Norway aspiring foreign students to pay varsity fees from 2023’s autumn semester

As per details, all students at Norwegian universities can study tuition-free, including international students, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Though, Minister of Education, Ola Borten Moe, opined that fees must be introduced for students from countries outside the European Union and Schengen Area so the varsities can at least cover the costs per foreign student.

“In the vast majority of cases, Norwegian students have to pay tuition fees to study abroad. There is no reason why it should be any different here. Norway will still be open to students from all countries, but we think it is right and reasonable that they also pay for themselves,” schengenvisainfo quoted Ola Borten Moe as saying.

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Moe clarified that education should remain free for Norwegian students and those coming from EEA countries and Switzerland, as well as for exchange students.

Citing the varsities to be better equipped to attract foreign students because of quality, Moe said if universities introduce fees for international students no longer students who want to continue their higher education in Norway only because it is free will be attracted.

Also, she said that the fewer foreign students, the more free study places there will be for Norwegian students, both at universities and in housing.

“At a time when there are many people who want to take higher education, it is right to prioritize Norwegian students,” Minister Borten Moe said.

Recently, the government has proposed a budget of NOK 42.8 billion for the funding of universities and colleges in 2023. However, Moe insists the varsities and colleges to look at other ways of getting income as inflation has hit globally and one such idea is imposing fees for foreign students.

The Norwegian government has also increased the framework for how much a dormitory can cost to build by about 50 per cent, from NOK955,700 to NOK1,450,000 per dormitory throughout the country in the 2023 budget for education. It is also proposing to spend an extra NOK 85 million on adjusting student aid, the report added.

At the same time, NOK141.5 million will be allocated for a subsidy scheme for energy measures in student housing and an extra NOK 41.1 million to cancel student debt in Troms and Finnmark, it said.

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