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Finances – who pays for upper secondary education and training?

Education and training in public upper secondary schools and in training establishments is free in Norway. Pupils in independent schools (private upper secondary schools) must pay school fees.

The following schemes apply to all pupils:

  • Printed and digital teaching aids and digital equipment are free, both in public upper secondary schools and in independent upper secondary schools that are entitled to public funding.
  • If the school organizes its teaching so that you must have a computer both at school and at home, the school must provide you with a laptop. The school may charge an annual premium for the pc.

Below you can read more about different grants and support schemes. Please note that all the amounts and rules are valid for the school year of 2023–2024.

You can read more on lanekassen.no.

Equipment grant

All pupils with statutory rights as a young person receive an equipment grant from the Loan Fund.

  • The pupils receive the grant regardless of how much their parents earn or how much wealth they have.
  • The size of the grant depends on which education programme one takes, from NOK 1,196 to NOK 6,156.
Apprentices, training candidates and practical training certificate candidates do not receive equipment grants.

Housing grants

If the pupil must leave home to go to school, it is possible to get a housing grant of up to NOK 5,848 per month from the Loan Fund. In order to receive this grant, the pupil must satisfy one of these requirements:

  • The school is 40 km or more from the parents’ home.
  • Total travelling time per day is three hours or more.
  • There are special reasons that mean you cannot live at home during your education.

The grant is means-tested for apprentices, training candidates and practical training certificate candidates. This means that the grant is gradually reduced when one earns more than NOK 16,383 gross per month.

Income-dependant grant

The basic grant is meant to be a contribution to cover the cost of living for pupils from families with a weak financial situation. Those who receive a basic grant may receive up to NOK 3,733 per month.

Other grants and endowments

Pupils, apprentices and training candidates in upper secondary education and training can apply for loans and other grants from the Loan Fund. At www.lanekassen.no there is more information. It is also possible to apply for a number of grants and endowments for education, further education, culture and research, as well as for social help. See www.legathandboken.no, or ask at the library or a bookshop for "Legathåndboken" (Norwegian only).