Before Arrival in Norway
It is important that you carefully read your formal Letter of Acceptance containing terms of your admission and note the conditions stipulated. After reading the letter, please sign the Declaration of Acceptance/Registration form and return it by the given deadline. Please have your Letter of Acceptance and your copy of the blue letter addressed to the immigration authorities (if applicable) ready to present at your port of entry to Norway. These two letters are included in your admission package. This is unless you need a visa.
The Bodø University College reserves the right to require that you submit original documents of all your certificates and diplomas after your arrival in Norway. Should any of the documents you submit be found to be incorrect, your admission to the regional University of Bodø will be cancelled.
You are expected to begin your studies on time, and to arrive in time for the orientation meeting. If you arrive after the time specified in your Letter of Acceptance, you risk losing your place of study.
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration is a government authority responsible for issuing permits and visas to enter Norway. All international students need a valid student permit in order to study in Norway. If your primary reason for coming to Norway is to study, and your course of study is for three months or longer, you must have a valid student permit. As soon as you receive a letter of acceptance to study at Bodø University College, you should approach the nearest Norwegian diplomatic post or The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration in your country and apply for a student visa.
Before you arrive in Bodø you must ensure that you have all the correct documentation. You must have a valid passport and the passport should be valid for six months after the study period in Norway.
You have to show that you have (if applicable):
Students arriving from EEA member countries don’t need to have applied for a visa before leaving their country. U.S.A., Canada, Australia and New Zealand may enter Norway without having their visa, but they must have applied for it before leaving their country. Students arriving from outside these countries require a visa. This is known to take some time, so you have to contact the Norwegian Embassy in your home country well in advance. It is also important to bring the letter from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI), granting you residence permit. Once you’re in Norway, you cannot apply for a student visa.
You will need to get your student permit renewed each year or semester (depending on whether you are in Norway as a semester or a year student). This must be done before your current permit expires. If you need more information the International Office can help you.
For more information about immigration requirements enter this following website: http://www.udi.no/
The Norwegian Embassy in your county will provide you with specific information if any needed.
Note: All documentation you bring with you to Norway should be the original documents or official copies.
It is important that you have sufficient insurance to cover your entire stay in Norway. We advise you to include both luggage and medical coverage in your policy. Another piece of advice is to have a life insurance and home insurance. There are many types of insurances, and we recommend that you spend some time in choosing your insurance. Contact your insurance company for more information. Please be aware that there are many different packages and prices offered by various insurance companies.
To obtain a Norwegian study and residence permit, you will have to prove that you can support yourself while in Bodø. Currently you will have to show that you have NOK 40.000 each semester in order to cover basic expenses, such as food, accommodation, books, etc. You have to bring sufficient funds to cover your stay. You are able to live on less, but we do not recommend you to do so. During your first semester, you must be prepared to use an additional amount of money for setting up your household and for buying suitable clothing for the Norwegian climate.
Living costs will vary according to the type of housing, food and beverage and social activities you choose to do. You have to calculate living expenses between NOK 2500-2850, that includes electricity, cable TV, and internet (in the student residences owned by the student welfare organization). You’ll have to share kitchen with other students living in these flats, and in some of the residences you will have to share the bathroom. If you rent a flat with friends you might be able to find something cheaper, but then the electricity is normally excluded. Electricity is quite expensive in Norway, and since it’s pretty cold during winter, you’ll use quite a lot.
You have to calculate a minimum of NOK 2600 for food each month. Depending on where you will live you have to calculate bus to either come to school or go into town. The cheapest way is to buy a bus pass for NOK 600. This is with a student discount. You’ll have to buy a new bus pass every month, if you live near the town centre, but it might last you longer if you live at Mørkved (near the school) and only go into town from time to time.
School material is expensive in Norway, and you have to buy it yourself. A course costs between a couple of hundred NOK – NOK 1000 in books. If you need a calculator or something similar, this is also very expensive.
Apart from the basic needs, you’ll have to calculate a small amount for money for use, e.g. if you need clothes (you’ll most likely have to buy some clothes, since you have a limited amount of things to bring with you). And keep in mind that almost everything costs in Norway. Since you are not allowed to work the first year you are here, you should bring sufficient funds to cover your whole study period in Norway.
You are advised to bring some Norwegian currency with you when you arrive in Norway or change money at the airport. This will make it easier for you during your first few days, especially if you happen to arrive during the weekend when banks and post offices are closed. We also recommend you to bring along money in the form of traveller's cheques. These can be cashed at any bank in Bodø. You should also bring an international credit card, make sure your bank card has the bank accept on it, or have a VISA/Mastercard. This is because the banks are not open at all times, and during weekends they are not open at all.
If you are staying for a long period or intend to get work in Norway, we advise you to open a bank account. There are several banks in the local area, including Nordlandsbanken and Sparebank1. You cannot open a bank account without an ID number from the National Register. It is also worth getting a photo bankcard as it is a lot more convenient and will act as a form of identification in Norway. In order to open a bank account you will need your passport, money (they will accept travellers cheques) and your student card and passport-sized photographs (they might take pictures of you at the bank). Banks are closed during weekends, and close earlier than most offices.
Most banks offer similar services, but there are differences in the fees they charge and the minimum balance they require in each account. For the best price ask several banks for details about their services, and choose the bank that offers you the best service.
We advise you to book your travel to Norway well in advance. You should also try to purchase the International Student Identification Card (ISIC), which will entitle you to travel cheaper. To get to Bodø, you can choose between the following methods of transport: plane, train, car, boat and bus.
You can go to most parts of Norway by plane. It may well be cheaper to organize your travel to Bodø once you have arrived in Norway. All Norwegian airlines SASBraathens and Norwegian, offer discount flights to students if you purchase the tickets the same day you intend to travel. You will need to buy the tickets at least an hour before the flight. In order to buy the tickets, you need to find the appropriate airline ticket desk and ask for a student ticket to Bodø, and show your ISIC card (if you are over 26 years old). This cheap ‘stand-by’ ticket offer is available to people under 26 years of age and all students under 31 years of age. Please note on weekends and in times of increased air travel (e.g. music festivals) you may not be able to do this. If you intend to arrive at the weekend, we advise you to book your flight to Bodø well in advance, as the flights tend to fill up very quickly. We can also recommend you to book your flight on the Internet. This way you might find some very cheap offers (you might be able to purchase an even cheaper ticket than a “stand-by” ticket.) Please note that the tickets may not be refundable, as they are very cheap. To find more information about prices and offer, please click one of these following links:
www.sasbraathens.no (English version)
www.norwegian.no (English version.)
www.wideroe.no (English version)
Bodø is the final destination for northbound trains in Norway. A train trip from Oslo to Bodø is well worth taking if only for the stunning scenery. It will take approximately 17 hours, with a change in Trondheim. There are two trains a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The train departs from Oslo Central Station and Trondheim Central Station. Once you have a Norwegian student card you can buy a student ticket from Bodø to Oslo and stop anywhere in-between for up to two months. You can combine these tickets with an Interrail or a Nordic rail ticket. You can also use the train to get into town, and travel between cities. Visit these websites for more information: www.nsb.no (English version)
www.interrailnet.com (English version).
There are many ways of travelling to Bodø by bus, and there are some cheap tickets available from Stockholm, Sweden, or from the south of Norway. Click on these following links for further information:http://www.exact-reise.no/cfml/exactout.cfm?GoToUrL=http://www.nor-way.no, http://globejuice.expressen.se/c/norway/_/
You can also arrive in Bodø by boat or ferries. Even though most boats are quite expensive, we recommend you to take the boat to see the beautiful scenery surrounding Norway. We also recommend you to take a boat to one of the islands around Bodø. It is also possible to go to Bergen or Kirkenes with the Hurtigruten, one of the most spectacular routes in the world. You’ll experience the fjords, and see people living in some of the roughest climates on small islands in the middle of the sea.
Hostels
If you have to spend one night in Oslo or Trondheim, we recommend you to stay at one of the youth hostels, Rosenborg (in Trondheim) or Haraldsheimen (in Oslo). If you want to arrive in Bodø some time before the semester begins, we recommend you to stay at the youth hostel in Bodø. We advise you to avoid weekends, since it can be crowded, and it might be a bit more expensive. These following links will help you to find a youth hostel;
http://www.vandrerhjem.no/ (this link will help you finding youth hostels all over Norway.)
http://www.trondheim-vandrerhjem.no/
http://www.haraldsheim.oslo.no/.
http://www.bedandbreakfast.no/
When you have booked your mode of transport, please let us know as soon as possible so we can schedule a ride from the airport for you. There are several ways to inform us of when you wish to be picked up. You can return the pick-up request slip you received together with the student acceptance form. But the best way is to either send us an e-mail (international@hibo.no ) or to call us on +47 75 51 78 03. That way you will get confirmation of your pick-up right away.
When you arrive at the airport, walk down to the baggage pick-up point and look for the “Velkomsten” representative. If you arrive by train, just go to the information point and look for a “Velkomsten” representative. The “Velkomsten” representative will be holding a “Velkomsten” poster and wear a T-shirt with the logo on. If for some reason your arrival time has changed, please contact us and let us know. If it’s later than 12 hours before your request, we might not be able to pick you up.
Electricity
The electricity in Norway is 220V, 50-60 Hz to a two pin plug. Make sure you purchase a plug adapter or two before you arrive in Norway if this is different to your home country.
Please refer to the checklist link on the left for information about what to bring with you on your stay with us.
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| Published by Monica Brobakk 21.03.2005 |
| Bodø University College, International Office, NO-8049 Bodø, Norway
Phone: +47 755 17803 (direct), +47 755 17200 (switchboard) , fax +47 755 17551, email: international@hibo.no |