Tuition fees for non EU/EEA-students

Normally the tuition fees for Bachelor's programmes are lower than for Master's prorgrammes. Some study programmes also have higher fees due to the need for expensive equipment (e.g. Bachelor in Animation and Bachelor in Media Production). VUC operate with three categories of tuition fees.

Tuition fees for VUC study programmes in 2025/26:
Category 1: 81 000 NOK
Category 2: 123 000 NOK
Category 3: 150 000 NOK

The tuition fees are paid directly to VUC and cover costs related to courses, guidance and supervision, administrative services and exams.

The tution fees do not cover living costs, housing, visa expenses or books. Students must cover these expenses on top of the tuition fees.

In addition, degree students at VUC must pay a semester registration fee of app. 800 NOK per semester. Read more about the semester fee at VUC.

Tuition fees are set by VUC for each academic year and announced prior to the admission period.

The tuition rates can increase slightly from one academic year to the next, but only in increments and adjustment due to inflation etc. 

The tuition fees are normally paid for one academic year at the time and the fees listed show annual costs.

Some students may be allowed to pay tuition fees for one semester at a time, and if so, the cost of one semester is 50% of the stated annual fee.

Students who are enrolled in more than one study programme will be charged tuition fees for the most expensive of these programmes.

The admission letter from VUC will inform international students of how they can apply for exemption from tuition fees. Typically the students must submit an online form and upload documents to support their case.

In cases where the reason to be excempt is permanent, the student may be awarded exemption for the full degree programme. However, in most cases the exemption is given for one academic year at the time.

Applicants/students are themselves responsible to find out if they meet one of the requirements to be exempt from paying tuition fees and to submit an application within the given deadlines. VUC is not responsible to monitor the status of students to see if they qualify for exemption at any given time. Similarly, students who are granted exemption must inform VUC if their status changes so that they no longer meet the requirements to be exempt.

See the full list of exemptions and the required documentation at the bottom of this page.

International students who do not apply to be exempt, or who do not meet the requirements to be exempt, will receive an invoice from VUC. The invoice will contain the necessary banking information (SWIFT, BIC, IBAN etc.) and show the payment deadline. The payment deadline for tuition fees will normally be before the start of studies.

International students who need a study permit (student visa) from the Norwegian Immigration Authorities (UDI) will be asked to pay tuition fees for the entire academic year. Once the payment has been registered, the student will receive a confirmation from VUC. With this confirmation the student can complete the application to the UDI (Immigration Authorities) for a study permit.

International students who only need to renew a residence permit, or who does not need a permit at all, can request to pay tuition fees per semester. This also goes for international students who are only studying at VUC for one semester. Tuition fees for one semester is calculated as 50% of the annual fee.

It is not possible to pay tution fees in instalments.

International students who cancel their place of study at VUC can request to be reimbursed for paid tuition fees. This is also possible for students who have paid tuition fees and then afterwards meet one of the requirements to be exempt or are granted a leave of absence from their studies.

Students must apply for reimbursement by September 1 for the autumn semester/academic year and by February 1 for the spring semester. Students apply for reimbursement by sending an e-mail to admissions@hivolda.no within the given deadlines. If it is too late to be reimbursed for the autumn semester, the student may still be reimbursed for the spring semester.

In special cases, the VUC Director of studies can approve of reimbursement also if the student apply after the deadline.

International students who are awarded a leave of absence (in Norwegian "permisjon") from their studies do not have to pay tuition fees for the semester(s) they have been granted this absence. 

Fee-paying students who go on exchange will have to pay tuition fees to VUC for the semester(s) they are studying abroad. 

International students who are extending their studies at VUC just to re-sit an examination or re-submit an assignment/thesis do not have to pay tuition fees for the extra semester of study. However, the students will have to pay tuition fees if they also sign up for new courses or follow classes/lectures at VUC in the extra semester.

VUC does not offer any scholarships, tuition waivers or financial aid for international students. Students must therefore be ready to pay the tuition fees in full and on their own.

International students who qualify for support through the Norwegian Lånekassen (State Educational Loan Fund) are automatically exempt from paying tuition fees. Read more about the requirements to be eligible for support from Lånekassen for foreign nationals.

VUC has developed detailed guidelines for the administration of tuition fees for international students. Read the full guidelines here.

Students who can document that they are citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland are exempt from paying tuition fees to VUC.

Note that the exemption is only for those with an EU/EEA-citizenship (passport), it is not enough to live in an EU/EEA-country or to hold a residence permit in an EU/EEA-country.

See the list of EU/EEA countries.

Required documentation: The student must submit a copy of a valid passport or national ID card from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland.

Example: Anna is a citizen of Poland and has applied to the Norwegian language course (NIS). Since Poland is an EU/EEA-country, Anna does not have to pay tuition fees.

Incoming exchange students from one of VUC’s partner institutions abroad (institutions with which VUC has an exchange agreement) do not need to pay tuition fees.

Required documentation: None. This will be evident from a nomination of the student from the partner institution abroad

Example: Nathan is a citizen of the USA and is an exchange student from one of VUC's partner universities abroad. Even if he is a non-EU/EEA-citizen, Nathan is exempt from tuition fees because of his status as an incoming exchange student. If Nathan chooses to continue his study at VUC after his exchange period, he would have to pay tuition fees.

Students who started their degree studies at VUC before the introduction of tuition fees for international students (before August 2023) do not need to pay tuition fees as long as they are enrolled in the same study programme. This also applies if the student is granted a leave of absence from the degree program which delays graduation.

Students who started a study program before August 2023 but who has graduated or changed their enrollment to a new study program will no longer be exempt from tuition fees on these grounds.

Required documentation: None. The student enrollment will be evident from VUC’s student database (FS).

Example: Victor from Brazil started on the BA Animation programme in 2022/23 and he can complete this programme without paying tuition fees. However, if he changes his enrollment to the BA in Arts & Crafts, he is no longer exempt from tuition fees on these grounds.

Students who hold a permanent residence permit in Norway from the UDI (Norwegian Immigration Authorities) do not have to pay tuition fees. Note that this exemption only relates to permanent residency. Temporary residence permits will not be sufficient to be exempt on these grounds.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/National ID card. Copy of residence card and/or decision letter from UDI or the Police.

Example: David from Kenya has a study permit in Norway that is valid until August 2025 and has been accepted to the Master in Media Practices at VUC for the 2025/26 academic year. His current residence permit (study permit) is temporary so he does not qualify to be exempt under this rule.

Students who have been granted the right of residence in Norway on the basis of protection/asylum do not need to pay tuition fees to VUC as long as they hold this type of residence permit in Norway. This is also the case for citizens of Ukraine who have been awarded collective protection in Norway.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/National ID card. Copy of residence card and/or decision letter from UDI or the Police.

Example: Oksana from Ukraine has had a residence permit for collective protection in Norway since January 2023 and has been accepted to the Norwegian language course in 2025/26. As long as she maintains the residence permit for protection/asylum, she is exempt from paying tuition fees. The residence permit for collective protection is typically up for renewal every year, and if so, the student must submit new documentation of collective protection to be exempt in following academic years.

Students who have been awarded a residence permit on the basis of family immigration are exempt from tuition fees at VUC. The person that the student is re-united with in Norway must either be a Norwegian citizen or a foreign citizen with a residence permit in Norway on other grounds than for studying.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/National ID card. Copy of residence card and/or decision letter from UDI or the Police. It may also be necessary to document that the person the student is reunited with is residing in Norway on other grounds than studying (for example through a work contract).

Example: Vinay from India has moved to Norway to live with his father who holds a permanent residence permit in Norway. If Vinay is awarded a residence permit for family immigration with his father, Vinay is exempt from paying tuition fees.

Students who are family members of an EU/EEA-citizen who already lives and resides in Norway are exempt from paying tuition fees to VUC. The EU/EEA-citizen must have other grounds for residence in Norway than studying.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/National ID card. Copy of residence card and/or decision letter from UDI or the Police. Copy of the registration certificate for the EU/EEA-citizen residing in Norway. It may also be necessary to document that the person the student is reunited with is residing in Norway on other grounds than studying (for example through a work contract).

Example: Muhammed is a citizen of Egypt and has been awarded a residence permit for family immigration with his mother in Norway. His mother is a citizen of Germany, which is an EU/EEA-country. In this case, Muhammed does not have to pay tuition fees to VUC.

Students who are married to a Norwegian citizen do not need to pay tuition fees to VUC. This also includes international students in common-law marriages (in Norwegian “samboer”) who cohabitate and have joint children, with a Norwegian citizen. For cohabitation, it is required that both partners must live in Norway.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/ID card for the student and the spouse. Residence card and decision letter from UDI or the police. For marriage, a copy of the marriage certificate. For common-law marriages, a copy of the residence certificate from Skatteetaten (the Norwegian tax administration) for the student, partner and child.

Example: Gul from Turkey is living with a Norwegian citizen (common-law marriage), but they do not have children. In this case, Gul would have to pay tuition fees to VUC until she is either married to or have joint children with the Norwegian citizen.

Non-EU/EEA citizens who have worked full-time in Norway for a continuous period of at least 24 months before becoming a student, and who have lived in Norway and paid taxes during this accrual period, do not need to pay tuition fees to VUC.

The person in question must have had a residence permit as an employee during this 2-year-period and there cannot be any breaks between the employee-period and the study-period, apart from breaks due to illness or childbirth.

Au-pair work does not count as full-time work in this context.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/ID card. Copy of residence card and decision letter from UDI or the Police. Printout of tax returns, pay slip or other documentation showing 24 months of continuous work and taxes.

Example: Jon from the USA has works in Norway and holds a residence permit for work immigration. He has paid taxes and worked for 18 monhts before he starts studying at VUC. In this case, Jon have not worked long enough to be exempt from paying tuition fees. If he works continously for 2 years (24 months) he is exempt from paying tuition.

Students who have completed a minimum of 3 consecutive years of studies at a university or a university college in Norway and have completed the equivalent of 3 years of full-time study (180 ECTS credits) do not need to pay tuition fees to HVO.

It is a requirement that the student has not received any loans/scholarships from other support schemes in Norway or the Nordic countries (such as financial aid from Norad, NUFU, NORHED, etc.) during the 3-year period. There can be no breaks in this 3-year period, except for breaks/absence caused by illness and/or childbirth.

Nor can there be any breaks between the 3-year-period and the continuing of studies for which the student is exempt from tuition fees, apart from holidays or other lecture-free periods.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/ID card. Copy of residence card and decision letter from UDI or the police. Copy of transcript from university or college in Norway.

Example: Elizabeth from South Africa has completed a 3-year Bachelor's degree at the University of Oslo and she has not received any financial aid from Norwegian/Nordic sources. When she starts a Master's programme at VUC immediately after completing her Bachelor's degree, she meets the requirement of 3 years consecutive full-time studies in Norway and is therefore exempt from paying tuition fees to VUC.

Students who are citizens of the United Kingdom and who have resided in Norway since before 31 December 2020, are exempt from paying tuition fees to VUC. This due to the transitional arrangement in the EEA agreement which means that citizens from the UK had the right to stay in Norway as EU/EEA citizens until 1 January 2021.

Citizens from Great Britain who came to Norway after 1 January 2021 must pay tuition fees if they do not meet one of the other requirements for exemption.

Required documentation: Copy of valid passport/ID card. Copy of residence card/decision letter from UDI or the police, possibly registration certificate from UDI/Police.

Example: Fiona is a citizen of the United Kingdom and she has lived in Norway since May 2022. This does not qualify her to be exempt from tuition fees, since this would require her to have resided in Norway since before December 31, 2020.