Becoming a foreign exchange student in Norway is an opportunity to be relished. Norway is a country of about 4.8 million people known for its art, architecture and natural beauty. Norway's stave churches are recognized throughout Europe as the only intact wooden churches from the Middle Ages. Its fjords and majestic mountain passes rival any in Northern Europe and you can see them using its excellent railway system running trains on some of the steepest tracks in the world.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
