Tuition fees for non EU/EEA-students
International students who are non-EU/EEA citizens, will have to pay tuition fees unless they meet one of the criteria to be exempt. See the list of exemptions.
Tuition fees per academic year
The tuition fees can change slightly from one year to the next, but only in increments and adjustment due to inflation etc.
| International study programmes | Tuition fees 2023/24 | Tuition fees 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Norwegian language course (NIS) | 75 000 NOK per year | 78 000 NOK per year |
Master in Media Practices (MMP) | 115 000 NOK per year | 119 000 NOK per year |
| Degree programmes taught in Norwegian | Tuition fees 2023/24 | Tuition fees 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor i animasjon (BA Animation) | 140 000 NOK per year | 145 000 NOK per year |
Medieproduksjon - bachelor (BA Media Production) Barnehagekunnskap - master (MA Early Childhood Education) Grunnskulelærarutdanning 1-7 - master (MA Primary Education 1-7) Grunnskulelærarutdanning 5-10 - master (MA Secondary Education 5-10) Helse- og sosialfag - master (MA Health and Social Science) Samfunnsplanlegging og leiing - master (MA Planning & Administration) Skriftkulturar - master (MA Written Cultures) Undervisning og læring - erfaringsbasert master (MA Education and Learning) | 115 000 NOK per year | 119 000 NOK per year |
Barnehagelærarutdanning - bachelor (BA Early Childhood Education) Design, kunst og handverk - bachelor (BA Design, Arts & Crafts) Friluftsliv og naturguide - bachelor (BA Outdoor Life & Nature Guide) Historie - bachelor (BA History) Idrett og kroppsøving - bachelor (BA Sports & Physical Education) Journalistikk - bachelor (BA Journalism) Musikk - bachelor (BA Music) Planlegging og administrasjon - bachelor (BA Planning & Administration) PR, kommunikasjon og media - bachelor (BA PR, Communication & Media) Sosialt arbeid, sosionom - bachelor (BA Social Work) Sosialt arbeid, barnevernspedagog - bachelor (BA Social Work) Språk og litteratur - bachelor (BA Language & Literature) Teater og drama - bachelor (BA Theater & Drama) | 75 000 NOK per year | 78 000 NOK per year |
Tuition rates for degree programmes
VUC has decided to "freeze" the tuition fees to the amount the student paid the first year of a degree programme. This means that if a student paid 75 000 NOK per year for the first year of her/his Bachelor's degree, the student will continue to pay 75 000 NOK per year as long as she/he is studying that same Bachelor's programme. Similarly, if a student pays 115 000 NOK per year for the first year of the Master's degree programme, he/she will continue to pay 115 000 NOK until having completed the Master's degree. However, if changing from one Bachelor's/Master's programme to another, the student must pay the most recent tuition rates. The 1-year Norwegian language course (NIS) is not considered as part of the subsequent degree programme, so after the NIS course, students must pay the most recent tuition rates for the following Bachelor's or Master's programme.
Note also that it is possible that a student at some point during her/his studies qualifies for exemption from paying tuition fees. It is the student's responsibility to check if he/she qualifies for exemption and to notify VUC. VUC is not responsible for continuously check if students are entitled to be exempt from paying tuition fees.
How to pay tuition fees
Students who are required to pay tuition fees will get more information about the procedures and deadlines in their acceptance letter. VUC will issue an invoice with payment instructions to students who need to pay fees. The tuition fees for the whole academic year must be paid before the student can start their studies at VUC. Once the tuition fees have been paid, VUC will issue the student a confirmation which can be submitted with the application for a student residence permit. It is not possible to pay by installments.
Scholarships
The Norwegian Government has announced a national scholarship scheme for the 2024/25 academic year. In the draft presentation of this scholarship scheme, VUC is not awarded any grants. As such, we do not expect to award any grants or scholarships to international students in the 2024/25 academic year.
Exemptions – students do not have to pay if they:
Are citizens of an EU/EEA-country or Switzerland
Students who can document being a citizen of an EU/EEA-country or Switzerland will not have to pay tuition fees. This also relates to students with dual citizenships as long as one of these are from an EU/EEA-country or Switzerland. See the list of EU/EEA-countries.
Example: Anna is a citizen of Poland and has been accepted to the Norwegian language course (NIS) at Volda University College. Since Poland is an EU/EEA-country, Anna will not have to pay tuition fees.
Are incoming exchange students from a partner university of VUC
Incoming exchange students from VUC’s partner universities abroad do not have to pay tuition fees for the period they are on exchange.
However, if an exchange student decides to come back or extend the stay at VUC after the exchange period has ended, he/she may have to pay tuition fees depending on whether he/she meets the other exemptions.
Example: Kate from New Zealand is an exchange student at VUC in the spring of 2023 for this she does not pay tuition fees. But she is continuing her studies on a Master's programme at VUC from 2023/24 and will have to pay tuition fees for this study programme (unless she meets one of the other exemptions).
Are enrolled in a study programme which started before August 2023
International students at VUC who started their study programme before the 2023/24 academic year will be allowed to complete this programme (Bachelor or Master) without paying tuition fees. However, if a student starts on a new study programme at VUC or at another university, he/she may have to pay tuition fees depending on whether he/she meets the other exemptions.
Example: Edward from the USA started the Bachelor in Social Work at VUC in August 2022, he will not have to pay tuition fees for the completion of the BA in Social Work, but when he starts on the Master of Social Work, he has to pay tuition fees (unless he meets one of the other exemptions).
Have permanent residence permit in Norway
Students with a permanent residence permit in Norway from the UDI (Directorate of Immigration) do not have to pay tuition fees. Note that this exemption only relates to permanent residency, any temporary residence permits will not be sufficient to be exempt. Read more about permanent residence permit.
Example: David from Kenya has a study permit to study in Norway that is valid until August 2023 and has been accepted to the Master in Media Practice at VUC from 2023/24. His current residence permit is temporary so he has to pay tuition fees for his studies at VUC (unless he meets one of the other exemptions).
Have protection- or asylum-status in Norway
Students with protection- or asylum- status in Norway does not have to pay tuition fees as long as they have protection/asylum status in Norway. This also holds for citizens of Ukraine who has been given collective protection in Norway. Read more about the status of asylum/protection.
Example: Oksana from Ukraine has stayed in Norway since January 2023. She has been accepted to the Norwegian Language Course (NIS) at VUC for 2023/24. Citizens from Ukraine are given collective protection, so Oksana does not have to pay tuition fees.
Qualify for support from the Norwegian Lånekassen (State Educational Loan Fund).
International students who qualify for support from the Norwegian Lånekassen do not have to pay tuition fees at VUC. An international student may qualify for support from Lånekassen on the basis of close ties to the Kingdom of Norway, for example by:
• Being married to a Norwegian citizen
• Having right of residence in Norway as a family member of an EU/EEA-citizen
• Having worked continuously for 24 months in Norway on a work permit and paid taxes
• Having studied continuously for 36 months at university level without other grants/funding from Norwegian public sources (Norad, NORHED, NUFU, etc.).
• UK citizens who have had the right of stay in Norway since before 31.12.2020 and have remained in Norway since
These criteria are specified in more details on the website of Lånekassen, see: https://www.lanekassen.no/en-US/rules-and-regulations/tildeling/del1-kapittel2/foreign-nationals/foreign-nationals/