"From 2023, a sharp turn occurred in the Norwegian government's higher education policy. Previously completely free for all students, whether citizens of the European Union (EU) or young people from other countries, higher education now remains free only for Norwegian and EU citizens. For citizens of non-EU countries, tuition fees have been set at 140–280 thousand Norwegian kroner (approximately 14–28 thousand US dollars)".
These words were stated by Zahid Mammadov, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor from Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey, in a statement to AzEdu.az.
According to him, the consequences of this decision soon became apparent:
"While 3700 foreign students (from non-EU countries) were studying in Norway in 2022, this number decreased by approximately half to 2000 by 2024. The new admission figure, which was 427 in 2023, dropped to 324 in 2024. In other words, Norway's image as an 'international student hub' weakened in a short period.
In June 2025, Norway's Minister of Education and Research, Sigrun Oslan, proposed granting universities the authority to independently determine tuition fees. The aim was to compensate for the decrease in student flow resulting from this decision. However, the problem is that this initiative has not yet been approved at the legislative level.
Although the Ministry has verbally declared that it grants higher education institutions “freedom in pricing policy,” official legal mechanisms have not yet been established. Since universities have already announced their fee schedules for the 2025/2026 academic year, it seems unlikely that this initiative will yield real results in the near future.
Henriette Johnston, President of the Norwegian International Student and Scholars Fund, commented on the situation as follows: “When the Minister announced the freedom of independent pricing, everyone thought this decision would take effect immediately. But now universities are in legal uncertainty and feel deceived.”
In recent years, state subsidies for higher education in Norway have also decreased. Between 2023 and 2025, the budget allocated to this sector was cut by 322.6 million kroner (approximately 32 million dollars). Minister Oslan stated that the situation will not change in 2026 either.
This means that if universities reduce tuition fees, they will also be deprived of stable financial resources. According to the Minister's argument, “reducing fees may not necessarily lead to a decrease in revenue, as this step could attract more students.” However, experience shows that the restoration of international student flow does not depend solely on the price factor. Here, both the internationalization of the academic environment and social welfare conditions play a key role.
The attitude towards this decision in Norwegian society is not unambiguous. The leaders of the Norwegian Young Academy, Guro Nore Flegstad and Björn Hallstein Holte, have openly stated that the government should abolish tuition fees for all students and restore subsidies allocated to universities. In their opinion, only in this way can the principles of social justice and international equality be preserved in the higher education system.
Ole Petter Uttersen, honorary professor at the University of Oslo and former rector of the Karolinska Institute, demonstrates a harsher stance. According to him, “by demanding fees from international students, the government violates humanitarian values and distances Norwegian universities from their role as global centers of knowledge.”
The current situation indicates a lack of strategic consistency in Norway's education policy. On the one hand, the government tries to protect the financial sustainability of universities, while on the other hand, it forces them to lose their global competitiveness. This experience shows that state policy in higher education must find a balance between the principles of global open science and social welfare values. Otherwise, even a country with a social state model like Norway could lose the international appeal of its education system".
