Norwegian universities are cutting international tuition fees from 1 August, after a change in the law gave higher education institutions greater freedom to set prices for students from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Several universities have reduced their fees by more than half, hoping to reverse the sharp decline in international enrolments that followed the introduction of compulsory tuition fees in 2023.
The changes apply to the 2026/27 academic year and differ between institutions and degree programmes. UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the University of Stavanger, Oslo Metropolitan University, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, the University of South-Eastern Norway, the University of Agder and Nord University have all announced lower prices, according to Khrono.
Norway’s international tuition fees can now be set below cost
Norway introduced tuition fees for students from countries outside the EEA and Switzerland in autumn 2023. Under the original rules, universities and university colleges had to charge at least the full cost of providing each programme.
This produced substantial differences between subjects, with laboratory-based, technical and artistic programmes often costing considerably more than courses in the humanities or social sciences. The reform was followed by what universities described as a dramatic fall in the number of international students coming to Norway.
The legislation adopted by the Norwegian Parliament removes the requirement that fees must cover the institutions’ full costs. The change entered into force on 1 August 2026, allowing universities to establish lower prices for students from third countries.
The government said in its legislative proposal that the structure of tuition fees forms part of a broader effort to recruit and retain international students and researchers. This is intended to help Norway meet future skills needs.
Some universities have more than halved their prices
The reductions are particularly significant at several institutions.
At the University of Stavanger, annual tuition fees have been set at NOK 60,000, around €5,460, for humanities, social sciences, economics and administration. Science, technology, health, social care, sport, teacher education, performing arts and media programmes will cost NOK 85,000, around €7,740. Previous prices ranged from NOK 135,000 to NOK 190,000, approximately €12,290 to €17,300.
The University of South-Eastern Norway previously charged between NOK 140,000 and NOK 260,000, around €12,750 to €23,670. Its fees for 2026/27 will range from NOK 50,000 to NOK 90,000, approximately €4,550 to €8,190, depending on the subject.
At Nord University, prices have fallen from a previous range of NOK 141,000 to NOK 280,000, approximately €12,840 to €25,490, to between NOK 60,000 and NOK 85,000, around €5,460 to €7,740.
One of the largest individual reductions is at OsloMet, where the annual fee for product design has been lowered from NOK 418,000, around €38,050, to NOK 95,000, approximately €8,650.
At Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, the fees for master’s degrees in applied ecology and in applied biotechnology and biomedicine have fallen from NOK 271,000, around €24,670, to NOK 68,000, approximately €6,190.
Euro conversions are approximate and based on the European Central Bank’s late-July reference rate.
Not every Norwegian university is reducing fees
The response among institutions has not been uniform. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the University of Oslo, the University of Bergen and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences have so far chosen not to reduce their tuition fees.
The difference partly reflects the financial structure of the reform. Universities have already had their government funding reduced on the assumption that they would collect the full tuition fees introduced in 2023. Institutions that lower their prices must therefore cover the difference through their own budgets.
This means that the new law permits lower international tuition fees but does not provide universities with automatic compensation for the lost income. Each institution must balance its interest in attracting more foreign students against the financial cost of reducing its prices.
Universities hope international students will return
Norway’s universities have argued that international students contribute to academic environments, research networks and the recruitment of skilled workers. Official statistics show that international degree students remain an important part of the Norwegian higher education system, although enrolment patterns have changed considerably since the introduction of tuition fees.
The new prices could make Norwegian higher education more competitive internationally, particularly for students comparing programmes across the Nordic countries and the rest of Europe. However, the effect will depend on how widely universities adopt the reductions and whether lower fees are sufficient to offset Norway’s relatively high living costs.
The 2026/27 admissions cycle will offer the first indication of whether the policy change can reverse the decline. For now, international students will face a fragmented system in which the cost of studying in Norway varies substantially according to both the university and the chosen programme.
