Prices have risen by four per cent in the last 12 months. Food and electricity contributed the most to the rise in prices. It will also be noted in the students’ wallets. – We will spend money on rent, electricity and food. I notice that food prices have increased considerably. I spend many hundreds of kroner a month on food, says Sunniva Hagen Stavseth. She studies nursing care at the University of Western Norway, and admits that the dinners are often boring. – There will be a lot of noodles for dinner, and then the same one every day because that’s what you can afford, and it’s quite boring, says Stavseth. Has increased student aid Photo: Hege Aas The basic loan from Lånekassen is NOK 137,907 spread over 11 months this academic year. For comparison, the poverty line in Norway is around NOK 250,000. According to Lånekassen, student aid increased by seven percent from last year to this school year. – The increase from last school year to this was extra high due to the price increase, says Lånekassen’s director of communications, Anette Bjerke. – It does not strengthen our welfare Today, Minister of Research and Higher Education Sandra Borch met student leaders from all over the country, among other things, to discuss student finances. In the proposal for next year’s state budget, the government proposes that the student grant should be increased by 3.8 per cent. – Surely the price increase is below what one would expect? – This is according to the figures we have today from the consumer price index. At the same time, we are open to the possibility that if he becomes bigger than 3.8, it can be adjusted up, says Borch. But leader of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO) Oline Sæther, who was one of several leaders at the meeting, believes that this is not enough. – We have one demand, and that is to increase the student grant. An adjustment of 3.8 per cent is simply to adjust it based on expected price growth, which would actually mean that we are at the same level. It does not strengthen our welfare, she says. Sandra Borch and leader of the leader of the Norwegian student organization Oline Sæther. Photo: Snorre Tønset / news Working to be able to live better At Volda University, several students feel lucky because of low rental prices. Nevertheless, several people have had to take action to make it work. – I travel home from time to time to work, which means that I can live more comfortably, says music student, Axel Cornelius Slagstad. He thinks it would have been tight if he didn’t have the opportunity. Frida Ystebø says that she usually carries a packed lunch with her to save money. – I have found that it is what works best for spending the least possible money. Elisabeth Farestvedt and Frida Ystebø bring packed lunches with them to save money. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Have to sleep with clothes Carl Fredrik Nyberget, who is a law student at the University of Bergen, has found himself forced to cut several things due to tight finances. – All TV viewing has been completely removed, and at times I have had to cut off my training subscription and find an alternative. He says that they have also had to cut down on electricity consumption. – It is freezing cold with us all the time. We slept with clothes on, so to speak, he says. – I’m looking forward to finishing my master’s degree and getting a job where I don’t live below the poverty line, because that’s actually what we live on, says Nyberget. – People say we should save, but there is nothing to save. You can’t expect us to be full-time students, you have to expect us to work part-time, says Carl Fredrik Nyberget, who has got a part-time job to be able to live comfortably. Photo: Hannah Bøthun / news I think it pays to work Nine out of ten full-time students have had to work alongside their studies, and several have had to borrow money from their parents to get the finances going. Borch believes that working alongside the studies provides good value for the students who will gradually enter the working world. But Sæther in NSO believes that it gives the students an unfair starting point. – We see that students are working more and more, and the less time we have to study. This means that we have different opportunities, and then there are unfair premises around our student time. Borch says that there will always be people who have opinions about the student grant, and that everyone always thinks that the student grant is too low. – I think the student would have worked regardless of how much they had received in loans and grants. Sunniva Hagen Stavseth says things are going well, but she wishes she didn’t have to prioritize so hard all the time. Photo: Hannah Bøthun / news Struggling to balance work and studies Nursing student Stavseth has got a part-time job, but she finds it difficult to balance it with her studies. – It’s tiring considering that you sit at school for eight hours, then it’s work afterwards. Sometimes I prioritize work over school, says Stavseth. – I hope there can be a solution for students in the future so that you can have fun with friends, and that you can eat a good dinner without feeling like you have to live on oatmeal for several days, she concludes.
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Students are dissatisfied with the financial support: – We sleep with clothes on
