Most people in upper secondary education will receive a grant for course materials or other grants under the rules applicable to pupils in ordinary upper secondary education. They will usually receive a smaller amount than students in higher education and all or most of the amount will be disbursed in the form of a grant.
Some pupils in upper secondary education can apply for loans and grants under the rules applicable to students in university and university college education. Their disbursements will usually be higher, and the majority of the amount will be disbursed in the form of a loan rather than a grant.
Are you between 21 and 24 years and did you receive grants and loans during the 2023-2024 academic year?
Check the bottom of the page to see whether or not the rules apply to you.
Rules for those under the age of 21 without university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications
You can apply for loans and grants under the rules for ordinary upper secondary education if both of the following criteria are met:
- You are under the age of 21. That is, you turn 20 years or less during the calendar year in which the academic year commences.
- You do not yet have university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications. This means that you have not completed and passed a university and college admission or vocational education programme. You have received a grade transcript, trade certificate or journeyman’s certificate.
- You are not taking subjects at upper secondary school as an external candidate.
You may be entitled to a grant for course materials, housing grant, income-dependent grant. If you are over the age of 18, you can also get a loan if you have children, are married, or do not live with your parents.
You can read more about this in Part 2 of the Study Financing Regulation (in Norwegian).
Rules for those over the age of 21 or those under the age of 21 with university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications
You can apply for loans and grants under the rules for higher and other education if one of the following criteria are met:
- You are 21 years of age or older. That is, the applicant will turn 21 years of age or more during the calendar year in which the academic year commences.
- You have university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications. This means that you have completed and passed a university and college admissions certification or vocational education programme. You have received a diploma, trade certificate or journeyman’s certificate.
- You are taking subjects at upper secondary school as an external candidate.
You may be entitled to loans, including loans that can be converted to grants, under the rules for higher and other education.
You can read more about this in Part 3 of the Study Financing Regulation (in Norwegian).
Exceptions for those aged between 21 and 24 years in the academic year 2025–2026
Due to the new rules that came into effect from the 2024-2025 academic year, some applicants will be included in a transition scheme. This means that the new rules regarding obtaining loans under the rules for higher and other education for those who are 21 years old or older, do not apply to them.
You will be part of the transition scheme if all of the following criteria are met:
- You turned 21 to 24 years of age during 2025.
- You do not yet have university and college admissions certification or vocational qualifications This means that you have not completed and passed a university and college admission or vocational education programme. You have received a grade transcript, trade certificate or journeyman’s certificate.
- You received a grant for course materials, other grants or loans pursuant to the rules for ordinary upper secondary education (Part 2 of Study Financing Regulation) during the 2023/24 academic year.
If this is the case for you, you will receive grants under the rules for ordinary upper secondary education. Even if you are over the age of 21, you will not receive loans, including loans that can be converted to grants, under the rules for higher and other education.
The transition scheme applies until you have achieved college admissions certification or vocational qualifications, but not longer than the end of the 2025–2026 academic year.
If you are continuing in preparatory training in the academic year 2025–2026, the transition scheme applies during the academic year until you have completed preparatory training or have received grants, for example grant for course materials, for two years.
You are not included in the transition scheme if both points below apply to you. You turn 21 to 24 years old during 2025 and have received:
- grant for course materials or income-dependent grants, housing grants, or such grants as refugee grants in the academic year 2023–2024 for preparatory training
- grants mentioned in the point above for two years before the academic year 2025–2026 starts
Then you may be entitled to loans and grants under the rules for higher and other education.