Norway Scholarships 2027-2028: BS, MS & PhD Funding Guide

“Is Norway still free for international students?”
“Can I apply without IELTS using an MOI certificate?”
“Which Erasmus Mundus programmes include Norwegian universities?”
“Are Norwegian PhD fellowships actually paid jobs?”
“Do I need publications before applying for a PhD?”
“Can I contact a professor instead of waiting for a vacancy?”
“How much does a postdoc earn after tax?”
“Can my spouse accompany me to Norway?”

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These questions about Norway scholarship based admissions repeatedly appear in Reddit discussions, Facebook scholarship groups and X posts, often alongside the misleading claim that every international applicant can study free in Norway.

The reality is more selective: Norway has no general government scholarship open to all international degree students, but genuine funding exists through BI scholarships, Erasmus Mundus programmes, salaried PhD fellowships, MSCA projects and paid postdoctoral positions.

Norway Scholarship/Fellowship Funding by Academic Level

Applicants should therefore search by funding route and subject, not for a vague “Norway Government Scholarship 2027.”

Which Bachelor’s Scholarships Are Available in Norway in 2027?

Bachelor’s funding is the weakest part of Norway’s scholarship landscape. BI Norwegian Business School currently offers:

• BI International Baccalaureate Scholarship, covering full tuition for up to three years.
• Bachelor International Scholarship, covering 50% of tuition for eligible Business Administration, Data Science for Business and Digital Business students.
• Women in Finance and Tech Bachelor Scholarship, offering full tuition to selected women in eligible programmes.

The Bachelor International Scholarship is based on academic excellence rather than financial need, and recipients must maintain the required academic progression. Applicants seeking a fully funded bachelor’s in medicine, engineering, humanities or laboratory sciences should not assume that an equivalent institutional award exists.

Which Master’s Scholarships Are Available in Norway?

The strongest named institutional awards are again found at BI. Its current master’s portfolio includes:

• BI Presidential Scholarship
• Master International Scholarship
• Master International Scholarship–Bergen
• Women in Finance and Tech Master Scholarship
• Future African Leader Scholarship
• A. Wilhelmsen Foundation Scholarship
• BI–Luiss Joint Master’s in Marketing Scholarship
• Reitan Retail Master Scholarship
• Finansforbundet Master Scholarship

The Future African Leader Scholarship covers full tuition for up to two years and provides NOK 50,000 per semester toward living expenses. However, that stipend does not necessarily cover Norway’s full estimated living requirement.

Which Erasmus Mundus Programmes Include Norway in 2027?

Erasmus Mundus is the largest genuinely international master’s funding route connected with Norwegian institutions. An Erasmus Mundus fully funded scholarship can cover programme participation costs and contribute toward living expenses, travel and visa costs. The current EU scholarship calculation is €1,400 per month for a maximum of 24 months. Students apply directly to each programme, normally between October and January.

Norway-Linked Erasmus Mundus Programmes to Monitor in 2027

NTNU currently lists seven Erasmus Mundus routes, although CoMEM+ and Marine and Maritime Intelligent Robotics had no admission for the 2026 intake. Applicants must verify whether those programmes return for 2027. CYBERSURE has already indicated that its application process will open in November 2026.

EMABG students begin at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences before continuing to another consortium university. Applicants need a relevant degree, prerequisite knowledge in areas such as genetics and statistics, and at least 70% of the maximum available academic score.

Is an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Guaranteed After Admission?

No. Admission and scholarship selection are separate outcomes. A programme may:

• Admit you with a full scholarship.
• Place you on a scholarship reserve list.
• Offer admission as a self-funded student.
• Reject both admission and funding.

Applicants should therefore read the financial wording in the offer rather than assuming “Erasmus Mundus admission” means full funding.

Can I Study Entirely in Norway Through Erasmus Mundus?

Normally not.

Erasmus Mundus programmes are designed around compulsory mobility between universities in several countries. CYBERSURE, for example, begins at NTNU but requires students to complete part of the degree at another European partner.

Can I Apply Without IELTS in Norway?

There is no nationwide IELTS exemption covering every university, scholarship or research vacancy. A Medium of Instruction certificate is useful only when the relevant admissions office explicitly accepts previous English-medium education. Duolingo is valid only where it appears on the programme’s approved-test list.

EMABG requires English evidence equivalent to TOEFL or another qualification accepted by NMBU. Some Norwegian PhD advertisements also specify minimum IELTS or TOEFL scores, particularly where the previous degree was not taught in English.

The safest rule is straightforward: never replace a required English test with an MOI letter unless the official programme page permits it.

How Do PhD Scholarships Work in Norway?

This is where Norway becomes much more attractive. PhD candidates are normally treated as employees rather than scholarship students. Positions are advertised as jobs with a salary, project description, qualification criteria and closing date. Most universities publish vacancies through Jobbnorge.

Typical employers include:

• University of Oslo
• NTNU
• University of Bergen
• UiT The Arctic University of Norway
• University of Stavanger
• Norwegian University of Life Sciences
• Oslo Metropolitan University
• University of Agder
• University of South-Eastern Norway
• BI Norwegian Business School
• NHH Norwegian School of Economics

Recent advertisements have offered PhD salaries around NOK 550,800 to NOK 595,000 annually before tax, although the exact salary depends on the institution, project and seniority.

Do I Apply to a PhD Programme or a Vacancy?

In most cases, apply to the advertised vacancy. The university selects an employee for a defined project and then requires the successful applicant to obtain formal admission to its doctoral programme. Sending a generic application to the university without an open position normally does not create funding.

BI separately advertises open PhD scholarships and project-linked positions through its vacancy system.

Should I Contact a Supervisor Before Applying?

Contact the named academic only when you have a specific question that is not answered in the advertisement.

A short message about project fit, data access or methodology can be useful. A generic email asking, “Do you have any fully funded PhD scholarship?” is unlikely to strengthen the application.

Indexed Reddit discussions on Norwegian PhD recruitment repeatedly emphasise that external applicants are judged heavily on the clarity and feasibility of their proposed methodology.

Do I Need Publications to Apply for Phd in Norway?

Not always. A relevant master’s thesis, strong research methods, technical skills and close project alignment can outweigh the absence of journal publications. Publications help most when they demonstrate direct experience in the advertised subject.

Can I Apply With a Second-Class Degree for Admissions at Norway University?

There is no single national answer. Some vacancies require grades equivalent to a Norwegian B average, while others assess the entire academic record. A weak master’s result is harder to overcome because Norwegian PhD recruitment is competitive and project-specific.

What Are MSCA Doctoral Network Positions?

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks fund PhD researchers through international university and industry partnerships. Candidates do not apply to the European Commission for an individual scholarship. They apply to vacancies created by already-funded projects, generally through EURAXESS or the participating Norwegian institution.

MSCA Doctoral Network funding can include a living allowance, mobility allowance and, where applicable, family or special-needs support. One Norwegian MSCA-linked advertisement for the ENERPOL Doctoral Network listed a salary of NOK 565,000 from August 2026, including mobility-related payments and possible family allowances.

Which Postdoctoral Opportunities Are Available in Norway for 2027 Entry?

Norwegian postdoctoral researchers are normally employees on fixed-term contracts rather than unpaid fellows. Positions are advertised in fields including:

• Artificial intelligence and computer science
• Medicine and molecular biology
• Marine and Arctic research
• Climate and renewable energy
• Engineering and manufacturing
• Economics and public policy
• Law, humanities and social sciences

Recent postdoctoral advertisements have offered approximately NOK 595,000 to NOK 720,000 annually before tax, depending on institution, experience and field.

Is the Advertised Postdoc Salary My Take-Home Pay?

No. Norwegian job advertisements normally show gross salary before tax and pension deductions. This causes frequent confusion in MSCA discussions, where applicants compare the total EU contribution with the salary written into the Norwegian employment contract. The EU grant can include employer costs, mobility components and institutional expenses that are not all paid as personal net income.

Can I Bring My Own MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship to Norway?

Yes, provided you find an eligible Norwegian host and satisfy the MSCA rules. A postdoctoral applicant normally develops the proposal jointly with a supervisor at the host institution. European Postdoctoral Fellowships generally last 12 to 24 months and are open to researchers of any nationality, subject to the applicable mobility and experience conditions. The 2027 MSCA-PF call will closes on September 9, 2026.

UiT’s Arctic MSCA-PF programme selected potential candidates to prepare proposals with Norwegian supervisors across dozens of research fields. Some 2026 expressions of interest were designed for fellowships beginning in 2027.

Where Should Applicants Search to find Phd & Postdoc Positions in Norway?

Unlike bachelor’s and master’s scholarships, fully funded PhD and postdoctoral opportunities in Norway are usually advertised as paid research jobs rather than traditional scholarships. This means applicants should focus on official research recruitment portals instead of general scholarship websites. The most important platform is Jobbnorge, where nearly all Norwegian universities advertise salaried PhD fellowships, doctoral researcher positions and postdoctoral vacancies throughout the year. International researchers should also regularly monitor EURAXESS, which lists Norwegian PhD vacancies, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships and other European-funded research opportunities. In addition, applicants should check the official career or vacancies pages of Norwegian universities such as the University of Oslo, NTNU, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, the University of Bergen, NMBU, OsloMet and the University of Stavanger, as some research positions are published there before appearing on external portals.

For applicants seeking fully funded master’s scholarships, the official Erasmus Mundus catalogue remains one of the best resources for finding joint master’s programmes involving Norwegian universities, while BI Norwegian Business School’s scholarship portal should be monitored for bachelor’s, master’s and selected PhD funding opportunities. Using these official sources rather than relying on social media posts or third-party scholarship lists gives applicants the highest chance of finding genuine, currently open opportunities and avoids applying for outdated or discontinued funding schemes.

Why Are Strong Applicants Rejected from Norway?

Common reasons include:

• Applying to the wrong academic field.
• Treating a PhD vacancy like general university admission.
• A generic motivation letter.
• Weak methodological explanation.
• Missing grade-scale documentation.
• Uploading unofficial or untranslated records.
• Assuming MOI automatically replaces IELTS.
• Applying for Erasmus admission after the scholarship deadline.
• Ignoring the MSCA mobility rule.
• Failing to explain why the Norwegian host is necessary.

Should You Apply?

Apply if you match a named BI award, qualify for a Norway-linked Erasmus Mundus consortium, have a master’s profile aligned with an advertised PhD, or can develop an MSCA proposal with a Norwegian supervisor.

Reconsider Norway if you need a fully funded bachelor’s outside BI’s limited fields, want an Erasmus degree without mobility, are depending on part-time work to fund tuition, or intend to send the same research application to every university.

Application Timeline and Deadlines for Norway based Opportunities

• Master’s and Erasmus Mundus: applications commonly open between October 2026 and January 2027. CYBERSURE is expected to open in November 2026.
• BI scholarships: most international bachelor’s and master’s scholarship applications currently use a March 1 deadline.
• PhD and postdoctoral positions: vacancies open throughout the year and each advertisement has its own closing date.
• MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship: the confirmed 2026 deadline is September 9, 2026, for proposals that may support research beginning in 2027.

Summary

Norway is not a broad scholarship destination in the same way as countries operating one national award for thousands of degree students.

Its real strength lies higher up the academic ladder.

Bachelor’s funding is narrow. Master’s funding becomes more realistic through BI and Erasmus Mundus. PhD candidates gain access to salaried employment, while experienced researchers can compete for paid postdoctoral jobs or bring an MSCA fellowship to a Norwegian host.

The decisive applicant mistake is searching for “Norway scholarships” as one opportunity. Successful candidates identify whether they need a tuition scholarship, Erasmus award, doctoral job, project fellowship or postdoctoral contract—and prepare a different application for each.