Get a free college education, really
Norway offers free college educations to all its citizens and foreigners. Really.
The drawbacks that to get this free education, you need to move to Norway for the duration of your college study. However since most people on Norway speak English as well as Norwegian, that goal might not be as impossible as it sounds. Of course they will speak accented English, but stay there a few weeks and youʼll pick it up.
Norway has 38 state institutions and a number of private ones which charge tuition. The degrees offered are pretty much in line with what youʼd expect at a US or Canadian college. Degree programs last between one and four years. Credits are transferrable throughout the European union. Credit transfers back to North America and transfers from the US or Canada to Norway will vary depending on the course of study and what the curriculum is like.
Since the education is free, youʼre not going to need grants and loans to pay for school. As there are some scholarships, see links below, getting help may not be as farfetched as you first believed.
Norway is also big on encouraging foreign students to come there and study. At any given time, when college is in session, about 15,000 foreign students are studying there.
The drawbacks are:
- Cold in the winter. Parts of Norway are above the Arctic Circle. Weʼre talking Santa Claus steps outside and says “Whoa. Thatʼs on the chilly side.” Still, the Norwegian people are used to it and know how to cope. Theyʼll help you.
- Garrison Keillor claims to be of Norwegian descent. Depending on how you feel about National Public Radio in general and his radio show A Prairie Home Companion, this could be a plus. Or neutral if you have no idea what Iʼm talking about.
- The cost of living is going to be a bit more that you are probably used to. That bowl of Ramen noodles, the college student staple might run you a dollar (after conversion into the local currency) instead of 50¢.
For more information and a starting place to get even more information, visit http:// www.norway.org/studywork or http://www.studyinnorway.no/sn/Study-in-Norway.