, getting around, eating without going broke, and surviving (and enjoying) the long winters. By the end, you'll know what your first year on the ground actually looks like.

Finding Housing

Housing is your biggest cost and your biggest early challenge. Start the day you're admitted.

Student welfare housing (do this first)

Each city has a student welfare organization (studentsamskipnad) that runs subsidized student housing:

• Oslo — SiO
• Bergen — Sammen
• Trondheim — Sit
• Tromsø — Norges arktiske studentsamskipnad

Student housing is far cheaper than the private market and usually includes utilities and internet. Apply immediately on admission — Oslo housing fills fastest.

Private rentals

If student housing isn't available, look on Finn.no (Norway's main marketplace) and Hybel.no. Expect to pay a deposit of up to three months' rent into a locked deposit account (depositumskonto) — this is legally protected and returned when you leave.

Healthcare

Norway's healthcare is excellent and, once you're in the system, essentially free.

Stays over 12 months

Register with the National Registry (Folkeregisteret) at the Tax Office. You'll receive a national ID number (fødselsnummer) and become a member of the National Insurance Scheme (folketrygden). You're then assigned a regular GP (fastlege) and get public healthcare. There's a small annual co-payment cap (egenandel), after which care is free.

Stays under 12 months

• EU/EEA students — use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
• Non-EU students — usually need private health insurance until you qualify for national coverage

Dental care is not fully covered for adults — budget separately for the dentist (a check-up is NOK 800-1,500).

Getting Around

Public transport in Norway is reliable, clean, and well-integrated — but not cheap without the student discount.

• Within cities — buses, trams, and metro (Oslo) cover everything. Get the student monthly pass via the operator's app.
• Between cities — Vy runs trains; the journey from Oslo to Bergen is one of the world's most scenic. Long-distance buses (Vy Express, Nor-way) are cheaper.
• Cycling — popular in Oslo and Trondheim in the warmer months; cities have bike-share schemes.
• Flights — for long distances (Oslo to Tromsø), domestic flights with Norwegian and SAS are often the practical choice.

Food and Groceries

Groceries are expensive but the quality is high. Smart shopping keeps it manageable.

• Discount chains — Kiwi, REMA 1000, Coop Extra are the cheapest
• Own-brand products — First Price and Xtra save a lot
• Student canteens — the welfare organizations run subsidized cafeterias with cheap hot meals
• Avoid eating out often — a restaurant main runs NOK 200-350; a beer is NOK 90-120

Budget NOK 3,500-4,500/month for groceries if you cook at home. Norwegians do — eating out is reserved for occasions.

Surviving the Winter

Winter is the thing international students most underestimate.

• The south (Oslo, Bergen) — cold, around -5°C to -10°C, short days, plenty of darkness but not extreme.
• The north (Tromsø) — polar night, weeks with no sunrise from late November to mid-January, balanced by the northern lights and, in summer, the midnight sun.

How Norwegians cope, and how you should too:

• Proper gear — a genuinely warm coat, waterproof boots, layers, hat, gloves. Don't cheap out.
• Koselig — the Norwegian art of cosiness: candles, warm drinks, good company indoors.
• Get outside anyway — friluftsliv means embracing the outdoors year-round. Skiing, winter hikes, and ice skating beat hibernating.
• Light and vitamin D — many students use a daylight lamp and take vitamin D in winter.

Culture and Making Friends

Norwegians are famously reserved — but it's shyness, not coldness. Friendships form slowly, around shared activities rather than small talk.

• Join something early — a student organization, sports club, choir, or the friluftsliv trips student groups run. This is the single best way to meet people.
• Use the buddy program — most universities pair international students with local mentors in the first weeks.
• Dugnad — communal volunteer work (cleaning the student housing yard, for instance) is a real social glue; join in.
• Respect the unspoken rules — punctuality matters, splitting the bill is normal, and personal space is valued.

Once you're in, Norwegian friendships are genuine and lasting.

The Outdoors and Seasonal Life

Nature isn't a weekend hobby in Norway — it's woven into how people live, and embracing it is the fastest route to feeling at home.

• Allemannsretten (right to roam) — you can legally hike, camp, swim, and forage on most uncultivated land, for free. Few countries offer this.
• Student sports clubs (BSI, NTNUI, etc.) — run cheap hikes, ski trips, climbing, and cabin weekends; joining one is the classic way to make Norwegian friends.
• Cabin culture (hytte) — a weekend at a mountain or seaside hut is the national way to recharge; many students get invited along.
• Seasons shape everything — autumn berry-picking, winter skiing and northern lights (in the north), and long bright summer evenings with the midnight sun above the Arctic Circle.

Buy decent outdoor gear early — a windproof jacket and proper boots get more use here than you'd expect, and second-hand shops and student groups are good sources.

Banking and Admin

• National ID number (fødselsnummer) — register with the Tax Office; it unlocks banking, healthcare, and most services.
• Bank account — DNB, Nordea, and Sparebank 1 are the main banks; you'll need your ID number and proof of address. Vipps (mobile payments) is used everywhere.
• BankID — the digital identity that logs you into government and banking services. Get it as soon as you have a bank account.
• Phone — Telia, Telenor, and Ice offer student-friendly prepaid plans for NOK 200-400/month.

Norway is heavily cashless — cards and Vipps work everywhere, and many places no longer take cash at all. A practical tip: while you wait for your Norwegian bank account and BankID, services like Wise or Revolut let you receive and spend money in the meantime, and many landlords and the student welfare organizations accept them for early payments. Once your fødselsnummer and BankID are active, though, switch to a local account — it's needed for almost everything, from signing a phone contract to logging into the tax portal.

Next Steps

1. Costs and funding — the full budget, including the new tuition fees
2. Visa and arrival — registration, ID number, and your first weeks
3. Work and career — part-time jobs and post-study options
4. Why study in Norway — the bigger picture
5. The 10-step guide — the full roadmap from decision to enrolment