Document sufficient funds
Applicants to UiB's master's programmes with a citizenship from outside the EU/EEA and who are residing outside Norway, must document that they have sufficient funds to cover living expenses and tuition fees.
Main content
How much to document
Applicants with citizenship from outside EU/EEA must document sufficient funds. This includes both of the following:
- Sufficient funds to cover the cost of living in Norway for one year equal to NOK 151 690.
- Sufficient funds to cover tuition fees for one year of studies. Please see the following website for the cost of your selected master's programme: tuition fees
How to document sufficient funds to UiB
Master's applicants must document sufficient funds with one of the following:
- A bank statement showing that you have sufficient funds to cover the cost of living and tuition fees in your bank account
- The bank statement cannot be more than three months old.
- The bank statement must clearly show the total balance available in the bank account.
- The bank statement can be in any currency. Use a currency converter to find what this amounts to in NOK.
- All documentation must be in English or come with an English translation.
- A sponsor guarantee letter and a sponsor’s recent official bank statement showing the total amount of funds required
- Anyone can be your sponsor, including family members.
- The letter must state that the sponsor will support your stay in Norway financially with cost of living and/or your tuition fees. The letter must be signed. You can use any format.
- The bank statement cannot be more than three months old.
- The bank statement must clearly show the total balance available in the bank account.
- The bank statement can be in any currency. Use a currency converter to find what this amounts to in NOK.
- All documentation must be in English or come with an English translation.
- A scholarship, stipend or student loan confirmation
- A letter confirming that you are eligible for a scholarship, stipend or student loan from your home country, how much you will receive and from which institution.
- All documentation must be in English or come with an English translation.
- Note that UiB is registered with a deferment only status in the Federal Student Aid programme.
- A document confirming that you are exempt from paying tuition fees
- Applicants who belong to one of the categories who are exempted from paying tuition fees must refer to the correct category and upload the required documentation. Please see the following information: exemption categories
- It is not possible to be exempt from the cost of living requirement.
What is the process if I am offered admission to UiB
1. Document funds when you apply to UiB
Read more on how you do this above.
2. Document funds when you apply for a student residence permit
If you are offered admission to UiB, you must document to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) that you have the sufficient funds to apply for a student residence permit for the first year of study in Norway. See the required amount at the top of the page.
It is not possible to open a Norwegian bank account from abroad. This means that you must transfer money to the student deposit account organised by the Student Welfare Organisation in Bergen (Sammen), for the purpose of applying for a student residence permit to UDI. UiB will provide detailed information on how to do this. Make sure you don't transfer money to the student deposit account until you receive the necessary information from UiB as the transaction needs to include your unique identification code.
You will receive a confirmation of your deposit, normally within 5 working days after the transaction is complete. This confirmation must be included in your application for a student residence permit.
3. Your money will be returned to you
Your money will be tranferred back to you once you have completed the follwing steps:
- received a student residence permit
- arrived in Norway
- completed the necessary registration for new students
- open a Norwegian bank account
- inform Sammen about your bank account details and request a tranfers of funds
4. Document funds when applying for renewal of student residence permit
When you apply for a renewal of your student residence permit after one year in Norway, you must be able to document that you can cover your living costs for one more year. Note that the amount is slightly adjusted every year to account for inflation.
You can document this with a bank statement from your Norwegian bank. A transfer to the deposit account will not be necessary.
Why do I have to document funds
Requirements from immigration authorities
All applicants are required to document that they have sufficient funds to cover living expenses for the first year of study in their application for admission to UiB. If you don't submit this documentation, your application will be rejected.
The reason for this is that the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) requires students who need a student residence permit to document sufficient funding by transferring money to a Norwegian bank account. If you can't, you will not be granted a student residence permit and you will not be able to live in Norway to study.
