In this guide
The Norwegian international school market
Norway hosts a compact set of international schools relative to its size, a reflection of a free, well regarded state system that absorbs most resident children, including a large share of long staying expat families. The fully English medium international market exists mainly to serve transient corporate and diplomatic families who expect to move again, and it concentrates in two centres. Oslo, the capital, holds the deepest cluster, anchored by the established IB curriculum schools and the largest British school in the country. Stavanger, the centre of the offshore energy industry, holds the second cluster, built over decades to serve oil and gas families on rotation. You can read the local picture in our Oslo city guide, and use the fees database to compare tuition like for like.
Bergen and Trondheim each carry one or two international schools serving smaller expat communities, while the rest of the country relies on the Norwegian state route or on the international classes attached to selected public schools. The defining feature of the market is its IB weighting: most international schools in Norway are authorised IB World Schools, and the few that are not follow the British curriculum. Pure American provision is limited to Stavanger.
Curricula offered
The International Baccalaureate is the backbone of international schooling in Norway. The continuum is offered across the four cities, with the Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme widely available and the Diploma Programme concentrated at the larger Oslo and Stavanger schools. Oslo International School, founded in 1963 and located at Bekkestua in Bærum just west of the capital, is the established full IB school, authorised for PYP, MYP and the Diploma. Families weighing the diploma against three A Levels for sixth form should read our curriculum comparisons before committing.
The British curriculum is the main alternative. The British International School of Oslo follows the National Curriculum of England from the early years through IGCSE and A Level, and is the largest English medium British school in the country. British provision in Bergen runs through IGCSE and A Level for the international community there. These schools are inspected through COBIS, the Council of British International Schools, and deliver qualifications recognised directly for UK and global university entry.
The American curriculum has a single strong centre. The International School of Stavanger offers an American programme with Advanced Placement alongside the IB Diploma, a dual track that reflects the mixed North American and European energy workforce it serves. Several Oslo public schools also run international classes in English at primary and lower secondary level, including the IB programme at Manglerud, which gives families a lower cost route into an English medium education within the state system.
Get a free Norway school shortlist
Our school finder returns a ranked shortlist of international schools matched to your child's year group, city and budget, across the Oslo and Stavanger clusters.
Top cities
Oslo is the deepest and most established cluster. The capital combines the country's largest IB school at Bekkestua with the largest British school and a set of public international classes, so the option set spans curriculum and budget more widely than anywhere else in Norway. Most international families with school age children settle in the western suburbs of Bærum and Asker, where the school inventory and family housing concentrate. Our Oslo city guide sets out the neighbourhood and housing picture in detail.
Stavanger is the second centre and the most internationally weighted city per head, a direct legacy of the offshore energy industry. The International School of Stavanger and the British International School of Stavanger between them cover the American, IB and British routes, and the city's expat community is large enough to sustain a genuine international ecosystem of sport, activities and family services. Bergen, on the west coast, carries the International School of Bergen, a small PYP and MYP school accredited since 1985, alongside British provision. Trondheim, the northern university city, is served by Trondheim International School at primary and middle years level. As GlobalSchoolGuide builds out city hubs for these markets, they will be linked here; for now the deepest local detail sits in the Oslo guide.
Fees overview
Norwegian international school fees are high in absolute terms but moderate against the comparable London, Geneva or Zurich markets. Tuition is published in Norwegian kroner. The bands below are indicative annual tuition for 2026; registration, capital levies, transport and lunch typically add 10 to 20 per cent. Use the fees database for the school level detail and the cost calculator for the all in projection including Norway's high cost of living.
| Band | Example provision | 2026 tuition (NOK) | Approx USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| British curriculum | British International School of Oslo, IGCSE and A Level | 130,000 to 185,000 | 12,000 to 17,000 |
| Established IB | Oslo International School, PYP to Diploma | up to ~290,000 | ~27,000 |
| Stavanger cluster | International School of Stavanger, American, AP and IB | band tied to grade | mid to premium |
| Public international classes | IB and English stream at selected Oslo state schools | nominal or free | lowest cost route |
Fees rise with grade level at every school, so the diploma years cost materially more than early primary. Where a school has not published an exact figure for a given year group, treat the band above as a planning guide rather than a quote and confirm the current schedule with the school directly.
Admissions calendar
The Norwegian academic year runs from mid August to late June, with the main intake in August. Admissions at the international schools are broadly rolling, with applications accepted year round and mid year entries common where capacity exists, a pattern that suits energy and corporate families arriving off cycle. The most sought after year groups at the established Oslo and Stavanger schools, typically the early primary years and the entry to secondary, can carry waiting lists, so families relocating for August should apply several months ahead where possible.
The application pack follows the standard international school template: school reports for the past two years, references from the current school, an age appropriate assessment, and an English language assessment for non native speakers. Decisions usually arrive within a few weeks of a complete application. Families should factor the Norwegian residence and registration process into the timeline, as the national identity number is needed for several practical steps once children are enrolled.
Choosing a school
Three questions shape the decision in Norway. The first is whether the family is transient or settling. Families expecting to move again within a few years usually choose the IB or British international route for portability, while families planning a long term stay should seriously weigh the free Norwegian state system, which delivers strong outcomes but educates in Norwegian. The second is location: in Oslo the western corridor of Bærum and Asker holds most of the school inventory and the family housing, so the commute should inform the housing search rather than the reverse. Read our Oslo city guide for the geography.
The third question is curriculum continuity. A child mid way through an IB or A Level programme should move to a school offering the same qualification, since switching system after the start of the diploma or sixth form is rarely workable. For the wider verdict on which qualification suits which child, see our comparison library. Once you have a city and curriculum in mind, the parent reviews hub and the school finder will help you narrow to a shortlist, and our research team is available through the contact page for families who want a second opinion.
FAQ
How much do international schools cost in Norway? Full international school tuition sits broadly between 130,000 and 290,000 NOK per year, roughly 12,000 to 27,000 US dollars. British curriculum schools tend to sit at the lower end and the established IB schools at the upper end. Registration, capital levies, transport and lunch add a further 10 to 20 per cent.
Which curricula do international schools in Norway offer? The International Baccalaureate is the dominant curriculum, offered at PYP, MYP or Diploma level across Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim. The British curriculum through IGCSE and A Level is the main alternative, and the American curriculum with Advanced Placement is offered at the International School of Stavanger.
Can expat children attend Norwegian state schools instead? Yes. Norwegian state schooling is free, well funded and highly regarded, and many long staying expat families use it. The trade off is that instruction is in Norwegian, so the route suits younger children or families planning a long term stay rather than those expecting to move again within a few years.
Are international schools in Norway accredited? The established schools hold recognised international accreditation. The International School of Stavanger is accredited by the Council of International Schools and NEASC, the International School of Bergen has been accredited since 1985 by ECIS and NEASC, and the British schools are inspected through COBIS. IB schools are authorised directly by the International Baccalaureate Organisation.