FAQ for International Students

Yes, see all Master’s programmes taught in English at UiS. 

Students with a citizenship from a country outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland are required to pay tuition fees at the University of Stavanger. Some students may be exempt based on close connections with Norway. Read more at Tuition Fees for International Students.

Students with a citizenship from a country outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland who need to apply for a study permit (visa) also needs to tranfer 166 859 NOK (March 2025, adjusted yearly) to a student deposit account held by UiS. The transfer needs to be done immediately after receiving admission as part of the application for a study permit (visa). This amount is meant to cover the living expenses during the first year in Norway. Read more about the deposit transfer and the process of applying for a study permit.

In addition, all students must pay a semester fee of NOK 900 (subject to change)

No, unfortunately, UiS does not offer any scholarships for incoming international students.

Some students may be eligible for an exemption from the tuition fees. For more information, see exemptions from paying tuition fees.

For information about living expenses in Stavanger, please check Scholarships and Costs.

All classes are taught in-person and on-campus at UiS.

No. All prospective international students must apply for regular admission to UiS. See our application guide for more information on how to apply.

UiS does not evaluate if credits can be transferred to be part of your Master's studies at UiS before you gain admission. Once you are admitted as a student, you can consult with your student advisor about the possibility of transferring credits taken during your previous studies.

No, there is no age limit to apply for studies at UiS.

Generally, UiS does not help students with finding jobs. Students should be prepared to cover all expenses without a (part-time) job.

All prospective students must apply by following the instructions in our application guide.

15 November - 1 December for non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.
1 February - 1 March for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.

We differ between international and local applicants depending on your citizenship, language skills and educational background. A Norwegian residence permit does NOT automatically entitle you to apply as a local applicant.

Check if you are an international of local applicant: Am I an international or local applicant?

Yes. Final year undergraduate students can apply for a Master's degree at UiS. Please follow the instructions on how to apply if you have not yet graduated.

No, applying for a Master's degree at UiS is free.

Log into Søknadsweb to check your application status.

All international applicants should receive the results of their application within the month of May.  An email with the result will be sent to the email address you used to register your application in Søknadsweb

International applicants can apply for one master's programme only.

You are not allowed to create more than one user profile in Søknadsweb. If you create more than one user profile, all applications will be deleted and your application will be rejected.

No, unfortunately we do not have the capacity to assess your eligibility for admission to the Master's study programme you want to apply to. We encourage all prospective students to apply if they believe they fulfill the admission requirements.
Find your study programme and read the admission requirements to check if you are eligible.You need to fulfill the Academic Requirements, the Documentation Requirements and the English Language Requirements.

No, it is not required. However, if you already have Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills(HK-dir)'s general recognition of foreign higher education, please upload the documents in your application.

A minimum grade average equivalent to a Norwegian 'C' (according to the ECTS grading scale) in your Bachelor's degree is required for admission to a Master's programme at UiS. A Norwegian C is described as a good grade, generally comparable to an American B and a Second Class Upper Division in the British system.

For more information on grade requirements, please visit Academic Requirements. Detailed information about the minimum grade average for each country is available in the Country List. 

Please note, exceptions may apply as some Master's study programmes have specific grade requirements.

A Norwegian 'C' is described as a good grade, generally comparable to an American B and a Second Class Upper Division in the British system.

The Education Committee at UiS has set minimum grade requirements for some countries, see information in the Country List.

All applicants with foreign higher education will be individually evaluated during the admission process.

You are not required to convert your credits to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). To learn more about ECTS credits, please read our Academic Requirements.

All applicants with foreign higher education will be individually evaluated during the admission process.

You do not need to convert your grades to the Norwegian education system. To learn more about ECTS credits, please read our Academic Requirements.

All applicants with foreign higher education will be individually evaluated during the admission process.

No, we do not have capacity to assess your grades prior to the application. We encourage all prospective students to apply if they believe they fulfill the Academic Requirements, .

We do not have the capacity to assess your credentials and academic background prior to application. For guidance regarding accreditation, please visit the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir). Applicants can get their qualifications from abroad recognized by HK-dir .

All international applicants must document proficiency in English at an advanced level through an international test/exam recognized by UiS, unless you qualify for an exemption.

To find out if you are exempt, please visit the English Language Requirements for International Applicants.

Exemption from submitting an English language proficiency test result apply for:

• Applicants who have completed at least one-year of studies at high school or university in Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, USA, or New Zealand.
• Applicants who have completed a Bachelor's degree or one year of a Master's degree (60 ECTS) with English as the language of instruction in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden.
• Applicants who have English as "language 1" or "language 2" on their European Baccalaureate Diploma (EB).
• Applicants who have completed International Baccalaureate Diploma/Certificate (IB)
• Applicants who have completed and passed an English course (140 hours per year / 5 hours per week) at the Norwegian upper secondary school, with a minimum grade of 4.
• Applicants from certain countries may also be exempt, please check on the country list

For more information, please visit English Language Requirements for International Applicants.

For information about which English proficiency tests we accept, please visit the English Language Requirements for International Applicants.

No. We do not accept DuoLingo English as documentation of English proficiency.

No. Please upload your English proficiency test result to your online application in Søknadsweb.

8467. Please ensure you also upload your TOEFL result to your online application in Søknadsweb.

Applicants who do not upload their official score report to their online application within the deadline will fail to meet English language and documentation requirements and the application will therefore be rejected.

Find a complete list of the Documentation Requirements for international applicants.

Applicants with education from certain countries may be required to have their official documents delivered by post to the International Admissions Office. Please check if this applies to you by referring to our Country List.

Post:

Admission Office (Opptakskontoret)
University of Stavanger
P.O. Box 8600 FORUS
N-4036 Stavanger
Norway

FedEx/DHL:

Admission Office (Opptakskontoret)
University of Stavanger
Kitty Kiellands hus
Rennebergstien 30
4021 Stavanger
Norway

Yes, you should upload all diplomas and transcripts from your higher education. Admission to a Master's study programme at UiS is evaluated based on your undergraduate (Bachelor's) studies.

No, any document uploaded that is not required will not be considered in your application, and will only delay the evaluation of your application.

You do not need to document funding in the application to UiS. However, you need to be aware that non-EU/EEA/Swiss applicants must:

• Have enough funds to pay the tuition fees before 10 June
• Transfer 166 859 NOK (March 2025, adjusted yearly) to a student deposit account held by UiS immediately after receiving admission as part of the application for a study permit (visa). This amount is meant to cover the living expenses during the first year in Norway. Read more about the deposit transfer and the process of applying for a study permit.

In addition, all students must pay a semester fee of NOK 900 (subject to change).

Yes, we accept alternative identification documents e.g. national ID cards if they include your photograph, full name and date of birth.

Yes, you can upload your expired passport to your application if your new passport will not be ready within the deadline. Please inform the International Admissions Office at admissions@uis.no before the deadline, and submit your new passport once you receive it via email.

No, it is the applicant's responsibility to upload all required documents within the deadline.

If you have not yet graduated or taken the English language test, you can get an extended deadline to submit those documents by following the instructions described at our site for Documentation requirements.

All international applicants should receive the result of their application within the month of May.  An email with the result will be sent to the email address linked to your application.

No, the admission results will be sent to the email address you used to register your application in Søknadsweb.

The deadline to accept your admission offer will be stated in your letter of admission.

If you do not accept your admission offer within the deadline, you forfeit your admission to UiS.

If you did not accept your admission offer on time and are still interested in studying at UiS, please send an email to admissions@uis.no immediately.

No, a deferment is not possible for international applicants. You will need to submit a new application if you are interested in study at UiS in the future.

Please send an email to admissions@uis.no as soon as possible if you decide to withdraw from your studies.

You are not assigned a number on the waiting list. If a study places become available, the International Admissions Office will consider all applicants on the waiting list and offer you a study place if possible. If you are not offered admission by 15th August, we did not have vacancies in the study programme you applied for.

In accordance with the Public Administration Act § 24 in Norway, applicants may request an explanation concerning the grounds of their application results within three weeks of receiving application results. This request should be addressed to the relevant authority who made the administrative decision regarding your application outcome. If you still believe that your application was wrongfully evaluated after receiving the explanation, you can appeal the admission decision. Read about how to appeal your application results.

Yes, you can apply for student accommodation by submitting an application to SiS before the deadline 20 April.

Remember to include the code "OK-U" in your application. This code indicates that you are moving to Norway from abroad. This code should be used by international students who are arriving in Norway for the first time ONLY.

Applicants can apply for student accommodation prior to receiving their admission results.

No, there are no family apartments available for international students with children. Most of the available rooms are single-occupancy rooms.

Yes, however couples accommodation is severely limited in availability. Your student accommodation offer from SIS will most likely be for single-occupancy rooms.

You can apply for student accommodation by submitting an online application to SiS. Please use the code "OK-U" in your application so that you are registered as an international student. This code indicates that you are moving to Norway from abroad. This code should be used by international students who are arriving in Norway for the first time ONLY.

Applicants can apply for student accommodation prior to receiving their admission results.

Check out the video with instructions on how to apply for accommodation.

Please contact SiS as they are responsible for the stude accommodation applications.
If you apply without using the code "OK-U", your application will be processed as a local applicant.

You can apply for student accommodation prior to receiving your admission results. The deadline to apply is 20 April.

Students with a citizenship from a country outside of the EU/EEA/Switzerland, who do not have a valid residence permit in Norway, need a study permit to study in Norway.

Students with a EU/EEA/Swizz citizenship do not need to apply for a study permit.

A study permit is a residence permit for international students coming to Norway for full-time studies.

All information about the application for a study permit is avilable at UDI's website.

We also have information about the deposit transfer, which is part of the application for a study permit, at our site for Visa and Study Permit.

Students can bring their family with them during their studies at UiS. However, the university does not assist in family immigration. For information regarding family immigration and residence permit issues, please visit UDI's website.

• UiS is not responsible for arranging accommodation for your family. If you plan to bring your family, you must arrange accommodation on your own. There are no family apartments available for international students with children. Most of the available rooms are single-occupancy rooms.
• The student deposit account held by UiS is only available for newly admitted students. You cannot transfer money for your family members' financial guarantee to the deposit account. Any amount which exceeds NOK 175 000 will be sent back to the sender.

If you are granted a study permit, you are automatically granted permission to work part-time for up to 20 hours per week and full-time during holidays.

Students who require a study permit to study in Norway must apply as soon as they accept the admission offer.

Students must transfer their deposit to UiS' bank account within 10 June. Information about how to transfer the deposit will be available after a student receive an admission offer.

Students who postpone paying their deposit are at risk of forfeiting their admission to study at UiS.

No, students forfeit their admission to UiS if they do not transfer the deposit within the given deadline.

Yes, that is possible. Please ensure they include your application number and surname in their transfer so we can trace the payment to you.

All currencies are accepted as long as it is equivalent to NOK 166 859 (March 2025, adjusted yearly).

Yes. Please ensure to include your application number and surname for each individual installment so we can trace the payment back to you.

Please note you will be issued a deposit confirmation letter for each installment. You should include all the individual deposit confirmations in your study permit application to UDI.