High School in Norway

With safe communities, and excellent education system and warm and welcoming host families, studying abroad in Norway is a unique opportunity to gain international, academic experience as a high school student.

Studying abroad with Greenheart Travel’s high school program in Norway will give you a chance to live in the land of fjords and the Northern Lights. As an exchange student, you will also have a chance to meet new, international friends and immerse yourself in the Norwegian culture.

Program at a Glance:

• Host family accommodation provides full language & cultural immersion
• No previous Norwegian language experience required — beginners welcome!
• You can choose between semester or academic year lengths
• Straightforward online application process
• Fall starts only (no spring start options)

Hear from Greenheart Travel alumni, Kalen Rich, about why studying abroad in northern Norway was a great experience.

Please note we have a very limited amount of spots for our program in Norway and spots could (and do) fill before the listed deadlines. If you are set on a certain start date– please apply early! 

Spring 2025 Dates

Application Deadline: September 15, 2024

• Semester: January – June 2025

You’ll know your exact arrival and departure dates after being placed in a host family and in a school! Program dates vary depending on region and school placement.

Arrival and Departure 

All students are required to book flights on their own. An airport transfer upon arrival is included in the cost of the program. We will provide your exact arrival and departure dates after you’re placed in a host family and school, as well as the exact timeframes you should arrive/depart, so that you can start to search for possible flights. We require prior approval of a proposed itinerary before you purchase any flights.

Nervous about flying on your own? We recommend students and parents sitting down together to review the following resources:

• How to navigate an international airport blog
• Flying internationally video
• Webinar with tips on flying internationally

For many Greenheart Travel students their first time flying is across the world to start their exchange program! You can read our alumni experiences on our blog, such as Emily’s or Madison’s blogs on their experiences flying to Japan or Rachel’s tips on what you actually need to know about flying.

So, what about credits? 

Neither Greenheart Travel nor the host school abroad provides high school credit. All credit must be granted through your home school in the U.S. or Canada. All U.S./Canadian schools have different policies. Here’s a blog post to read more about how some alumni have transferred credits.  

In Norway, we cannot guarantee your host school will provide you an official transcript. If your school will not, some host schools will provide documentation, letters, and any other materials you require upon request. You must have good behavior, attendance, and performance in order for the school to fulfill this request.  

Then, you should take this documentation back to your home school as proof of your participation in the program. Your home school is responsible for awarding you credit for this program or not.  

Before You Go Abroad

You should meet with your US high school before you leave and share the general curriculum guidelines for Norway with your guidance counselor and/or teachers.  

Because the curriculum will vary by school and we cannot guarantee you’ll take any specific classes, it is important that you arrange the required classes required for your graduation, such as U.S. History, before or after your time abroad.  

Greenheart Travel will be able to provide information about the general curriculum for your age level in Norway, but you will not know your course schedule until after you arrive in country and start attending school.  

Access your High School Curriculum Guidelines for Norway here!

Once You’re Abroad

Please keep in mind that the grading system in other countries is different than the US. Most host schools will not grant grades or transcripts as it is too difficult to evaluate your work due to the language barrier. If your host school is able to award you grades, they won’t be an exact match to what you would get in the US. 

In researching a study abroad program, you have already shown you are a leader and open-minded in your academic pursuits. These are just a few of the traits that our exchange students possess. You’re motivated to immerse yourself in another culture and flexible enough to live outside your comfort zone. You should also:

• Be between 16 and 17 years of age at the time of travel
• Be from the United States or Canada
• Possess a high school cumulative GPA of at least 2.75/4.0
• Be in great mental* and physical health
• Have a genuine interest in becoming a part of your host family and community
• Be willing to study and learn the Norwegian language

*What does it mean to be in good mental health?

Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, we may not be able to accept students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition. Each student will be addressed on a case by case basis and ultimately it is Greenheart Travel’s in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Chronic debilitating migraines
• Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.

Please note that students who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD will not be guaranteed any academic accommodations plans by the host school abroad.

Program Fees for Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

Academic Semester: $14,100
Academic Year: $16,610

Packaged into the Price:

• Airport pickup upon arrival
• Host family accommodation and 3 meals per day
• Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
• Arrival Orientation with Norwegian Local Coordinator
• Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program for use on college applications.
• Access to Greenheart Travel Facebook groups to connect with alumni and others on your start date ahead of your program.
• Greenheart Atlas Program 
• Greenheart Travel T-shirt & Greenheart swag

Our Support and Services: 

• Visa Assistance in applying for the visa ahead of arrival, including visa paperwork and extensive directions and support.
• Extensive pre-departure advice and support from your US-based program coordinators! They will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in Norway.
• Support from in-country staff upon arrival to Norway.
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave.
• 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.
• Opportunity to apply for a Greenheart Grant to give back to your community at home or abroad

Additional Expenses to Budget for:

• Airfare to/from Norway
• Welcome Camp in major European city (optional – $800)
• Weekend excursions (optional trips offered within Europe)
• All school supplies, notebooks, pens, calculator etc.
• Local transportation
• Pocket money
• Lunch at school
• Personal hygiene articles (deodorant, tampons, perfume, shampoo)
• Specialty food items
  • If there is something you want or enjoy that your host family does not typically buy. Students with intolerances have to buy (for example): gluten-free items, lactose intolerance milk, vegan options etc. if this is not part of their host family’s diet.
• Some schools require a deposit to use a school laptop which will be given to the student for the entire year. Normal deposit is $100 USD and will be refunded when returned to the school without any damages.

Payment Details

• $1,500 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply
• $5,000 Commitment Payment due 14 days after acceptance
• Remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to your start date. If your program starts within 16 weeks of acceptance, the remaining program balance payment will be due at the same time as the commitment deposit. 

Worried about the program fee?

Our goal is to help make travel accessible to everyone and we are here to help when you are deciding if this experience is financially do-able. Each year we offer scholarships for high school study abroad students! We also have a guide to fundraising your program fee, and many high school students fundraise in their hometown ahead of their program.

We also offer discounts for applying early (plus there are many other benefits to applying early!) for each start date and for US families that have hosted an exchange student with Greenheart Exchange.

As a High School in Norway student, we will support you and welcome you to the program in a variety of orientation activities.

These Include:

• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave with the Greenheart Travel staff
• Greenheart Travel Atlas Program will provide pre-departure activities to complete ahead of arrival, on program, and for reflection after returning home.
• In-Country Orientation Camp conducted by  Norwegian program staff upon your arrival in Norway
• Local coordinators will meet you personally after arrival in your host family placement

In-Country Orientation Camp

Start your study abroad experience alongside an international cohort of fellow exchange students while participating in workshops to help start your exchange student journey. During the orientation camp, program staff will share insights and experiences to help students navigate life as an exchange student and get the very best out of their cultural exchange experience.

Dates: Late August

Inclusions:

• 3 days/2 nights
• Full board accommodation
• Transfers to and from the Orientation Camp
• Workshops to guide you through everyday life in Norway
• Sightseeing excursions and time to explore
• Team-building games and social activities to help you build bonds with your fellow exchange students

The best way to learn about a new culture and language is to be fully immersed in it which is why all Greenheart Travel high school abroad students live with local host families. All of our host families are volunteers and will treat you as a member of their family. By being a part of your family’s daily life, you will learn to live and speak like a local.

Prospective host families undergo a rigorous screening process. Participants can rest assured that only suitable host families will be selected. In fact, many of our current host families have hosted students in the past, showing what an impactful experience it was.

In order to qualify as a host family, the prospective hosts must:

• Successfully pass a criminal background check
• Undergo and pass an in-person interview with program staff
• Agree to and pass a home inspection

Host families have many reasons why they want to welcome you! Our host families are volunteers, meaning they don’t receive compensation for housing and feeding students during their program. Many host families love the experience of cultural exchange – they learn just as much about your country as you do theirs. Many are also former exchange students and want to return the favor, or they have children who have gone or will go to study in the U.S. Having an exchange student exposes their children to new languages and cultures.

A Greenheart Traveler exploring Norway with their host family!

We place students throughout the country of Norway in small to medium-sized cities. Our top 5 most common placements are in the following towns: Lillestrøm, Levanger, Tomasjord, Sjøvegan, and Gjøvik.

The majority of our families live in small to medium-sized towns outside of major cities, and it is important you be open-minded to smaller-town life.

We make it a priority to place students with host families that closely match your interests and personality, for example, if you like skiing, we’ll do our best to find a family that also loves skiing! For this reason, we work first to find a suitable family rather than a destination preference.

Greenheart Travel has been working with high schoolers for many years, and there are advantages of applying for this program through us:

Have questions or want to talk to one of the program coordinators? Set up a time to have a phone call below.