New rules for financial support to students
Norway has broken EEA rules regarding financial support to students. Now the allotment criteria are being changed.
På norsk;)
After keeping up to date on regulations and exchanging letters with the EFTA Surveillance Authority, the enforcement body of the EEA Agreement, the Ministry of Education and Research (KD) has now sent new Norwegian regulations for the allotment of financial support in the academic year of 2009-2010 to be referred for consideration. Currently, children of EU citizens who work in Norway must live in Norway themselves in order to receive a loan and grant from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. However, according to EEA regulations, children of EU citizens who work in Norway have the right to receive education grants if they fulfill one of the following requirements:
- Are under 21 years of age
- Are supported by the employee
- Live in Norway
During the same round of referrals, KD has suggested that regulations relating to foreign citizens in general should be defined. Today, foreign students receive financial support on the same grounds as Norwegian students if they have been in fulltime education in Norway for the last three years without support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. The new regulations state that the foreign student during these three years cannot have received education grants from: the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund, Erasmus Mundus, the Norwegian Program for Development, Research and Education (NUFU) or any other similar arrangements. This makes it clear that foreign students will lose this accumulation period only if they have received support from an educational programme.
The Ministry of Education and Research has now sent the allotment regulations for the academic year of 2009-2010 to be referred for consideration, with a deadline of the 15th of January 2009.
Neither the Minister of Research and Higher Education Tora Aasland, nor any other member of the political administration of KD was available for comment on Universitas’ questions regarding the changes to regulations. Linda Johnsen Ørstavik • Translated by Anna Young
