Funding options in Norway
A practical guide to financing your bootcamp: employer-paid education for skills you use in your job, severance agreements, union education funds, and instalments.
How does bootcamp funding work in Norway?
Norway doesn’t use a single nationwide education voucher like Germany’s Bildungsgutschein. Instead, funding is usually accessed through a combination of routes: employer-paid competence development, education funded in a severance agreement, union education funds, and dagpenger while you study if you’re a jobseeker.
Some routes are individual (for example, a union education fund that reimburses you as a member), while others go through your workplace (for example, employer-paid education, tax-free for you and deductible for the company when the competence is usable in your current or future work at that employer). If you tell us your context, we can help you identify the most realistic path and what information you’ll likely need.
Does it cover full tuition?
Sometimes, but not always. Coverage depends on the route and your situation. Employer-paid education can cover the full course fee: there is no cap on teaching costs and no approval scheme to get into. A union education fund covers a share of documented costs, while dagpenger cover living costs and never the course fee.
Who can apply for funding in Norway?
Eligibility varies by route, but common starting points include:
Based in Norway (or eligible under local rules)
Funding routes are decided by whoever pays (for example your employer, your union’s education fund, or the employer signing your severance agreement). Requirements can vary, so it helps to confirm early what documentation is needed.
You may fit one of these pathways:
Keeping dagpenger while you study
If you’re registered as a jobseeker, you can apply to keep your dagpenger while you study: 62.4% of prior income, in practice NOK 15,000 to 45,000 a month. It covers living costs, not the course fee. Age 25 and over, and apply before the course starts.
Employer-sponsored upskilling
Many learners fund bootcamps through their employer’s competence budget. It is tax-free for you when the competence can be used in your current or future work at the employer paying.
Sector and workplace schemes (programme-based)
Some national competence schemes are designed to increase participation in training within selected industries or to strengthen basic workplace skills. These are often applied for through employers or partner organisations rather than individuals.
Union education funds
If you’re a union member, your fund may reimburse part of the course fee. LO’s fund pays up to NOK 13,500 a school year and Fagforbundet’s up to NOK 15,000 a calendar year at 50% of documented costs.
How can I get started?
Choose your most likely funding route: employer-paid education, a severance agreement, your union’s education fund, or dagpenger if you’re a jobseeker.
If you're leaving a job, ask for the course to be written into your sluttavtale before you sign: education funded there is tax-free up to 1.5 G, roughly NOK 204,800, when it qualifies you for work with your next employer.
If you’re employed, talk to your manager or HR: the company can pay tax-free when the competence is usable in your current or future work there. We can provide a syllabus summary, learning outcomes, and invoicing details.
If you’re a union member, check your fund’s rules and deadlines, then claim reimbursement for your documented course costs.
Apply for one of our bootcamps and book a call, our team can help you prepare the details funders typically ask for (schedule, outcomes, format, invoice details).
Once funding is confirmed, we’ll guide you through the next steps to finalise enrolment and onboarding.