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Do you want to learn Norwegian in Norway?

Has it been your life long dream to learn a language spoken by five million people? To experience the dark Norwegian winter? To live and learn among Norwegian students?

Apply now if you`re over 18 and you want to learn Norwegian while living among Norwegians.

Apply now if you`re over 18 and you want to learn Norwegian while living among Norwegians.

Folk high school – a Nordic type of schools

Folk High Schools are very popular in the Nordic countries but are almost unknown in the rest of the world. Folk high schools are one-year boarding schools offering a variety of exciting non-traditional and non-academic subjects, as well as academic subjects. The idea of folk high schools is learning for life, an opportunity to grow both individually, socially, and academically in small learning communities. All students live on campus in close contact with staff and their fellow students. One important part of the folk high school experience is to form a community, in and out of class. 

There are 86 folk high schools in Norway – from the Russian border in the north, to Mandal in the south. Some schools are in the major cities but most of them are situated in smaller towns or in the countryside.

The whole person

The folk high schools do not grant degrees or conduct exams. They are a supplement to the regular education system, with the aim of nurturing «the whole person».You develop knowledge in a subject you will make use of every day for the rest of your life: yourself. By taking away the pressure of grades and exams, you learn to motivate yourself.

You often share rooms with one of the other students

You often share rooms with one of the other students

Schools for all people

The term «folk high school» is a literal translation of the Norwegian word folkehøgskole. However, this translation may give you the wrong idea.

Folk high schools are not «high schools» in the sense of upper secondary school institutions designed to prepare students for college or work through exams. Folk high schools are separate from the rest of Norway’s educational system.

Students can be any age and can have any level of educational experience. Indeed, these are schools for all people, all «folk«. However, almost all students who attend folk high schools are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. And in most of the schools, you have to be 18 years old before you start. 

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You live on the school and become close personal friends with your fellow students.

What classes can you take?

Most of our foreign students pick one of the Norwegian language and culture classes. But if you already know some Norwegian – or if you’re a fast learner – you’re welcome to choose one of the other 800 types of classes that we offer.

 

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The folk high schools teach everything from technology and science to Norwegian. But no matter which class you choose, you’ll be able so see a lot of Norway and our cold but beautiful nature

 

Price

The schools are in themselves free but you have to pay for room and board and for school trips and things you need for classes. The price varies from school to school and class to class but the average price is 125,000 Norwegian kroner for a full year.

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Folk high schools are schools for body and mind

Who are our foreign students?

The foreign students at our schools are:

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Apply now!

Apply now

If you need a student visa to be able to study in Norway you should apply now as it might take some time for you to get the visa. We generally recommend that students apply before February 1st. We don’t have a deadline for our applications but the folk high schools have become very popular and we usually admit students by «first come, first served.»

Read more about how you apply

Follow us on Instagram

Pictures say more than a thousand words. Why not follow us on Instagram and check out all the great pictures taken by our students? We’re @folkehogskolene.

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