Getting started with your exchange

Most Erasmus+ students are required to submit a signed Arrival Form, Certificate of Arrival, or similar document to confirm their arrival at their exchange destination. 

The International Office at your INN campus will inform you when and how you can have this document signed.  

Make sure to keep the international Buddies or the International Office updated on your arrival; in case of delays, cancellations, or other issues.

Arrival to your accommodation

Depending on the type of Arrival assistance offered at each campus, your Buddies will either pick you up and bring you to your accommodation, or you will need to get there yourself. Detailed information on this is provided directly to the admitted students by the International Office at each campus. 

Accommodation with SINN Housing

Information on how to obtain your SINN accommodation key will be provided directly by the International Office to admitted students. Please check out the information on SINN's webpages. Remember to translate the relevant page to English.

• Information on SINN accommodation, Campus Elverum (external link).
• Information on SINN accommodation, Campus Evenstad (external link).
• Information on SINN accommodation, Campus Hamar (external link).
• Information on SINN accommodation, Campus Lillehammer (external link).

Remember to view SINN's information on paying rent (external link).

Specific information regarding accommodation at Campus Evenstad

Students will be provided with a guest card for dorm access upon arrival. This will be handed out by the international buddies. The WiFi at the accommodation is provided by INN, so you can use your INN account to access Eduroam.

Do also check out INN's webpage on the dormitory in Evenstad, containing special information for Evenstad students.

Private accommodation

Schedule your arrival and pick up the key from your landlord. 

INN gives all students the option to book study rooms (grupperom in Norwegian). These rooms are meant for group work. If you want to work alone, find a different location, such as the tables in the library, elsewhere on campus, or the quiet study halls.

1. Go to: https://www.inn.no/for-studenter/tp-for-studenter/
2. Log in with your FEIDE account.
3. Change the language to English in the top-right corner.
4. Choose your campus of study.
5. Select the desired room and time, and you will be ready to book the room. If you are unsure of its location, use Mazemap. 

Rules for study rooms

• There are several rules when it comes to booking and using a study room:
• Students and employees may utilise the study rooms during the university's opening hours (07:00-22:00).
• Each student may rent a group study space for no more than 20 hours per two weeks.
• Do not book study rooms in a way that blocks access for other students.
• If the study room is not occupied within 15 minutes of the reservation starting, other students are welcome to utilise it.
• These study rooms are only available for group work. If you want to work alone, use the study halls and other locations around campus.

You might have realised that you want to switch courses, that you need or want more credits, or wish to withdraw from courses if you have enough credits. The International Office at your campus will provide you details of the varius deadlines. 

• Be aware that changing or adding courses is not guaranteed depending on the course offer available, prerequisites, if courses have limited spots and so on. There are also requirements for the minimum number of courses from INNs and your home institution. Contact the International Office if you are interested in switching courses.

Deadlines for changing courses

• Autumn semester: 31st of August.
• Spring semester: 31st of January (exception may apply to Campus Evenstad).

Changing courses after the deadline might be possible, but cannot be guaranteed. 

Deadlines for withdrawing from courses

The deadline to withdraw from a course is 1 month before the exam. 

Erasmus+ students - changing the LA/OLA

Please use the system at your home institution to change the LA/OLA. The International Office cannot inform you how the system operates.

Other students - changing the LA

Please use the changes to our Learning Agreement document.

• Changes (word version)
• Changes (to be used in other apps than word)

Students may sometimes experience issues connecting to the WiFi. One must be able to access one's student account before accessing the main WiFi on all INN Campuses, called Eduroam.

View the IT Department's webpage on connecting to Eduroam or the guest WiFi.

Make sure to check your course schedule so you are aware when and where your first lecture will be held. You can view your schedule in TP or Canvas. 

• View the guide on "How to check TP for course schedules" (PDF).

In some cases, the Canvas room for your lecture might not be published until after the first lecture. It is therefore highly recommended that all exchange students check TP for the schedule of their first lectures.

The professor will, in most instances, inform you about mandatory assignments, any attendance requirements, and other details during the first lecture.

Finding your way to and around campus can be difficult, depending on the campus. 

• Find your way to campus.
• Find your way around campus.

Parking on campus

Exchange students who bring their car from abroad must register with Apcoa Flow through its home page before activating the student benefit in the app. It is not possible to register a non-Norwegian car directly in the app. 

• Information on parking on campus.
• Apcoa Flow webpage. 

All exchange students (except for Nordic citizens) must register with the local Police Station. The appointment takes five to ten minutes and is free. 

For the campuses Evenstad, Hamar, and Lillehammer, the International Office books this appointment for you. At Campus Elverum, students must book the appointment themselves. 

For more information, check out our webpages for immigration after arrival.

If you did not access your INN student account prior to arrival, it is highly recommended that you do so shortly after arrival. View the information in the preparing for your exchange webpage on how to access your student account.

If you experience issues with your student account later in the semester, please visit the student academic support webpage.

All exchange students are highly recommended to join a student group during their stay. Check out the information on student groups on your campus on the student life webpage.

All students at INN will have free access to Microsoft 365. In addition, one will receive a student email, which the professors might use to get in touch with the students. 

View the IT-Department's webpages for more information.

Non-EU/EEA citizens can apply for a prepaid SIM card upon arrival, or at any time during the semester. If you are staying for 2 semesters, we recommend applying for a mobile plan after you have gained a Norwegian ID number and a Norwegian bank account. 

EU/EEA citizens are recommended to keep their mobile plan from their home country (if it works in Norway). If this is too expensive, or if you would like to get a Norwegian phone number, apply for a prepaid SIM card at any time, or for a mobile plan after you have obtained a Norwegian ID number and a Norwegian bank account (for a stay of two semesters). 

If you decide to get a Norwegian phone number during your stay, make sure to give the new phone number to the International Office.

Block your number to be viewed online

Many online services, such as www.1881.no and www.gulesider.no are pages where one can look for other Norwegian phone numbers. If you do not want your number to be accessible here, make sure to not give permission for this when applying for a Norwegian phone number. 

If you forget to do it and wish to do so later in your exchange, then you need a Norwegian ID number and Bank ID. More information on the Brønnøysund Register Centre's webpage (external link).

Prepaid SIM card

This option is often called a top-up or a kontant SIM card and can be bought at any time during your stay. We recommend using Mycall, but you can use other services. It can be purchased at Narvesen, 7/11 and other stores. Please be aware that you will need to bring a valid ID (such as a Passport) when purchasing it.

• Visit Mycall's website for more information (external link).
• If your phone only has a eSIM possibilty, view the webpage of Mycall explaining the differences (external link). 

Norwegian mobile plan

For mobile plans, you can choose one that suits your needs (roaming, calling, etc.). Be aware that to be eligible for a mobile plan, you will need a Norwegian ID number (for students staying in Norway for 2 or more semesters) and a Norwegian bank account. When you have obtained this, and you wish to get a mobile plan, check which plans suit you best, e.g., from Mycall, Telia, Onecall, Telenor, and many others.

There is usually a Telia and/or a Telenor store in the closest city.  

It is highly recommended to join the events offered and be social with your fellow exchange students. At some events, one might also get to know Norwegian students. 

View the webpage for integration and orientation.

With your student access card, you are able to print, scan and copy documents on campus. View the IT Department's webpages for how to print, scan and copy.

Do you have a disability, special need or illness that affects your everyday life as a student? If this is the case, you can apply for adaptation. View the INN webapge for special needs in everyday study situation. Remember the application deadline.

Some of the measures offered are not eligible for you as an international student, as they are offered by the Norwegian Government, not INN. If you need measures such as a sign language interpreter and speech-to-text interpreter, aquiring a guide dog, special grants (e.g. through Erasmus+), and technical aids to complete your education, you should have arranged this with your home institution in good time before arrival to Norway.

If you are in a situation where you need to apply for adaptation, do not hesitate to contact the International Office in your campus of study.

Special exam arrangements

If you need adaptation on your exams, do not forget to apply within the deadlines of:

• Autumn semester: 15 September.
• Spring semester: 01 February.

View the Exam Office's information webpages for information on how to apply for special exam arrangements.

All exchange students should apply for the access card and activate the INN student ID.

Student (access) card

View the INN webpages for instructions on ordering the student access card and finding the 4-digit PIN code for the card.

• The student access card is free, but it is not a valid student ID or a payment card.
• If there are any issues with your application, you will receive a text message explaining the problem. If needed, translate it and apply again. If you are unsure, visit the Servicepunkt/reception on campus.
• After you have printed the access card, it will take about 1 day until you can use the card on the printers at the university.

For Campus Evenstad, the student card is also the access card to the student dorms. View the onboarding guide for detailed information.

Student ID - app

For identification (proof that you are a student), you need to download the "Studentbevis" app and sign in with your INN student account through FEIDE (student number and password). Further information on the Digital Student ID can be found on the SIKT webpage (external link).

The identification is only valid as long as you have a photo in the app. The image you submit when you order your access card will be added to your student ID profile.

Borrow books from the Library

It is possible to borrow books from the Library. However, they only have a few copies of each book, so this is not guaranteed. View the Library's webpage on borrowing books for more information.

Finding the reading list for each course

The library has a detailed webpage that explains where and how to find the reading lists for your course(s).

If you are enrolled in a semester programme at Campus Evenstad or Hamar, you will need to search for the reading list of each of the courses in the programme.

Purchase the book(s)

If you cannot borrow it, you will need to purchase it. Many students purchase books together (split the costs), but you decide how you wish to purchase them.​

Here are a few options where you can purchase books:

• At the bookshop on campus (only in Lillehammer).​
• Online at different web shops. Some may have a physical store in the closest city:​
  • Akademika: https://www.akademika.no/
  • Adlibris: https://www.adlibris.com/no
  • ARK: https://www.ark.no/  ​
  • Norli: https://www.norli.no/
• Local book stores​ in your closest city.

Second-hand options:

• https://ibok.no/ or https://bookis.com/no (only choose the ones without the payment method VIPPS).
• Through the FB group for INN (mainly in Norwegian). You will need to request books through a post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hihm2/

All exchange students are invited and highly recommended to participate in the INN Model. You can read about the programme in detail on our INN Model webpage.