Financing, travel, health and safety

If applicable, apply for loan and grant from Lånekassen as soon as you receive a letter of admission from the partner institution. If you need to pay tuition fees at your host institution, you can document this by uploading your admission letter as an attachment to the application.

You will receive the same amount of basic support from Lånekassen as when you study in Norway.

Read more about your different funding possibilities on the webpages of Lånekassen.

To qualify for support from Lånekassen, you must usually be a Norwegian citizen. Foreign citizens can receive support to study in Norway if certain conditions are met. Read more about the conditions on Lånekassens page. 

If you are going on exchange studies or traineeship through one of our Erasmus+ agreements, you qualify for an additional grant covering travel and living expenses. The Erasmus grant is the highest grant offered to HVL students. Enrolment in the Erasmus+ programme also means that you do not have to pay tuition fees to your exchange institution.

There are several top-ups available. Please see www.hvl.no/erasmus for more information and to follow preparations specific for Erasmus students.

Nordplus could be relevant if you are planning on a traineeship abroad. If your department and/or study programme is networking with Nordic partners through Nordplus you do not have to pay tuition fees to your exchange institution. You could also be qualified for an extra grant.

Some countries require a visa for students to be able to enter the country and to enrol at the partner institution. You must arrange this yourself. Contact the host country's embassy in Norway as early as possible to get detailed information about visa-application requirements and deadlines. A list of Contact information to all Diplomatic Missions accredited to Norway can be found here.

Apply for the visa after you have been admitted to the study program, or when the traineeship program has been confirmed by the partner institution. In some countries, in addition to visas, you must also obtain a residence permit. The embassy will provide you with more information.

Make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months after you return to Norway.

Please note that if you have a citizenship other than Norwegian, different rules and regulation for visa may apply to you.

If you have legal residency in Norway, you are entitled to basic insurance coverage through the National Insurance Scheme. However, this does not cover travel- and accident insurance, contents insurance, transport home in the event of illness etc.

HVL advises all students traveling abroad to obtain an adequate insurance coverage. ANSA and the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO) offer student insurance, but you are free to choose the insurance provider you want depending on your requirements and destination.

If you major in health- or social studies and are planning to complete a traineeship abroad, you should investigate whether it is necessary to obtain liability insurance which covers liability in case you inflict injuries on others during the traineeship. ANSA and most unions offer such insurance to their members.

Most of HVL partners assist you finding accommodation. You can find information about this on their website, or by contacting the institution's international office directly.

Contact your GP or your local vaccination office to find out which vaccines you need. Some vaccines should be taken months in advance of departure, so start the process early. At the National Institute of Public Health (FHI), you can read more about travel vaccines.

NB! Are you completing a traineeship abroad? Some educational institutions may require you to take specific vaccines before initiating your traineeship. Contact your institution well in advance for more information.

If you are going to Europe, you are recommended to apply for the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC gives you the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another EU/EEA country.  You are also advised to have travel insurance in addition to EHIC.

As soon as your housing arrangements are settled, you need to update your contact information in Studentweb. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also recommends all Norwegian nationals to register their travels with them so they can send you information by SMS or email in case a serious incident has occurred.

You can register online via reiseregistrering.no.

Before departure, you should familiarise yourself with the HVL self-declaration for student exchange. In the app you will also find this information and be promptet to add your emergency contact person for your exchange. This information is only used in case something unforseen happens while you are on exchange.

HVL has an agreement with the Norwegian Church Abroad (NCA) in case of emergencies. They can assist our students in crisis and emergency situations all over the world regardless of your faith or belief. The Norwegian Church Abroad’s emergency number is: +47 951 19 181

NCA has also developed an app called "Emergency number". This is useful to have on your phone when you are traveling in general and on an exchange in particular. The app has several functions, such as travel registration, contact information for the embassy, connection to your travel insurance, etc.