On August 1, 2026, a change to Norway’s University and College Act took effect that removes a rule most Bangladeshi applicants never knew existed. Since 2023, Norwegian public universities were legally required to charge non EU/EEA students a tuition fee that fully covered the cost of their program. That requirement is now gone. Several universities have already announced real fee cuts for the 2026/27 academic year. This does not mean Norway is tuition-free again. It means each university can now choose its own fee, including zero, but nothing forces them to.
At Study Norway BD, we track policy changes like this closely because they directly affect what a student should budget for before applying. This guide explains what actually changed, which universities have moved so far, and what still hasn’t been decided.
A Quick History: Why Norway Started Charging Tuition in 2023
Before 2023, Norway was one of the few countries where public university education was genuinely free for every student, regardless of nationality. That changed when Norway’s parliament passed a law requiring non EU/EEA and non-Swiss students to pay tuition fees that fully covered the cost of their program, starting with the 2023/24 academic year. Fees ranged widely, from roughly NOK 80,000 to over NOK 170,000 a year at most institutions, with some specialized programs charging considerably more.
The effect was immediate and severe. According to Norway’s Ministry of Education and Research, new student enrollment from outside the EEA fell by close to 80 percent within about two years of the fee being introduced. Universities lost a meaningful share of the international mix that had shaped their classrooms for over a decade, and several institutions and student organizations publicly pushed to reverse the policy.
What Actually Changed on August 1, 2026
The reversal did not restore free tuition by government mandate. Instead, Norway’s Ministry of Education and Research, Kunnskapsdepartementet, submitted a formal legislative proposal to parliament in March 2026, known as Prop. 58 L (2025-2026), asking to remove the specific requirement in the University and College Act that non-EEA student fees be cost-covering. Parliament passed the change, and it entered into force on August 1, 2026.
What this means in plain terms: universities no longer have to charge a fee that covers the full cost of teaching a non-EEA student. They now have the legal freedom to set a lower fee, or no fee at all, if they choose to. They are not required to do either. This is the detail most articles covering this story skip past, and it matters enormously for how you should plan your own application.
Which Universities Have Already Cut Fees
Several institutions moved quickly once the law took effect, announcing reduced fees for the 2026/27 academic year. According to Khrono, the Norwegian outlet that first reported on this, universities including UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the University of Stavanger, Oslo Metropolitan University, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, the University of South-Eastern Norway, the University of Agder, and Nord University have all announced lower fees, with some cuts exceeding 50 percent of the previous rate.
The University of Stavanger’s move is one of the clearest examples so far: fees for humanities, social sciences, and economics and administration programs were set at NOK 60,000 per year, down from a considerably higher cost-covering rate.
| University | Change Announced | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| University of Stavanger | Fee cut to NOK 60,000/year | Humanities, social sciences, economics, administration |
| UiT The Arctic University of Norway | Fee reduction announced | Exact figures vary by program |
| Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) | Fee reduction announced | Exact figures vary by program |
| Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) | Fee reduction announced | Exact figures vary by program |
| Nord University | Fee reduction announced | Among the earliest to signal changes |
| University of Agder | Fee reduction announced | Exact figures vary by program |
| Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences | Fee reduction announced | Exact figures vary by program |
| University of South-Eastern Norway | Fee reduction announced | Exact figures vary by program |
Not every Norwegian public university has announced a change as of this writing, and figures differ significantly by program, particularly between humanities and technical or laboratory-based fields. Always confirm the current fee directly with your specific university and program before budgeting.
What This Means If You’re a Bangladeshi Applicant Right Now
For students planning an autumn 2026 or later intake, this is genuinely good news, but it needs to be acted on carefully rather than assumed. If your target university is on the list above, check its official admissions or international student page directly for the exact current fee for your specific program, not a general figure quoted elsewhere. If your target university hasn’t announced anything yet, don’t assume it will follow the same path. Universities are making these decisions independently and on different timelines.
If you’re still choosing between universities, this is worth factoring into your decision alongside program quality and location. If you’d like help comparing your specific program options against current fee structures, this is exactly the kind of research our application support service is built to help with.
This Doesn’t Change Your Living Cost Requirement
One thing this reform does not touch is the separate financial requirement UDI sets for your study permit application, the proof that you can support yourself while living in Norway. For the 2026/2027 academic year, that figure remains NOK 170,368 per year, reviewed annually by UDI and unrelated to whatever tuition fee your university charges. Even if your tuition drops to zero, you’ll still need to document this living cost amount separately. We’ve laid out exactly what documentation UDI expects for this in our Norway study visa documents checklist.
How This Could Affect Your Visa Application Financial Proof
A lower or waived tuition fee can actually work in your favor during the visa process, since it reduces the total amount you need to prove access to, tuition plus living costs, together. But it can also create a specific documentation risk if it’s not handled correctly. If your admission letter still shows an old, higher fee figure while your university has separately confirmed a reduction, that mismatch needs to be clarified in writing before you submit your application, not left for a case officer to notice. Funding documentation questions are already one of the more common issues we’ve covered in our guide on why Norway study visas get rejected, and an unexplained gap between two official figures is exactly the kind of thing that invites a closer look.
Once your documents and fee situation are confirmed, the submission process itself goes through VFS Global’s centre for the Danish Embassy in Dhaka, which we’ve covered in full in our VFS Norway visa appointment guide.
Fee Situation Before vs. After the Reform
| Before August 2026 | After August 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal requirement | Universities must charge cost-covering fees to non-EEA students | Requirement removed; universities set their own fee |
| Typical fee range | NOK 80,000 to over NOK 170,000/year, some programs higher | Varies widely by institution; some now near NOK 60,000/year or lower |
| PhD students | Tuition free for all nationalities | Unchanged, still tuition-free for all nationalities |
| Living cost requirement | Set separately by UDI | Unchanged, set separately by UDI |
| Universal outcome | Same rule applied to every public university | Each university decides independently |
What’s Still Uncertain
Be cautious of any source, including this one, after a few months pass, that presents this as a settled, universal outcome. The law permits universities to lower fees; it does not require them to. Some institutions may keep existing cost-covering fees in place for certain programs, particularly in expensive technical or laboratory-based fields, even while offering reductions elsewhere. Fee decisions are also being made on different timelines across institutions, so a university that hasn’t announced anything yet may still do so before your application deadline, or may not. The only reliable approach is checking your specific university’s current published fee for your specific program directly, close to when you actually apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Norway tuition free for Bangladeshi students in 2026?
Not universally. A 2026 law removed the requirement that universities charge cost-covering fees to non-EEA students, and several universities have cut fees as a result, some significantly. But fees still exist at many institutions, and no national rule guarantees free tuition. Check your specific university and program directly.
What changed in Norway’s tuition fee policy in 2026?
Norway’s Ministry of Education and Research proposed removing the legal requirement that non-EEA student tuition cover the full cost of a program. Parliament passed this change, and it took effect on August 1, 2026, giving universities the freedom to set lower fees, including zero, without being required to.
Which Norwegian universities have reduced tuition fees?
As of this writing, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the University of Stavanger, Oslo Metropolitan University, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, the University of South-Eastern Norway, the University of Agder, and Nord University have announced fee reductions for 2026/27, with the University of Stavanger’s humanities and social science programs dropping to NOK 60,000 per year.
Does the tuition fee reform affect the proof of funds requirement for a study permit?
No. UDI’s living cost requirement for a study permit is set separately from university tuition and remains NOK 170,368 per year for the 2026/2027 academic year, regardless of what your university charges in tuition.
Will Norway ever return to fully free tuition for non-EU students?
That isn’t part of this reform. The law only removes the requirement that fees be cost-covering; it doesn’t mandate free tuition. Whether a given university eventually charges zero, a reduced fee, or its previous cost-covering rate is now an institutional decision, not a national one.
How much does it now cost to study in Norway as a Bangladeshi student?
It depends entirely on your chosen university and program, since fees are now set independently by each institution. Figures currently range from roughly NOK 60,000 a year at some institutions to considerably higher rates at others that haven’t yet announced a change. Always confirm the current figure directly with your target university.
Is a PhD in Norway still tuition-free?
Yes. This reform did not affect PhD positions, which remain tuition-free for students of all nationalities and are often accompanied by a salaried employment contract.
If you want help figuring out what this reform actually means for your specific university shortlist, contact Study Norway BD and we’ll walk through your options with you.
Sources cited in this guide
- Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, Prop. 58 L (2025-2026), regjeringen.no
- NordiskPost, Norwegian universities are cutting international tuition fees
- UDI, Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, Study Permit (studietillatelse)
Tuition fee decisions are made independently by each Norwegian university and can change between academic years. Always confirm the current fee for your specific program directly with your target institution before finalizing your application or budget.
