The average monthly income of students in Norway is 20 345 Norwegian kroner. Income from paid jobs accounts for more than half of the total income, while grants/loans account for 35 per cent. On average, students in Norway have living costs of 14 700 kroner. Accommodation costs account for nearly half of the total living costs. Fulltime students 18 to 30 years who do not have children, a group covering 2 of 3 students, have an average income of 16 200 kroner and living costs of 11 900 kroner. Income and expenses vary among different groups of students. For example, students aged 30 years or older have higher income and living expenses compared to younger students and the more students work, the higher the income and the expenses. The differences between groups are related to how important different income sources are for students. Among most students younger than 22 years old, grants and loans stand for half of the monthly income or more. On the other hand, income from paid work becomes a more important income source the more students work.

If we see income and expenses in relation to what proportion grants and loans from Lånekassen account for in students' total income, the results show a clear pattern. The more important public student support is as an income source, the lower the income of the students. Differences between the two groups can be explained with the fact that students who are not dependent on grants and loans have more income from paid work. Students who do not have grants and loans as their main source of income, also have higher expenses compared to students who are not dependent on public student support. This is because students in this group to a bigger extent are older and have family and children compared to students dependent on public student support.

There are also differences in the share different expenses account for as part of the total expenses. For example, students dependent on public student support spent on average a higher share of their living expenses on accommodation costs compared to students who are not dependent on public student support. However, students in the latter group spend a higher proportion of their expenses on costs other than accommodation, food and transportation compared to students who depend on public student support. Students who do not depend on public student support spend more on other living costs and this is a pattern we observe for all student groups analyzed in this report. The results also show that how important public student support is as an income source has an impact on students’ financial situation.

On average, students have 5 600 Norwegian kroner left of their income when all living expenses are paid. In addition, they have study-related costs for fees and books, as well as costs for reparations and travel expenses. Costs for reparations and travel expenses are not mapped in the Eurostudent survey. There are differences in how big the differences between income and living expenses are. For example, older students have a bigger difference between income and expenses compared to younger students. About one in four students experience financial problems. Student groups with a small difference between their income and living expenses, report that they have financial difficulties to a higher extent than those who have more money left. Students who are dependent on public student support have on average less money left when all living expenses are paid compared to students who are not dependent on this income source. Among students who are not dependent on public student support, it is also less common to experience financial difficulties compared to those who depend on public student support.

This report is financed by the Ministry of Education and Research.