New proposal to lower tuition fees for non-European students

In a major turnaround, Norway’s Ministry of Higher Education and Science has announced proposals that will change the way tuition fees for students from outside Europe are calculated.

In a press release last week the ministry said under new proposals it would allow higher education institutions to set the level of tuition fees they charge their foreign students from outside the European Union and European Economic Area (EU-EEA).

It said the government had already made it easier for international PhD candidates to apply for jobs in Norway, and it had dropped the 15 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credit requirement for Norwegian language proficiency to secure a position at Norwegian universities and university colleges.

Those particular changes came into effect on 16 June 2025 after a public hearing on the proposals.

Defending the latest changes, including those to tuition fees, Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland said in the statement: “Higher education and research work best when we are connected to the world. Norway is a small country. Therefore, we have to remove unnecessary barriers to international students and researchers.”

The ministry conceded that after the introduction of tuition fees for students from outside the EU-EEA, the number of new students enrolling in universities dropped significantly, by an estimated 80%.

It acknowledged that universities and university colleges had reported that the high tuition fees [at full cost] and the general high cost of living in Norway made it difficult to recruit international students.

More flexibility

“The institutions therefore have argued for more flexibility in how to set the level of the tuition fees,” the press release said.

“Now, the government is proposing to abolish the claim that the tuition fees have to be at least full-cost, which is stipulated in the regulations today,” it stated.

It said greater flexibility in setting the fee level in accordance with the different study programmes would give institutions the "ability to adapt to changing recruitment and competence needs," the press release stated.

Speaking to Aftenposten, Norway’s largest print newspaper, Aasland said that when Ola Borten Moe, former (Centre Party) minister of higher education and research, introduced the tuition fees for foreign students, he also reduced funding for higher education institutions by NOK300 million (US$29 million), which he believed should be covered by tuition fees.

Aasland told Aftenposten while the budget cut will not be reversed, the government would work to strengthen the budget over time.

“When we look at the value of international collaboration in higher education, we are not in agreement with the Centre Party,” Aasland told Aftenposten.

International competition

In his own interview with Norwegian daily Klassekampen, Borten Moe said the government’s proposed changes were unwise and likened them to Norway “turning itself into higher education’s answer to Temu,” the online marketplace based in China.

“By this the government in reality is sending out a message that in Norway we are not capable of competing on quality in the international higher education market. We are going to compete with a low price,” he argued.

He challenged Norwegian universities to look to Harvard or Oxford for universities that were capable of attracting international students because of their quality, not their low price tag.

However, the Norwegian Student Organisation (NSO) endorsed the proposal, calling it a big step in the right direction.

“Norway has lost students in academic areas for which there is a great need in society. Over time, this can weaken Norway’s international academic position. The introduction of tuition fees was met by a huge resistance by the student movement, the higher education sector and the business sector,” the NSO said.

“We are in need of more bright minds, not closed doors,” NSO chair Kaja Ingdal Hovednak said. “International perspectives are mandatory for Norwegian higher education and research to be world class,” she added.

Ingdal Hovedenak said the option to demand that the tuition fees be abolished in their entirety must still be held open.

“For the student union, the fight is not over before higher education is free for all, but this is a step in the right direction. The basic principle of free education must be re-established, and we are waiting with great interest to see the whole picture of the legislation change,” she said.

A developmental approach

Professor Emeritus Ivar Bleiklie from the University of Bergen, an expert on higher education governance who has studied Norwegian higher education and research policies from a comparative perspective, told University World News Borten Moe’s claim that the government’s policy shift was a signal that Norway is unable to compete in terms of quality in the international education marketplace was “grossly misleading”.

“While some countries and specific universities compete internationally for the most economically profitable and academically talented students (US, UK and Australia), Norway and its public universities have never been part of this kind of international competition.

“The Norwegian policy towards student exchange outside the EU-EEA area has traditionally been considered part of foreign aid policies favouring students from developing countries with which Norway collaborates.

“This context was completely absent from Mr Borten Moe’s justification for the decision to introduce student fees and thus abolish the support for foreign students outside the EU-EEA area in 2022. At the time he simply argued that other countries do not provide this kind of support for foreign students, so why should Norway? With this justification he simply disregarded the rationale of the policy,” he stated.

Bleiklie said by declaring his opposition to a policy that reverses his own decision, Borten Moe not only disregards the rationale of the policy but also misrepresents its justification as “some kind of ill-conceived and doomed attempt to compete for the best and the brightest”.

“Mr Borten Moe’s rhetoric reflects his populist approach to higher education and his ambition to shift higher education policies away from internationalisation and research excellence as policy goals to a stronger nationalistic emphasis favouring education of professionals and ‘decentralisation’ as core national needs.”

Professor Bjørn Stensaker, vice-rector for education at the University of Oslo, agreed that the signal from the ministry was a step in the right direction.

“As the current formula for calculating full cost has some problematic sides, more flexibility would definitely help universities in finding the optimal price for specific offers.

“Higher education in Norway is of good quality. At the University of Oslo, we are not in this market to earn as much money as possible but to enhance the quality of the learning for all students,” he told University World News.