Scholarships

NORAM Scholarship 2027 — Funding for Americans to Study in Norway

Faseeh Sultan

August 29, 2026
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NORAM Scholarship 2027 — Funding for Americans to Study in Norway

If you are a U.S. citizen considering graduate study in Norway, the Norway-America Association (NORAM) scholarship is one of the most accessible and genuinely useful funding sources available to you — not because it covers every cost, but because it is specifically designed to fill the gap between what other funding covers and what living and studying in Norway actually costs. The 2026–27 application window has closed, but the next cycle opens in early 2027 with an April 1, 2027 deadline. This guide covers everything you need to know now so your application is ready well before that date.

Detail	Information
Organization	Norway-America Association (NORAM)
Country	Norway
Degree / Level	Master’s, PhD, Postdoctoral, Further Education
Funding Type	Partial funding grant (up to NOK 40,000)
Application Deadline	April 1 each year
Open To	U.S. citizens only
Pakistani Students Eligible	No — U.S. citizenship is required
Official Link	Apply Here

🎓 About the Norway-America Association and Its Scholarship Program

Founded in 1919, the Norway-America Association has been one of the oldest continuously operating educational exchange organizations between the United States and Norway. Since its founding, NORAM has awarded more than 5,000 scholarships across Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, postdoctoral research, further education, and work placement programs. That is not a marketing figure — it represents over a century of consistent investment in U.S.-Norwegian academic ties.

NORAM administers scholarships on behalf of the American-Scandinavian Foundation and Thanks to Scandinavia, meaning the NORAM name serves as an umbrella for a small cluster of related funding streams. The scholarship covered in this article is specifically the Americans to Norway graduate track — the program designed for U.S. citizens pursuing graduate-level study at Norwegian institutions.

What distinguishes this scholarship from generic study-abroad grants is its stated bilateral purpose: the project or academic field must be of mutual benefit to the two countries. This is not a box to tick — it genuinely shapes which applications succeed. Students whose research has clear relevance to shared Norwegian-American interests (energy, marine science, public health, Nordic studies, environmental policy, technology) tend to receive stronger consideration than those applying with general fields that lack an obvious bilateral connection.

Unlike the Erasmus+ program, which applies across a broad European framework, or the Fulbright Norway grant, which is highly competitive and covers a much larger award amount, the NORAM scholarship is more accessible, more flexible in terms of field, and does not carry the same level of institutional prestige pressure. It is a realistic target for a capable American graduate student — not only for those with elite academic profiles.

🎓 Benefits and Funding

This is a partial funding grant, not a fully funded scholarship. Being clear about this upfront saves you from misreading what the award covers.

Maximum award: NOK 40,000 (verify exact amount on official website, as annual adjustments are possible)
The scholarship amounts vary from NOK 10,000 to NOK 40,000. The size of each individual grant depends on the research subject, need, purpose, and the intended length of stay in Norway.
In approximate USD terms: NOK 40,000 equals roughly $3,600–$3,900 USD depending on exchange rates at time of disbursement (verify current rate)
There is a non-refundable application fee (verify amount on the portal)
Awards are made one year at a time — you can apply for a maximum of two academic years total across separate cycles
Recipients who have previously received a NORAM scholarship must disclose this in their application

Practical note on what this covers: Norway is an expensive country. International students applying for a study permit for the 2026–2027 academic year must show proof of at least NOK 170,368 (roughly $17,399) to cover living expenses for the year, according to Study in Norway. An NOK 40,000 award therefore covers roughly 23% of living costs alone — meaningful supplementary funding, but not a standalone solution. Plan for additional funding sources (Fulbright, personal savings, institutional assistantships) when budgeting your study year.

🎓 Eligibility Criteria

Citizenship: U.S. citizens only. Dual citizens may apply — verify with NORAM directly
Study level: Graduate level (Master’s, PhD, postdoctoral) — full-time study only
Study mode: Full-time, in-person study in Norway. Online courses and summer programs are explicitly excluded
Minimum duration: The program must be at least three months in length
Degree requirement: Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree or equivalent
Priority: Preference may be given to applicants pursuing their first master’s degree
Prior admission: Not required at time of application, but documentation of admission or an invitation letter must be submitted if a scholarship is awarded
English requirements: Norway does not have a national IELTS requirement for all graduate programs — individual Norwegian universities set their own English proficiency standards, which vary widely. Check your target institution’s specific requirements. Some programs at NTNU and UiO, for example, accept undergraduate degrees taught in English as proof of proficiency without a separate test score. (Verify with your target institution)
Bilateral relevance: The project or field must demonstrably benefit both Norway and the United States
Prior scholarship disclosure: If you have received a NORAM scholarship before, you must declare it. You may receive the award a maximum of two times

Pakistani students: This scholarship is restricted to U.S. citizens. Pakistani students are not eligible for this specific track. If you are a Pakistani student looking for Norway-specific funding, see the Study in Norway 2026 — Guide for International Students cluster linked below for opportunities open to international applicants.

🎓 Who Should Apply — and Who Probably Shouldn’t

✅ Strong candidates:

U.S. citizens accepted to or planning to apply to a Norwegian university for a full Master’s or PhD
Students whose research area has a clear Norway-U.S. connection (energy transition, marine biology, public health, Nordic governance, environmental science, technology policy)
First-time master’s students — NORAM explicitly gives preference to this group
Students who already have one primary funding source (Fulbright, institutional grants) and need a meaningful supplement to cover living costs
Students comfortable with a competitive but not hyper-selective process compared to Rhodes or Marshall level awards

❌ Less suitable candidates:

Non-U.S. citizens (ineligible regardless of academic strength)
Students enrolled in online-only or summer programs
Students whose research fields have no clear bilateral relevance to Norway-U.S. relations
Students expecting a fully funded experience from this award alone — budget planning is essential
Students planning less than three months of study in Norway

A note on Pakistani and South Asian applicants specifically: The Americans-to-Norway NORAM track is U.S.-citizen-only. However, Norway has become an increasingly attractive destination for Pakistani graduate students since introducing tuition fees for non-EU/EEA students in 2023 — several Norwegian universities still offer institutional scholarships and fee waivers that are open internationally. Those opportunities are covered separately in the Scholarships section of Gradualin.

🎓 Available Programs and Fields

NORAM does not restrict applications to specific academic disciplines, which is one of its genuine strengths as a grant. The only subject constraint is that the project must carry mutual benefit for Norway and the United States.

Fields where successful applications tend to cluster include:

Marine sciences and fisheries — Norway is a global leader and there is clear bilateral relevance
Energy and petroleum studies — especially renewable energy, offshore technology, and energy policy
Public health and welfare policy — the Nordic model draws significant American academic interest
Nordic and Scandinavian studies — language, history, culture, literature
Environmental sciences and climate policy — bilateral relevance is easy to establish
Engineering and architecture — note that NORAM also administers a separate Kolflaat scholarship specifically for engineers and architects
Political science and international relations — U.S.-Norway NATO relations and Arctic policy are strong framing angles

If your field is not on this list, that does not mean you are ineligible — it means your project description needs to work harder to establish the bilateral relevance argument explicitly.

Full program listings can be explored through Study in Norway, the official Norwegian government portal for international students.

🎓 Required Documents

Students can apply without being accepted to an institution before the application deadline, but must submit documentation of admission or an invitation if awarded a scholarship. This is an important flexibility — you do not need a formal acceptance letter to apply.

Typical documents required (verify current list on the official portal before applying):

Completed online application form via the NORAM scholarship portal
Project description / research proposal — this is the most important document; it must demonstrate academic merit, feasibility, and bilateral relevance
Proof of U.S. citizenship (passport or similar)
Academic transcripts (all post-secondary institutions attended)
CV / academic résumé
Letters of recommendation (verify number required on portal)
Proof of enrollment or acceptance — not required at application stage, but mandatory if awarded
Financial need statement — the award is need-sensitive, so honest disclosure of your funding situation strengthens the application
Application fee payment (non-refundable — verify current amount on portal)

There is no HEC attestation or embassy verification requirement since this scholarship is for U.S. citizens applying within the Norwegian higher education system.

🎓 Step-by-Step Application Process

Research Norwegian institutions — Use Study in Norway to identify universities and programs that match your field. Identify at least one program before writing your project description, even if formal admission comes later.
Develop your project description early — This is the single document that most influences the committee’s decision. It should explain what you will study, why Norway specifically, how the project benefits both countries, and why you are the right person to carry it out. Generic statements about “learning from Norwegian culture” are weak. Specific research framing is strong.
Gather supporting documents — Transcripts, CV, citizenship proof, recommendation letters. Start requesting recommendations at least four weeks before the April 1 deadline.
Create an account on the NORAM application portal — Visit noram.no/en/master-and-phd-in-norway and follow the application link when the portal opens (typically February–March each year for the April 1 deadline).
Submit the non-refundable application fee — Confirm the current fee on the portal before proceeding.
Complete and submit the full application by April 1 — The applicant is responsible for submitting all documentation by the April 1 deadline. Late submissions are not accepted.
Await committee decision — NORAM aims to alert all applicants with a decision, whether awarded or not, by June 1. If you are accepted to your Norwegian program after submitting your application, notify NORAM immediately with documentation.
If awarded — confirm plans and provide admission documentation — Notify NORAM of any changes to your institution, subject, or duration as soon as they occur.

Practical tip: The bilateral relevance section of your project description is where most applications are either won or lost. Read through NORAM’s published scholar profiles from past cohorts (available at noram.no/en/scholars) to understand what funded projects actually look like — this is more useful than any generic SOP guide.

🎓 Important Dates

Milestone	Date
Application portal opens	Approximately February 2027 (verify on official site)
Application deadline	April 1, 2027
Decision notifications	By June 1, 2027
Academic year supported	August 1 – May 31, 2027–28

📌 Bookmark this page — we update deadlines as soon as changes are announced.

🎓 Why Apply — and Why Norway

Norway is not just a picturesque backdrop for graduate study. It is a country with one of the world’s highest-ranked higher education systems, free or low-cost tuition for many programs (though non-EU students now pay fees at public universities since 2023), and a research environment that punches well above its population size in fields like marine science, energy, public health, and Arctic studies.

For American graduate students specifically, Norwegian universities offer relatively small class sizes, strong English-language instruction, and a research culture that values interdisciplinary thinking. Cities like Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim are expensive but safe, well-connected, and internationally oriented. An academic year in Norway is also genuinely useful on a CV in fields with Norwegian-American overlap — energy sector employers, environmental policy organizations, and Nordic studies institutions recognize Norwegian research experience.

The NORAM scholarship’s partial funding model is, honestly, its main limitation. It works best as a supplementary grant alongside Fulbright or institutional funding — not as a standalone study-abroad budget. If you are an American graduate student who has the academic profile and research framing to compete for this award, it is worth the application effort because the process itself (developing a strong bilateral research statement) strengthens applications you make to other Norwegian funding sources simultaneously.

Gradualin Editor’s Note: For average graduate applicants without a defined research question or clear Norway-U.S. field connection, this scholarship requires more preparation than its modest award amount might suggest. The project description is genuinely evaluated — this is not a merit-plus-need form application. Strong candidates are those who can articulate exactly why their research needs Norway specifically, not just why they want to study abroad. If you can answer that question clearly, apply. If you cannot yet, spend time developing it before the portal opens.

🎓 FAQ

These questions are based on what students most commonly search about this program.

Can Pakistani students apply for the NORAM scholarship? No. The Americans-to-Norway scholarship track is restricted to U.S. citizens. There is no pathway for Pakistani or South Asian students through this particular program. If you are a Pakistani student seeking Norway funding, explore opportunities through the Norwegian Government Scholarship Scheme and institutional scholarships at the University of Oslo, NTNU, and the University of Bergen, several of which are open to international students. Gradualin covers these in the Scholarships section.

Is IELTS required for the NORAM scholarship? NORAM itself does not set an IELTS requirement — the language requirement is set by your target Norwegian university, not by NORAM. Many Norwegian graduate programs taught in English accept undergraduate degrees in English as sufficient proof of language ability. Check your specific program’s admissions page on the university website. Do not assume IELTS is required or waived without verifying with your institution.

How competitive is the NORAM scholarship? NORAM typically offers up to ten scholarships per year for the Americans-to-Norway track. The pool is meaningful but not enormous — most applicants are U.S.-based graduate students with Norwegian study plans, which is already a self-selecting group. The evaluation is merit and need-based, with committee and sometimes external subject consultants reviewing applications. Projects with strong bilateral relevance and specific research framing succeed more often than general applications.

Can I apply if I haven’t been accepted to a Norwegian university yet? Yes. Students can apply without being accepted to an institution before the application deadline, but must submit documentation of admission or an invitation if awarded a scholarship. This is one of NORAM’s more applicant-friendly policies — you can apply while your university application is still in process, as long as you provide the admission documentation if you are selected.

Can I receive the NORAM scholarship more than once? Yes, but a maximum of twice across separate application cycles. If you have previously received a NORAM scholarship, you must disclose it in your application.

What happens if my plans change after I apply? You must notify NORAM of any changes — to your institution, program, subject area, or duration — as soon as they occur. Significant changes without notification can affect your award status.

🎓 Official Source

Scholarship Page: NORAM Master’s and PhD in Norway
About All NORAM Scholarships: noram.no/en/om-stipendene
Past Scholar Profiles: noram.no/en/scholars
Email: stipend@noram.no
General Enquiries: info@noram.no
Address: Rådhusgata 23B, 0158 Oslo, Norway
Phone: +47 23 35 71 60
Study in Norway (official resource): studyinnorway.no

🎓 Summary Table

Detail	Information
Organization	Norway-America Association (NORAM)
Country	Norway
Degree / Level	Master’s, PhD, Postdoctoral, Further Education
Funding Type	Partial funding grant (up to NOK 40,000 / ~$3,800 USD)
Application Deadline	April 1, 2027 (next cycle)
Open To	U.S. citizens only
Pakistani Students Eligible	No — U.S. citizenship required
Number of Awards	Up to 10 per year (verify on official site)
Decision Notification	By June 1, 2027
Official Link	Apply Here