Becoming Foreign Exchange Student in Norway

• 1
  You need a passport and visa to go to Norway.passport approval image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  Apply for a passport. You'll need your birth certificate and driver's license, military identification (ID) or other government ID and a photocopy of the ID you are using. To find an acceptance facility, go to travel.state.gov/passport or call 877-4-USA-PPT.
  
  
• 2). Identify what you wish to gain from becoming a foreign exchange student in Norway. Are you looking to learn Norwegian, experience a new culture, travel, volunteer or gain knowledge in a particular field? You can do an exchange to Norway for a year, a semester, a summer or even two weeks but each program offers a different kind of experience based on the length and focus.
  
  
• 3). Research programs for exchange through your school and also through studyabroad.com, a clearinghouse for study abroad programs that has information on high school and college programs. Some programs have relationships with schools so that credits will transfer while others do not, so you will need to ask.
  
  
• 4
  legal form image by max blain from Fotolia.com
  
  Apply to the exchange program directly or through your school. Applications usually require transcripts, teacher recommendations, letters from parents of high school students, essays and possibly an interview. Deadlines for application can be four to six months before traveling with applications for scholarships being due that early as well.
  
  

After Acceptance

• 1). Apply for a student visa through the Royal Norwegian Consulate General's regional office for your area--Washington, New York, Houston, Minneapolis or San Francisco. If you plan to stay longer than 90 days, you need to apply for a residency permit through the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration. The best website to obtain this kind of information is norway.org.
  
  
• 2
  Exchange programs cost thousands of dollars.money money image by Valentin Mosichev from Fotolia.com
  
  Start fundraising or putting money aside. Study abroad programs range in price widely because some programs include your housing and airplane tickets, while others do not. All programs cost at least a few thousand dollars, even the shorter summer programs. Once accepted, you will need to pay a deposit and the remainder before the start of the trip.
  
  
• 3
  Get shots at least four to six weeks before going to Norway.shots for injection and medical tools image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Consult your doctor and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about requirements for inoculations. If your exchange program does not include medical insurance, check with your medical insurance company regarding coverage in other countries. If it does not offer coverage, consult the CDC or World Health Organization about obtaining Travel Medical Insurance.