Who is exempted?
- Exchange students from UiA’s partner universities.
- Students who have started their study programme prior to the autumn of 2023.
- Students admitted to an Erasmus Programme.
- Students awarded a Fulbright grant.
- Students awarded a full degree scholarship from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) through collaboration programmes such as NORPART, STAR etc.
- Students with a residence permit on one of the grounds listed below.
Apply for exemption
If you fullfill one of the following criteria (subject to change), you may be exempt from paying tuition fees. In addition, if you have received a decision letter from Lånekassen stating that you are eligible for loan and grants, you will be exempt.
Please note! You must have received an unconditional offer of admission and accepted the study place, before you apply for an exemption.
Admitted international applicants from countries outside EU/EEA and applicants who currently hold a renewable residence permit to Norway must provide one of the following when applying for a study permit or renewal of residence permit at the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI):
- confirmation/receipt of payment of tuition fees from UiA
- other means proving your ability to pay tuition fees
- exemption from paying tuition fees confirmed by UiA
Contact UiA at admission@uia.no to get your invoice for the annual tuition fee, or apply for an exemption by filling in the application form above.
Permanent residence permit
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you have permanent residence permit in Norway.
Documentation requirements:
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your residence card
- Copy of the decision letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
Protection (asylum), compelling humanitarian reasons or links to Norway
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you have residence (asylum) in Norway due to protection, strong humanitarian considerations or a special connection to Norway.
Documentation requirements:
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your residence card
- Copy of the decision letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
Married to, or have children with, a Norwegian citizen
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you are married to a Norwegian citizen or are the legal partner of a Norwegian citizen. Both you and your spouse or legal partner must live in Norway.
With legal partner we mean a person with whom you are married or have an equivalent official relation.
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you are cohabiting with and have children with a Norwegian citizen. Both you and your cohabiting person must live in Norway.
Documentation requirements (married to or in a legal partnership with a Norwegian citizen):
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your residence card
- Copy of your marriage certificate from the Norwegian Tax Administration or from the foreign authority who officiated the wedding
- Copy of the residence certificate (bostedsattest) for you and your spouse/legal partner
- Copy of the decision letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
Documentation requirements (cohabiting with a Norwegian you have children with):
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your residence card
- Copy of the residence certificate (bostedsattest) for you, your cohabitating partner and your child
- Copy of the decision letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
Citizens of the United Kingdom
During a transitional period that lasted until 2020, the United Kingdom was to be treated as if it were still a member of the EU and the EEA.
If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, who was entitled to reside in Norway in accordance with the EEA agreement before the end of the transition period (31.12.2020), you are exempt to pay tuition fees. You must also have stayed in Norway.
If you came to Norway on 1 January 2021 or later, you are not exempt from the tuition fees.
Documentation requirements:
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your registration certificate
Family immigration
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you have a residence permit due to family immigration. The person with whom you have been reunited must either be a Norwegian citizen or a foreign national with a reason for residence in Norway other than studying.
Furthermore, you do not have to pay tuition fees if you have gained a continued residence permit on an independent basis due to the Norwegian immigration act § 53.
Documentation requirements:
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your residence card
- Copy of the decision letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
- Copy of the residence card or registration certificate for your family member
Full-time work
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you have had continuous full-time work in Norway, have been resident in and paid tax to Norway during a qualifying period of at least 24 months.
You must have had a residence permit as an employee during the earning period. There must be no break during the accrual period or between the accrual period and further studies. However, exceptions can be made for stays of up to 1 year in the event of illness or childbirth.
Stays due to ordinary five-week holidays per year will be accepted as part of the accrual period of 24 months.
Au-pair work is not considered full-time employment and does therefore not give exemptions from paying tuition fees.
Documentation requirements:
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your residence card
- Confirmation(s) from employer(s) showing that you have had continuous full-time employment in Norway for at least 24 months immediately prior to commencing the study programme (start and finish dates). The confirmation(s) must show the role percentage and start and finish dates of the employment. An employment contract is not considered sufficient documentation.
- Documentation showing that you have paid tax in Norway for the last 24 months immediately prior to commencing studies. This could include copies of the tax return, payslips or corresponding documentation.
- Copy of the decision letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
Studies
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you during an accrual period of at least 36 months have lived in and been in education in Norway and passed education equivalent to 3 years of full-time education (180 ECTS).
There must be no gap during the accrual period or between the accrual period and further studies. However, exceptions can be made for stays of up to 1 year in the event of illness or childbirth.
During the qualifying period, you cannot have received loans or grants for education from Lånekassen, public support schemes in other countries (e.g. Centrala studiestödsnämnden and Uddannelsesstyrelsen), or from Norwegian public support schemes for development, e.g. Norad, the Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education (NUFU), the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED).
Documentation requirements:
- Copy of your passport or national ID card
- Copy of your residence card
- Copy of the decision letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
- Copy of transcripts of records or diplomas for education completed in Norway
Citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland
You do not have to pay tuition fees if you are a citizen from one of the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
If you have uploaded a copy of your passport in the application, you are automatically exempt and do not need to apply for an exemption.