Who is eligible
The main requirement for support from Lånekassen is that you are a Norwegian citizen. However, foreign citizens may also be entitled to financial support.
If you are a foreign citizen with legal residence in Norway and you are a student, you can be entitled to financial support if you meet one of the requirements below.
| Grounds qualifying for financial support from Lånekassen |
When applying please enclose documentation to the following |
Political refugee or asylum seeker
You have been granted asylum, protection or residence on humanitarian grounds. |
- copy of your valid residence permit
- copy of the initial letter from UDI (Directorate of Immigration), which states that you are granted asylum or residence on humanitarian grounds
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Married to Norwegian citizen
You are married to or you are a registered partner to a Norwegian citizen and you both live in Norway. |
- copy of your valid residence permit, not required for Nordic nationals
- documentation on marriage or registered partnership with Norwegian citizen, or
- birth certificate for joint child with a Norwegian cohabitant
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Family reunification
You have a residence permit due to family reunification, with a Norwegian or foreign national, who has been granted residence permit on grounds other than education. Or you have right to residence in Norway as a family member of an EEA national.
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- copy of your valid residence permit, not required for Nordic nationals
- letter from UDI (Directorate of Immigration) or the police, documenting that you are reunited with a family member who has a residence permit in Norway, not required for Nordic nationals.
- copy of registration certificate for an EEA national or a residence card for a family member of an EEA national.
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Child under the age of 19
You have been granted work, residence, or settlement permit because you are under 19 years old, and the child of a person with work, residence, or settlement permit in Norway. It is a precondition that your providers live in and are taxable to Norway. |
- copy of your valid residence permit, not required for Nordic nationals
- confirmation to that one of your parents is a Norwegian citizen (copy of passport) and lives in Norway (certificate of residence), or
- confirmation that one of your parents has residence and work permit, documentation from UDI (Directorate of Immigration) or the police. And confirmation from employer or the tax authorities, stating that one of them pay taxes to Norway.
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Kola
You have a residence permit under the regulations for Norwegian citizens who emigrated to the Kola Peninsula, or their descendants.
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- letter from UDI (Directorate of Immigration) stating that you are granted residence under the regulations for Norwegian citizens who emigrated to the Kola Peninsula, or their descendants.
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Full time employment
You have been studying full time in Norway over the past three years without any support from Lånekassen and you have passed all your education. If you have been studying part time, your total education must be equivalent to three years of fulltime education. |
- copy of valid residence permit, not required for Nordic nationals
- documentation on fulltime continuous employment in Norway for at least 24 months prior to becoming a student
- documentation on paid taxes to Norway, from employer or tax authorities
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Full time education
You have been studying full time in Norway over the past three years without any support from Lånekassen and you have passed all your exams. If you have been studying part time, your total education must be equivalent to three years of fulltime education.
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- copy of valid residence permit not required for Nordic nationals
- academic transcript or certificate
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Employees from EEA or EFTA countries and family members for which they are care providers, may be eligible for additional financial support. See table below.
| Grounds qualifying for financial support from Lånekassen |
When you apply please enclose documentation to the following |
EEA or EFTA employee
You are from a EEA or EFTA country. You have employee status in Norway. There must be a professional connection between your work in Norway and the education you will be taking. If you have become involuntary unemployed due to general changes in the market, this requirement no longer apply.
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- copy of your work permit, does not apply to Nordic nationals
- submit a job description from your employer(s) that states how much you have worked, hours per week, and how long you have worked for.
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Family member of EEA or EFTA employee
You are the child of or married to, registered partner to or have joint child with EEA or EFTA national with a work permit in Norway. Other family members may also be entitled to support. |
If you are not a Nordic national, you have to enclose
- copy of work permit for your parents or for your spouse/cohabitant/registered partner
- confirmation of marriage/registered partnership or birth certificate for joint child of the relationship with a EEA or EFTA national
If you are not a Nordic national or child/spouse/cohabitant/registered partner of a frontier worker, you have to enclose
- copy of valid residence permit
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Permanent recident in Norway
You are an EEA national or a family member of an EEA national, and have permanent residency in Norway. |
- copy of registration certificate or residence card from UDI (Directorate of Immigration), not required for Nordic nationals
If you are a Nordic national you have to submit confirmation that you have lived in Norway for a consecutive period of five years, just prior to your education. Valid confirmation can be a letter from your employer(s) stating that you have worked in Norway. Or a statement from one or more educational institutions stating that you have been engaged in an education in this period. Lånekassen will also acquire confirmation of time of residency through the Norwegian Tax Administration. |
Separate rules apply for students from developing countries and countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and Central-Asia under the quota scheme.
| Grounds qualifying for financial support from Lånekassen |
When you apply please enclose documentation to the following |
Quota Student
You have been accepted as a quota student at a university or university college in Norway. Each year Norwegian universities and university colleges admit a number of students from developing countries and countries in the West Balkan, Eastern Europe,and Central-Asia under a special education program, a quota scheme. |
copy of valid residence permit
- the “Q-form”, which the academic institution provides for you
- confirmation letter from your university or university college, if the letter from UDI (Directorate of Immigration) does not state your education program
Please contact your academic institution before you apply for support from Lånekassen.
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For information on which academic institutions and educational programs are included in the Quota scheme, please contact your Norwegian university and university college. Read more about the quota scheme or to The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU).
- Calculate how much support you can get with the "support calculator"; støttekalkulatoren (Norwegian only).