Folk high school in the Nordic region

Applies for those who are attending folk high school outside of Norway.

Basic support

NOK 13,790

per month

Loans and grants for attending folk high school in the Nordic region

If you are a pupil at a folk high school, you may receive support for up to ten months.

Students at folk high schools in the Nordic region may be eligible for basic support and, in some cases, additional loans for school fees.

What is basic support?

All students can receive basic support, and this is what most people call a student loan 40 per cent of the basic support may subsequently be converted to a grant.

You do not receive an extra loan to cover expenses for the course you are taking or for travel.

Who is eligible for additional loans for tuition fees?

You are only eligible for loans for tuition fees if you have to pay tuition fees to a folk high school. Payments to cover food and accommodation are not considered tuition fees. Tuition fees are common in Denmark but not in Sweden.

How much can you receive in additional loans for school fees?

The rate for additional loans for tuition fees is capped at a maximum of NOK 77,192 for a full academic year. You will receive less if the duration of the course is shorter and you can never receive more than what you actually have to pay in tuition fees.

How many months can you receive support for?

You can receive support for between four and ten months, depending on the duration of the course. If, for example, the duration of the course is five and a half months, you will receive support for five and a half months. We will round up to the closest half month. You will not be eligible for support if the duration of the course is less than four months.

Who can receive support to attend folk high school in the Nordic region?

If you are admitted to a folk high school, you may be eligible for support even if you do not have general study competence. There is an exception to the rule on requirements for general study competence for studies abroad.

You need to have links to Norway in order to be eligible for support for studies abroad. Generally speaking, you need to be a Norwegian citizen but certain EEA or EFTA residents and their family members may also be eligible for support.

Which folk high schools are approved?

You can only receive support for state-authorised folk high schools that would carry an entitlement to support from the equivalent student loan fund in the country in which you will be attending a folk high school. Support is only available for courses with a duration of at least four months.

See our overview of previously approved educations.

In Denmark, an overview of authorised folk high schools can be found at danishfolkhighschools.com.

Do I have to pay interest on the loan?

The loan is free of interest for as long as you are receiving loans for full-time education

In order for the loan to be free of interest and instalments, you must be taking a student loan for full-time education. When you no longer receive a student loan or go from full- to part-time studies, interest will accrue on the loan and you must start repayments.

Application deadlines

You must have a study place before applying, and you may apply no earlier then mid-May. The final deadline for applying is:

15 November for the entire year or just the autumn semester
15 March for the spring semester

Go to application

Documentation

You must submit

documentation

You take out a loan when you attend a folk high school

You do not receive a grant in the same way as in upper secondary education, but up to 40 per cent of the loan may subsequently be converted to a grant.

When you attend a folk high school, you receive loans and grants under the same rules that apply for university and university college education. There are some differences from receiving grants for upper secondary education that are important to be aware of.

You must repay the loan when you have completed your education

When you no longer receive loans for full-time education, you are sent a repayment plan and must start to pay instalments. The first instalment is due approximately seven months after the final disbursement from Lånekassen.

The loan is interest-free only for as long as you are receiving loans or grants for full-time education.

40 per cent of the basic support can be converted to a grant

If you complete the school year and have income and assets below the limits, 40 per cent of the loan is converted to a grant. This means that you are not required to repay it. You will receive a separate decision from us when the loan is converted.

If you live at home with your parents, you are not qualified for a grant

Only those living away from home may have loans converted to grants. If you are living in a dormitory, you are considered to be living away from home.

Conversion only takes place the year after you have completed your education.

The loan is not converted to a grant until we have checked your income and assets. We only do this when your tax assessment is ready for the year or years in which you received the loan from us. This means that if you completed a year at a folk high school in the spring of 2024, your loan is not converted to a grant before the spring/summer of 2025.

Extra grants and loans

If you have children, become ill or have reduced functional ability, you may receive extra grants and/or loans from Lånekassen. What you may receive depends on your situation.

Related rules