Studying in another Nordic country – admission, fees and taking CSN, Lånekassen or SU with you

Studying in another Nordic country is mostly free of tuition, and a 1996 agreement gives you admission on equal terms. The money follows its own rules: CSN, Lånekassen and SU each decide what you can take with you. Here is how admission, fees, registration and student finance fit together.

Studying in another Nordic country rests on the Nordic Agreement on Admission to Higher Education of 3 September 1996: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden admit applicants living in another Nordic country on the same or equivalent terms as their own. Recent changes mostly affect students from outside the EU and EEA. Since 11 June 2026, students with a new Swedish study permit may as a rule work at most 15 hours a week during term. Denmark has let students with a part-time work permit work 90 hours a month since 1 July 2024. And from 1 September 2026, foreign students in Norway can get a Norwegian national ID card, at first only at the police service centre in Ski.

How does admission work when studying in another Nordic country?

The agreement covers public higher education but not postgraduate research, and it does not exempt anyone from residence-permit rules. Each country runs its own system. For bachelor's-level study in Norway you apply through NUCAS (the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service), generally by 15 April, or by 1 March for some programmes. In Denmark, applicants with a foreign school-leaving exam apply through Optagelse, the national admissions portal, by noon on 15 March, and Nordic citizens can compete in both quota 1, based on grades, and quota 2. In Sweden, questions about admission go to Antagningsservice (the Swedish admissions service) on 0771-550 720.

Country	Admission service	Deadline	Tuition for Nordic and EU/EEA citizens
Sweden	Antagningsservice	Ask Antagningsservice	None
Norway	NUCAS	15 April for bachelor's level; 1 March for some programmes	None at public institutions; you pay a semester fee
Denmark	Optagelse	15 March at noon, with a foreign exam	None at state institutions; some courses outside a degree may charge

Source: Info Norden, CSN, Oslo kommune and Antagningsservice, read 23 September 2026.

Do you pay tuition fees?

Not as a Nordic, EU or EEA citizen. Info Norden (the Nordic Council of Ministers' information service) says Nordic, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens pay no tuition in Sweden – nor does anyone holding a Swedish residence permit not issued for studies. Public higher education in Norway is free, but you pay a semester fee and your own living costs; degree students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland pay tuition, according to Oslo kommune (the City of Oslo). Danish state institutions are free, though some may charge for courses outside a degree, such as summer courses. Under the 1996 agreement the governments settle the bill between themselves: Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden pay annual amounts to the host countries, while Iceland is exempt.

Do you need to register when you study abroad?

In Norway, you report your move and register if you stay more than six months, which also makes you a member of the National Insurance Scheme with access to a GP; Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration) issues no identity number to a Nordic student staying under six months who does not work. EU/EEA students staying more than three months also register with the police. In Denmark, Nordic citizens study freely and notify the Folkeregistret (civil registration office) if staying six months or more. In Sweden, Nordic citizens register with Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) if staying at least a year, and EU/EEA citizens can study without applying for a permit.

Social security follows residence, not the address you are registered at. Under EU Regulation 883/2004, students count as economically inactive and are covered where they live, judged by where their main interests lie. NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) says a Norwegian student in another Nordic country belongs to the scheme of the country they are most affiliated with.

Non-EU citizens who move to study need a study permit from the new country – a permit from the country they leave does not carry over. In Denmark it costs DKK 3,060 and requires funds of DKK 7,426 a month in 2026; in Sweden the fee is 1,500 kronor and the maintenance requirement 10,656 kronor a month.

Can you take CSN, Lånekassen or SU with you?

Usually, yes – each on its own terms. CSN (the Swedish Board of Student Finance) pays up to 92,716 kronor for a 22-week period of full-time study in Norway in 2026: 22,660 in grant, 68,376 in loan and 16,280 in a supplementary loan for the extra costs of studying abroad. The Norwegian semester fee does not qualify for that extra loan, and a loan for tuition fees is paid for at most 26 weeks at a time. Live in Sweden and commute to a school in Denmark, and CSN can lend you extra for the travel. You cannot combine CSN with study support from the country where you study, and you must tell CSN if you receive it.

Lånekassen (the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund) funds study in another Nordic country only if the programme is eligible for support from that country's own student finance body. Danish students can take SU (the state education grant) abroad for a whole degree, an exchange or a semester, and at master's level may apply for an udlandsstipendium (study-abroad grant) towards tuition. A foreign citizen who cannot be treated as equal to a Dane under EU rules cannot get SU for education abroad. One tax detail helps students living in Denmark on Swedish support: Denmark cannot tax Swedish study grants that would be tax-free in Sweden.

Student finance	What you can take	Good to know
CSN, Sweden	Grant, loan and supplementary loan – up to 92,716 kronor per 22 weeks in Norway in 2026	Questions from foreign citizens: +46 771-276 300
Lånekassen, Norway	Loans and grants if the programme qualifies in the host country	Case-handled applications take seven weeks; +47 21 49 60 00
SU, Denmark	SU for a degree, exchange or semester; udlandsstipendium at master's level	Upper-secondary study elsewhere in the Nordics follows the Danish SU conditions

Source: CSN, Lånekassen and SU, read 23 September 2026.

What to do now

Step	What	When
1	Note the deadline: 15 March in Denmark, 1 March or 15 April in Norway	Well before the year you start
2	Apply for student finance from home – CSN, Lånekassen or SU	As soon as you are admitted
3	Non-EU residents: apply for a study permit in the new country	Straight after admission
4	Register your move where you study	Norway: over six months; Denmark: six months or more; Sweden: a year or more
5	Tell CSN about any support from the host country	When you receive it
6	Check recognition and authorisation where you plan to work – some programmes are tailored to one country	Before you graduate

Source: Info Norden, CSN, Skatteetaten and SIRI, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

• Nordic cooperation – Agreement concluded by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden on Admission to Higher… · norden.org
• Nordic cooperation – Guide: Studying in Sweden · norden.org
• Nordic cooperation – Guide: Studying in Norway · norden.org
• Nordic cooperation – Guide: Studying in Denmark · norden.org
• CSN – Norge: förutsättningar för studier med studiemedel · csn.se
• CSN – Danmark: förutsättningar för studier med studiemedel · csn.se
• Lånekassen – Yrkesutdanning i Norden · lanekassen.no
• SU (Denmark) – SU i udlandet · su.dk
• SU (Denmark) – Betingelser for at få SU og tillæg til en hel uddannelse i udlandet · su.dk

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.

All eight guides, who they are for and who to ask: Moving within Scandinavia.