Planning life after graduation may be exciting. However, for some international students, finishing their study time brings uncertainty.

Haithem Merchaoui moved to Norway from Tunisia to study at NHH. He will gradute in December and doesn't know if he will stay in Norway.

MASTER'S STUDENT: Haithem Merchaoui is disappointed by his experience as an international student in Bergen. PHOTO: Patrycja Pankau


Fakta

International students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland have to follow immigration rules and deal with bureaucracy. For many of them, it is not guaranteed that they will be able to stay in Norway after graduation. Studvest asked two international students who finished their education this year about their further plans. Feeling unwelcome 28-year-old Haithem Merchaoui moved to Bergen from … Read More

Disapproval and annoyance mark the climate at UiB when it comes to the government’s decision to introduce tuition fees. The master's program in System Dynamics at UiB is expected to struggle with the changes.

AFRAID: Those at the System Dynamics at UiB fears for the future of the program.


Last autumn new tuition fees were proposed for students outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. The changes are being implemented this coming term. The newspaper Khrono has covered the issue closely and previously wrote that there is total confusion surrounding the implementation of tuition fees for international students. UiB received 3.428 applicants from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland for the autumn … Read More

Volodomyr Ilkiv receives funds from the Norwegian government through a support scheme. The government has not decided whether it will be prolonged.

CONCERNED: Volodomyr Ilkiv (23) is concerned that a discontinuation of the support scheme could affect Ukrainian students negatively.


Today marks one year since Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. The ensuing chaos forced many to flee their homes. Some sought refuge in Norway. In March of 2022 the Norwegian government created a support scheme for the students who were affected by the war for the spring semester. The scheme was then prolonged to July 31st, 2023. The … Read More

Expensive tickets to Uzbekistan and political oppression in Belarus makes travelling home more than difficult for Alisher Khodjaev (26) and Aliaksandra Haurusik (24).

LOOKING FORWARD. Alisher Khodjaev (26) and Aliaksandra Haurusik (24) are staying in Bergen for Christmas holidays.

FACING THE CIRCUMSTANCES . Alisher Khodjaev (26) and Aliaksandra Haurusik (24) are staying in Bergen for Christmas holidays. FOTO: Frøya Lofthus


Alisher Khodjaev (26) and Aliaksandra Haurusik (24), international students at University of Bergen, will not travel home to spend the New Year’s Eve with their families this year. They experience different kinds of feelings while not having a chance to be in their home countries for winter holidays – Uzbekistan for Alisher and Belarus for Aliaksandra. – I was not … Read More

How do you survive the exam season? Studvest has talked to international students in Bergen.

BREAK. This interview with Studvest is a long overdue break from his exam, Jack Crouch says.


Exam season is upon us and with it comes the exam jitters.   Here is what a couple of international students had to say when asked how their exam season has been so far.  Avoiding a burnout Jack Crouch (22) from the UK, is a first-year student in a master’s program in Physical geography at UiB. Since Crouch has kept it … Read More

For international students, a job may be necessary. Finding one can be hard.

JOB? Muhammad Ali moved to Bergen from Pakistan to do his masters degree at UiB.


24-year-old Muhammad Ali moved to Bergen from Pakistan in August this year to study a master’s degree in System Dynamics at the University of Bergen (UiB). He has a background in software development and hoped to find a job in his field in Norway. – When I moved to Bergen, I applied for 30-40 jobs in my field but was … Read More

In the proposed national budget from the Norwegian government, a fee for international students have been proposed. This creates an uncertain future for Alisher Khodjaev and Udval Sukhbaatar.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS. Both Alisher Khodjaev and Udval Sukhbaatar are doing their masters degree in Norway.


The announcement of the proposal to introduce tuition fees for international students outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland in the 2023 state budget came as a shock to many students.  Not only is higher education free for Norwegian citizens, but this accessibility is also currently extended to students from other parts of the world, both within and outside Europe.  The … Read More

During the month of December, Sammen organizes many activities for all the students who are spending the Christmas holidays alone in Bergen.

INVOLVED. The whole Sammen team is involved during Christmas to gather students and prevent isolation.


This year, some students will not spend the Christmas celebrations in their hometown nor with their family. The student organization Sammen wants to prevent students from isolating themselves. For that, they offer to all students the possibility to socialize through many events and activities almost every day in December and early January. – It is very important for us to … Read More

You don’t have Facebook? Are you German? While I do have Facebook, it’s popularity in Norway still took me by surprise.

POPULAR. Facebook is used for everything in Norway. Foto: Peter Apolinario


When I first moved to Norway, I had already marked Facebook off as a dead platform. For years my account sat idle, only kept around for that one friend that used messenger that you talked to every few months (before moving the conversation to Instagram). It was good for the occasional search for events but even that died down when … Read More

Students express that this feeling of unsafety doesn’t necessarily go away when crossing the border to Norway.

SAFETY. Viktoria Labus (20) and Celine Madlen (21) share how safe they feel walking home alone in Bergen. PHOTO: Andrea Olsen


Fact box

– Of course I know Norway is a relatively safe country, but still, I caught myself holding my keys in my hands at night, says Viktoria Labus (20), exchange student from Aachen in Germany.  Two female exchange students share their experience of their own safety in Bergen.  Women’s safety and defense mechanisms in Bergen Labus thinks Bergen has a safer … Read More