Information for international students
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 10 main courses, and more than 30 elective courses to choose from.
Our main courses:
- Ekspedisjon og idrett – Expedition and sports
- Historisk håndverk – Historical handicraft
- Street food – Street food
- Sportsfiske – Sport Fishing
- Solidaritet Nord-Sør – Solidarity North-South
- FN og internasjonal politikk – UN and international politics
- Regnskog og aktivisme – Rainforest and activism
- Foto – Photo
- Jazz – Jazz
- Anderårs-jazz – Second year jazz
You can read more information about the main courses in English in the sections below.
At Sund folkehøgskole we have 10 main courses. As a student you choose one main course that you follow for the whole year. Each course goes on one or more studytrips each year.
Here you can read about most of our main courses:
Sund Folk College in central Norway has developed a brand new study into the art of Sport Fishing. The school is located next to the Trondheim Fjord, holding more than 110 different species. The teacher, Eskil Roekke, is a fish biologist, wildlife ranger and filmmaker who has spent more than 4 years in New Zealand. He has fished the oceans, fjords, rivers and lakes of central Norway for decades.
The students will live and study at the majestic old school, but must have an interest for the outdoors as many days and nights will be spent outdoors. Sleeping in tents and under the open sky will be our “everyday” this year.
Study trips: 3 weeks in Belize and trips to Lofoten and in the local area.
In this course you have the opportunity to experience Norwegian wilderness, and to learn how to live in and with nature. We go on expeditions autumn, winter and spring. We use kayak, mountain skis, and hike in the mountains.
We also do sports, and emphasize physical strength and to have fun while working out!
National parks and wilderness
In early september we go for the first tour, hiking in the mountain of Børgefjell. This is a beautiful area bordering Sweden. We will cross the national park from the north till the south end. We will focus on orientering, fishing, camping crossing rivers among other experiences.
The second expedition is decided by you and your fellow students, Were are we going? How do we go there? Hiking? Bicycle? Kayak? You decide. This expedition will last for 10 days, and we will focus upon planning, tour-leading, risk-evaluation etc.
When early spring arrives, we are ready for our biggest experience; winter skiing, and to cross the national park Skjækra og Blåfjella. This will be a breathtaking, and challenging expedition, and we will be in the wilderness for 10 days. We will stay overnight in tent and snowcaves, and we will learn how to survive in situations quite different from our daily life. Do you join us?
The UN and international course aims to give you insight into the UN’s role, possibilities and limitations. You learn about the UN’s work and how the organization work with people and communities around the world.
Study trip: 5 weeks to Southeast Asia.
Learn about photography and find out more about the world. It’s a walkabout where photography is explored, limits are pushed and life is lived.
Study trips: Japan or South Korea and Europe.
Trough the years the jazz course have developed a learning environment where we focus on interaction, musicality and musical craftmanship.
Studytrip: 3 weeks to cities in Europe.
This course is exploring at the meeting between ecology, anthropology, history and politics. This interdisciplinary approach provides a unique basis for understanding the rainforest diversity.
Study: 8 weeks to Peru and the Amazon.
Developing countries tend to have a diverse culture and rich natural resources. At the same time many of their inhabitants are oppressed and live on less than a dollar a day. Why do a large portion of the world’s population live in poverty, while people in our part of the world consumes more and more? What does this global inequality mean for the everyday lives of people in developing countries?
Study: 8 weeks to Guatemala.
Main course prices the school year of 2023–2024
- Historical handicraft (whole year): NOK 125 000
- Historical handicraft (one semester): NOK 62 500
- Expedition and sports (whole year): NOK 124 000
- Expedition and sports (one semester): NOK 62 000
- Sport Fishing: NOK 138 000
- Photo: NOK 137 000
- Street food: NOK 135 000
- UN and international politics: NOK 136 000
- Jazz: NOK 136 000
- Rainforest and activism: NOK 142 500
- Solidarity North-South: NOK 142 000
- Second year jazz: NOK 120 000
All prices includes room and board, study trips and other costs at the school.
In addition
- Enrollment fee: NOK 2 500 (whole year) or for one-semester courses; NOK 1 250. This fee is payable when you sign the contract with the school and is not refundable.
- Deposit for key / rooms / facilities: NOK 1 300
- Supplement for single room: NOK 585 per month
- Students cover the cost of personal equipment
Scholarships and grants
We don’t have any scholarships or grants available for international students at Sund Folk High School.
Students from outside the EU/EEA area are required to document a financial subsistence guarantee, amounting to140 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 2023/2024 will be NOK 110 989.
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, Rumania) 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 are no closing date for applying to Sund Folk College. We start admitting Norwegian students on February 1st. Students are admitted until the school is filled up or until the beginning of the school year.
However, if you are a student from outside the European Union (EU), we accept an earlier application and give an answer within a few weeks. 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.
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: www.udi.no/Norwegian-Directorate-of-Immigration/Central-topics/Studies/How-do-I-apply-for-a-residence-permit-for-students/
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 coming school year will be NOK 93 300.
- Documentation requirements vary from country to country and are subject to changes. 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 centre.
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 region centre
- Innherred is the region