Living expenses

In 2011-2012, the Norwegian government requires international students to demonstrate that they have NOK 90800 at their disposal for an academic year. That works out to NOK 9080 a month.

Here's how you might expect to spend that money:

• Housing: This is going to be your single biggest expense. Even a modest room in someone's basement can cost NOK 3000 a month -- and that may not include Internet, heat or electricity. Plan on roughly NOK4000 a month for housing, more if you want more space.
• Food: Another high cost item, since food in Norway is generally quite expensive. Plan on about NOK 2400 a month, or about NOK 600 a week. Depending on where you come from, this may sound like a lot, but it's not -- not in Norway, anyway.
• Books and supplies: NOK 1000 a month would not be unreasonable, but you'll end up spending a lot of money at the beginning of the semester, of course.
• Transport: This can be quite variable, but you should plan on at least NOK 500 a month. A 30-day pass on the bus system, AtB, cost NOK 350. There are other options available, listed on the bus webpages. For travel a little farther afield, you can use a regional bus system, Nor-Way, or the national train system, NSB. If you book your train in advance you can get a heavily reduced fare called a minipris.
• Other expenses: If we use the government figure of NOK 9080 a month, you'll see that you have not very much left in your budget for incidental expenses -- with the budget described here, you have just NOK 900 a month for everything else you might need as a student.