🎓 Scholarships — Norway

Norway is academically attractive but scholarship planning must be realistic. There is no broad Norwegian Government scholarship for international degree students comparable to GKS, DAAD or Stipendium Hungaricum, and non-EU/EEA students usually face tuition fees. MENA applicants should focus on university-specific scholarships, Erasmus Mundus programmes, exchange funding and paid PhD/research fellow positions.

Scholarship map

Detailed guide

BI Presidential Scholarship - This is a strong route for business, economics, finance, analytics and management applicants. It is not a public-government scholarship, so applicants must meet BI admission requirements and submit the scholarship component by the deadline.

NMBU NORSTIP - NMBU has a scholarship scheme for selected master students that can cover tuition and provide a moderate living-cost contribution. It is especially relevant for agriculture, environment, development, biosciences and sustainability fields.

Erasmus Mundus - For Norway, Erasmus Mundus is often the most reliable fully funded route for MENA students because Norway participates in joint European masters but does not operate a broad national degree scholarship for all international students.

Erasmus+ exchange - This is useful if you are already enrolled in a MENA university that has an Erasmus+ mobility agreement with a Norwegian institution. It is not a route for a full Norwegian degree.

Paid PhD positions - In Norway, many PhD opportunities are employment contracts rather than scholarships. A strong MENA applicant with a research master, publications, technical skills or a clear project fit can compete internationally.

Application strategy for this country

• Do not build your plan around a non-existent full Norwegian government degree scholarship. Verify any online claim against Study in Norway or university pages.
• Target programmes where your profile is unusually strong and where the university itself has a scholarship or tuition-waiver route.
• For PhD, treat applications like job applications: tailor the CV, project-fit statement and methods section to the advertised position.
• Budget living costs carefully. Even a tuition waiver may not cover rent, deposit, food and residence-permit funds.
• Use Norway as part of a wider European strategy: one Norwegian route, several Erasmus Mundus routes and two or three lower-cost EU fallback countries.

Documents to prepare early

• Passport valid beyond the intended start date, plus scans of any second nationality if relevant.
• Bachelor or master diploma, transcripts and official grading scale. For Italy, Spain and Portugal, plan for legalisation or apostille and sworn translation if requested by the university or visa office.
• English test such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Cambridge, or proof that the previous degree was taught in English when the programme accepts it.
• CV, motivation letter or statement of purpose, recommendation letters and, for PhD routes, a research proposal and supervisor match.
• Financial and family income documents when applying for need-based regional or university support, especially in Italy and some public-university routes.

Official sources to verify before applying

• Study in Norway - scholarships for degree students: https://studyinnorway.no/scholarships-degree-students
• EU Study in Europe - Norway country profile: https://education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe/country-profiles/norway
• BI Presidential Scholarship: https://www.bi.no/en/programmes-and-individual-courses/scholarships/bi-presidential-scholarships/
• NMBU NORSTIP Scholarship Scheme: https://www.nmbu.no/en/studies/norstip-scholarship-scheme
• NTNU financing and scholarships: https://www.ntnu.edu/studies/financing-and-scholarships
• UiT - old Quota Scheme discontinued notice: https://en.uit.no/go/target/241433

This is starter guidance and changes often — always confirm on the official source before applying.