General information for international students
Sund Folk High School (in norwegian: Sund folkehøgskole) is open for international students. We have long experience in hosting students and volunteers from different countries and cultures, sometimes through volunteering programs and sometimes as regular students. We perceive international students as an enrichment for the school and the learning environment, both for students and staff.
A different learning experience
As a student or volunteer at Sund Folk High School you will have the chance to experience and learn about your interests and topics of your choice, while being part of a community that will help you grow and develop not only academically, but also socially and personally. You will also learn more about the Norwegian culture and language, and experience the beauty of Norwegian nature and wilderness. At Sund you will meet other students with a variety of interests and backgrounds and make friends for life.
Sund Folk High School is a socially engaged school with ten main courses, and more than thirty elective courses to choose from.
Courses at Sund Folk High School
That Sund folk high school we have multiple main courses (two semesters) and some of them are also offered as half-year courses (one semester of the two). Half-year students are a part of the main course but for one semester only.
Our main courses (two semesters):
In brief:
Our main courses:
- Art Photo Japan
- Cultural Production
- Degrowth
- Early music (baroque and early classical)
- Historical handicraft
- Jazz
- Rainforest Amazon
- Solidarity Latin America
- Street food
- International politics Nepal
Social media profiles for Sund folk high school
When moving to a new and foreign country, a million questions arise. Do I need a visa? What is a folk high school? Do I need health insurance? How expensive are the courses? The section below will help you prepare for and make the most of your stay at Sund folk high school.
We are currently working on translation of more information on our webpage. If you have any questions or need more information, do not hesitate to contact us.
Sund folk high school is a Norwegian folk high school. 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.
It is important to emphasize that, by law, folk high schools conduct no formal examinations and issue no degrees. After finishing your school year, you will receive a diploma detailing what you have participated in. The folk high school have different courses from the regular education system in Norway.
International students at a folk high school who want to continue to study in Norway do not automatically qualify for enrollment as students in a Norwegian college or university; they must meet the same entry requirements as other international students.
Click here for more information on Norwegian folk high schools .
We want your year at Sund Folk High School the most important year of your life. It will be a year where you get a lot of new friends and experience personal and professional growth. The year at the folk high school can become a milestone in your life. It may be the year that shaped you who you are.
Sund Folk High School is a socially engaged school. There are three particular things we are passionate about and want to share with you:
- Our commitment to international solidarity
- Our work for sustainable development
- The value of art and culture.
These three areas permeates both teaching and daily life at school. You will learn about the important issues of our time and have experiences that will give you new perspectives on life.
Sund Folk High School is located in Inderøy , just a short walk from Straumen. Inderøy is a rural community surrounded by a breathtaking landscape. The community has approximately 6,000 inhabitants and is situated in the middle of the Trondheim fjord.
Sund Folk High School has been an important part of Inderøy for more than 100 years. The school was founded in 1868, and is one of the most attractive folk high schools in Norway.
You will also find the price for each program on their course page under the section price
Please note that prices are subject to change until the start of the semester. Adjustments may be made.
Scholarships and grants
We don't have any scholarships or grants available for international students at Sund Folk High School.
Please note: The school year 2024-25 ends on Thursday 15th of May
Students from outside the EU/EEA area are required to document a financial subsistence guarantee, amounting to 140 per cent of the "room-and-board minimum fee" as a condition to be granted a residence permit to attend a folk high school in Norway.
For all students from outside the EU/EEA area the required guarantee amount for the school year 2024/2025 will be NOK 116 386.
For students from inside the EU/EEA area (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Romania) the requirement for a subsistence guarantee does not apply. Students from the other Nordic countries are on an equal basis with Norwegian students. Consult the following web page:
Start by finding out more about our courses on our website.
Find the course that suits you best and send us an application. Please use our online application form .
When the school receives your application, we will review it and you will have an answer in a few days to one week. If you are accepted, you will have a few weeks to consider the offer and pay a registration fee (NOK 2 500,-). We might contact you if we have any questions.
There is no closing date for applying to Sund Folk College. We start admitting students on November 15th (every year). Students are admitted until the school is filled up or until the beginning of the school year.
You will have to apply for a residence permit and the process can take several months. We recommend that you apply to the folk high school no later than May.
Visa and residence permit - EU/EEA/EFTA
Students that are citizens of an EU/EEA/EFTA country no longer have to apply for a residence permit, but you must register at the police station within three months after your arrival to Norway.
You can make a preliminary registration online. Information about the requirements and how to register online will be found by this link:
Visa and residence permit - outside EU/EEA/EFTA
Students from countries outside EU/EEA/EFTA need to have a visa in order to get a residence permit in Norway. The visa must be obtained before arriving in Norway. Students need to file their applications for visa as soon as possible after admission to Sund.
The application should be filed with the Norwegian Embassy in your home country. You need the visa to get a residence permit in Norway. All foreign students, except those from the Nordic countries, must obtain a formal residence permit within 7 days after arrival in Norway.
If you have questions regarding visa or residence permit, please contact your local Norwegian Embassy.
Information from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration: https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/studies/
When you apply for a residence permit for students, you must submit the following documents:
- Application form with passport-sized photograph
- Copy of passport
- Your Enrolment Document from Sund. We will send this document after you accept the admission offer.
- Documentation of financial support. For all students from outside the EU/EEA the required guarantee amount for the 2024/2025 school year will be the equivalent of NOK 116 386.
- Documentation requirements vary from country to country and are subject to change. For information, contact the Norwegian foreign service mission closest to you. If you are in Norway, contact the local police or the Directorate of Immigration ( UDI )
All international students (except Nordic) must carry medical insurance for their period of stay in Norway. EU-citizens need social security coverage (form E-111) and to carry medical insurance in your home country and insurance for your personal belongings.
Students from the European Economic Area (EEA)
Students from EU/EEA countries must have health insurance coverage from their home country.
- The European Health Insurance Card documents that you are entitled to necessary medical treatment during temporary stays in other EEA countries or in Switzerland.
- You are entitled to treatment on a par with the citizens of the country where you are staying.
- If you decide to use private health insurance you have to check with your insurance office as to whether your coverage applies to Norway.
- You must bring the European Health Insurance Card or documentation of private health insurance when you enter Norway.
For further information about the correct card/form please check with the nearest health authority office in your home country.
Read more about the European Health Insurance Card on the European Commission's website .
Students from countries outside the European Economic Area
Students from non-EU/EEA countries can become members of the National Insurance Scheme.
Staying in Norway between 3 and 12 months
- If the duration of your stay in Norway is between 3 and 12 months you can apply for voluntary membership in the National Insurance Scheme at the insurance office in the municipality in which you are staying.
- Please note that students who do not apply for voluntary membership should have a social security coverage from their home country.
Norwegian law requires all foreign nationals who will be residing in Norway more than 3 months to book an appointment to take the tuberculosis test and chest x-ray within two weeks after arrival.
- Exceptions: Students from Western Europe, Poland, Hungary, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Norway has a rich history, and provides many opportunities for exploring its towns, mountains and fjords.
Sund Folk College is situated in the middle of Norway. Trondheim is the region center.
It's cold in Norway during the winter season and you should expect temperature's well below zero and plenty of snow. Please bring adequate clothing like boots, coats/ thick jackets, hats/ bibs, gloves, long underwear and in general any garments made from wool.
The following links will take you to tourist information about places that our international students are likely to visit.
- The Norwegian Tourist Board
- Oslo is the capital of Norway
- Trondheim is the regional center
- Innherred is the region