Everything you need to know about international schools in Norway
With thousands of foreign workers coming to Norway every year, international schools have sprung up to cater to them, and government subsidies have made them surprisingly cheap. Here's what you need to know.
How much do international schools cost in Norway?
Norway can be an expensive country, but the subsidies the government has historically given to private schools in exchange for a cap on fees has meant that international schools in cities like Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger rival those in Copenhagen and Cape Town as the world's cheapest.
Schools that receive government subsidies need to rely on government funding for a minimum of 85 percent of their income, and can only top up this funding with fees by a maximum of 15 percent.
As a result, in 2023, fees at government-funded international schools varied between 24,500 kroner and about 37,000 kroner a year, with reduced fees for younger siblings.
A handful of schools do not rely on government funding and, as a result, can charge as much as they like, which is a lot.
Oslo International School and International School of Stavanger each charge about 239,000 a year, so about ten times as much as their government-funded rivals.
Unfortunately for foreigners who want to give their children an international education, the government-funded international schools stand to be seriously affected by the government's decision to cut back on its subsidies to private schools. The government plans to no longer pay a subsidy at both the primary and secondary level to combined schools.
Thale Herbertson, the acting head of Trondheim International School, predicted in an article in The Local that this could force some schools to close.
How do you apply for an international school in Norway?
For most schools, the deadline for applying is April 1st if you want your child to start at the start of the school year in August, although if you missed this date or are arriving in Norway in the middle of the school year, it may be possible to squeeze a child in if you contact the school directly.
Most schools have more applicants than places, and schools which rely on government funding have to handle admissions according to a 2010 directive from Norway's education directorate, which allows them to prioritise pupils with foreign parents, those who speak English as a first language, children of staff and siblings of existing children, but does not allow them to discriminate on academic or sporting ability.
The Lycée Français René Cassin and the Deutsch-Norwegische Schule are, for example, only for students who already speak French and German respectively.
What curricula are offered at international schools in Norway?
Most international schools offer the International Baccalaureate or IB curriculum, which is approved by the Norwegian government.
The International Baccalaureate exams are considered more demanding than Norway's VGS exams and is more recognised by international universities.
Aside from the other advantages claimed for the International Baccalaureate, it is also convenient for parents who expect to move between international postings while their children are being educated.
The British International School Stavanger does not follow the UK curriculum or offer A-levels of GCSEs, claiming on its website that only the IB is approved in Norway. But some international schools do follow the national curricula of other countries.
The Lycée Français d’Oslo offers the standard French school curriculum, with students taking the French Baccalaureate exams, and the Deutsch-Norwegische Schule offers the German curriculum, with pupils taking the Abitur exams.
Are they worth it?
If you look at the schools offering International Baccalaureate, only Oslo International School made the top 100 schools worldwide in the annual ranking put together by Education Advisors, sharing 85th place with 16 other schools.
Education Advisors says it ranks schools by "the average number of IB Diploma Programme points achieved out of a maximum of 45 points", although it concedes that many schools in Europe are unwilling to share their results, arguing that as they cannot be selective in their intake, they cannot compete academically with selective IB schools in the UK or Asia.
If your family intends to stay in Norway, choosing a Norwegian municipal or private school may help your children feel more integrated and they are also more likely to build their friendship circle near where you live.
Choosing an international school, on the other hand, is likely to give them a more international outlook.
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How much do international schools cost in Norway?
Norway can be an expensive country, but the subsidies the government has historically given to private schools in exchange for a cap on fees has meant that international schools in cities like Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger rival those in Copenhagen and Cape Town as the world's cheapest.
Schools that receive government subsidies need to rely on government funding for a minimum of 85 percent of their income, and can only top up this funding with fees by a maximum of 15 percent.
As a result, in 2023, fees at government-funded international schools varied between 24,500 kroner and about 37,000 kroner a year, with reduced fees for younger siblings.
A handful of schools do not rely on government funding and, as a result, can charge as much as they like, which is a lot.
Oslo International School and International School of Stavanger each charge about 239,000 a year, so about ten times as much as their government-funded rivals.
Unfortunately for foreigners who want to give their children an international education, the government-funded international schools stand to be seriously affected by the government's decision to cut back on its subsidies to private schools. The government plans to no longer pay a subsidy at both the primary and secondary level to combined schools.
Thale Herbertson, the acting head of Trondheim International School, predicted in an article in The Local that this could force some schools to close.
How do you apply for an international school in Norway?
For most schools, the deadline for applying is April 1st if you want your child to start at the start of the school year in August, although if you missed this date or are arriving in Norway in the middle of the school year, it may be possible to squeeze a child in if you contact the school directly.
Most schools have more applicants than places, and schools which rely on government funding have to handle admissions according to a 2010 directive from Norway's education directorate, which allows them to prioritise pupils with foreign parents, those who speak English as a first language, children of staff and siblings of existing children, but does not allow them to discriminate on academic or sporting ability.
The Lycée Français René Cassin and the Deutsch-Norwegische Schule are, for example, only for students who already speak French and German respectively.
What curricula are offered at international schools in Norway?
Most international schools offer the International Baccalaureate or IB curriculum, which is approved by the Norwegian government.
The International Baccalaureate exams are considered more demanding than Norway's VGS exams and is more recognised by international universities.
Aside from the other advantages claimed for the International Baccalaureate, it is also convenient for parents who expect to move between international postings while their children are being educated.
The British International School Stavanger does not follow the UK curriculum or offer A-levels of GCSEs, claiming on its website that only the IB is approved in Norway. But some international schools do follow the national curricula of other countries.
The Lycée Français d’Oslo offers the standard French school curriculum, with students taking the French Baccalaureate exams, and the Deutsch-Norwegische Schule offers the German curriculum, with pupils taking the Abitur exams.
Are they worth it?
If you look at the schools offering International Baccalaureate, only Oslo International School made the top 100 schools worldwide in the annual ranking put together by Education Advisors, sharing 85th place with 16 other schools.
Education Advisors says it ranks schools by "the average number of IB Diploma Programme points achieved out of a maximum of 45 points", although it concedes that many schools in Europe are unwilling to share their results, arguing that as they cannot be selective in their intake, they cannot compete academically with selective IB schools in the UK or Asia.
If your family intends to stay in Norway, choosing a Norwegian municipal or private school may help your children feel more integrated and they are also more likely to build their friendship circle near where you live.
Choosing an international school, on the other hand, is likely to give them a more international outlook.
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