Financing for equity in higher education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students
4. Support for students' living costs
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
The gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes is 95.06% (UIS 2023 estimates). The initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita is 26.56% (UIS 2022 estimates). No data is found regarding the initial household funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita.
Tuition-free status
According to the 2005 Universities and Colleges Act, public tertiary education is tuition-free.
Governance
The Ministry of Education and Research has overall responsibility for higher education and allocates annual block grants to universities and university colleges, including both public and eligible private institutions. The State Educational Loan Fund is the government agency providing student loans and grants, financing students rather than institutions.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Norway does not use subnational governments as primary funding channels for public higher education; instead, the central government funds universities and university colleges directly through a national blockgrant model, while counties and municipalities receive block and earmarked grants mainly for lower levels of education and other services.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
The 2005 Universities and Colleges Act provides a pathway for state funding to private institutions based on accreditation and an application to the Ministry of Education and Research, not on whether a public university is available in a given area. Accredited private institutions may, upon application, be granted state subsidies to cover operating costs for the accredited activity, and private university colleges without institutional accreditation may also receive subsidies for Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT)-accredited studies if there are special societal needs for the activity.
Allocation and equity
Government subsidies to public higher education institutions are mainly allocated as institutional block grants from the Ministry of Education and Research; equity is pursued more through universal and special-conditions student support schemes than through earmarked institutional equity subsidies.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
There are no specific admission criteria for vulnerable groups.
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
The 1985 Education Support Act provides a framework for educational support in the form of grants (scholarships) and loans. Eligibility for scholarships is broad but structured. The Act applies primarily to Norwegian citizens, as well as EEA or EFTA citizens with a work-related or other special connection to Norway. It also covers certain foreign citizens who have a special connection to Norway through work, education, family ties, or humanitarian or political grounds, and those participating in special educational programs approved by the Ministry of Education and Research. Within this general eligibility framework, the Act explicitly allows for differentiated support to specific groups. Scholarships or conversions of loans into scholarships may be granted in cases such as childbirth, illness, or disability, and special scholarships may be provided to refugees.
Administration of educational loans and grants is centralized in the State Educational Loan Fund, which implements and administers all educational support strictly in accordance with the Act and subordinate regulations, under the authority and supervision of the Ministry of Education and Research.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
The 1985 Education Support Act provides travel support through the student loan and grant system.
Accommodation
The 1985 Education Support Act provides living support through the student loan and grant system.
Textbooks
The basic student support package, provided by the State Educational Loan Fund, is explicitly meant to cover study materials (including books).
