The NMBU scholarship, run by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences under its NORSTIP scheme, is one of the more generous awards you will find for a master's degree in Norway. It pays full tuition, a monthly stipend, a start-up payment and travel costs. It is also one of the easiest to misread. This is a nomination-based award, open only to students or staff put forward by NMBU's selected partner institutions. You cannot simply fill in a form on the NMBU website and hope for the best.
So the first question for any Pakistani student is not "am I good enough?" but "is my university on the list?" If the answer is no, most of what follows will not apply to you, and you are better off spending your energy elsewhere. You can see the full scholarship details on our listing, and the rest of this guide explains how the scheme works and how to check where you stand.
The NORSTIP scheme in brief
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), NORSTIP scheme |
| Funding | Fully funded |
| Study level | Master's |
| Fields | Life sciences and related NMBU program areas |
| Country | Norway |
| Deadline | Varies by intake, check directly with NMBU |
| Who can apply | Students or staff nominated through NMBU's designated partner institutions |
| Official site | NMBU NORSTIP scholarship scheme |
Why partner status decides everything
Most scholarships judge you on your grades, your English and your statement of purpose. NORSTIP adds a gate before any of that: you must be a student or staff member at one of NMBU's designated partner institutions, and you must be nominated through that institution. This is a hard restriction, not a preference. A brilliant applicant from a non-partner university is, for this scheme, in a weaker position than an average applicant from a partner one, because the first person simply cannot enter the process.
That is why the honest advice is to confirm partner status before you do anything else. Do not draft a statement, book an English test or start gathering transcripts until you know your institution qualifies. Partner lists can change, so even if a senior told you a few years ago that your university was involved, check the current position.
The source we rely on does not say which countries or universities are partners, and it does not say Pakistan is included. Treat eligibility for Pakistani students as unconfirmed until NMBU or your own university says otherwise.
How to find out if your university is a partner
There are two places to ask. The first is NMBU's international office. The second is the international relations office at your own university. The second is often more useful, because if a partnership exists, that office will usually run the internal nomination.
When you write, keep it short and specific: name your degree, your department and the program area at NMBU you are interested in, and ask directly whether your institution is a current NORSTIP partner and, if so, who handles nominations.
What the funding package includes
For students who do get in, the package is genuinely full. According to the information available, it covers:
- Full tuition
- A monthly stipend, commonly cited at around NOK 13,297
- A one-time start-up payment, commonly cited at around NOK 15,000
- Travel and visa cost support, including travel for fieldwork
Note the wording on the money. The stipend and start-up figures are "commonly cited" amounts, not guaranteed ones. Rates can be revised, so confirm the current figures on the official NORSTIP page or with NMBU before you build a budget around them.
Norway is an expensive country, and the stipend is what makes the scheme workable. The fieldwork travel support also matters more than it looks. Life sciences master's programs often involve field research, and having those trips covered removes a cost that self-funded students in Norway can find painful.
Which subjects and students the scheme suits
NORSTIP is aimed at master's students in life sciences and related NMBU program areas. NMBU's strengths lie in agriculture, environmental studies and life sciences, backed by a strong agricultural and environmental research base. If your background in Pakistan is in agriculture, environmental studies or another life science, the subject fit may be good, but check that NMBU runs a program in your specific area.
It suits you if:
- your university or employer is a confirmed NMBU partner and is willing to nominate you
- your field lines up with an NMBU program area
- you have a strong academic record and can prove English proficiency
It is probably not for you if your institution has no partnership, or if you want to study business, medicine or engineering outside NMBU's life science focus. In that case, look at the wider list of all Norway scholarships instead.
Eligibility in plain terms
The listed requirements are short:
- You are a student or staff member at one of NMBU's designated partner institutions
- You have a strong academic record
- You can show English proficiency
The information available does not name a minimum CGPA, a specific English test, a minimum score or an age limit. Do not assume there are none. Ask NMBU or your nominating office what they expect for your intake, because a partner institution may also run its own internal selection with its own bar.
Paperwork for the nomination
Three documents are listed:
- Academic transcripts
- Proof of English proficiency
- A nomination from your partner institution
The nomination is the document that makes or breaks the application, and it is the one you cannot produce yourself. Your transcripts and English proof should be ready early so that you are not the person holding up your university's nomination file. If your documents need attestation for use abroad, our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide explains the process, and the international scholarship documents checklist covers the general paperwork Pakistani applicants tend to need.
Applying through your institution, not NMBU
The process has two stages, and the order matters:
- Confirm whether your home institution is an NMBU NORSTIP partner.
- If it is, apply through your institution's nomination process rather than directly to NMBU.
That second step trips people up. Students see "Norwegian University of Life Sciences" and go straight to the university website to apply. For NORSTIP, the route runs through your own university. NMBU will not accept a direct application under this scheme from someone without a nomination.
When to start
There is no single fixed deadline. The deadline varies by intake, so check the current dates directly with NMBU and with your nominating office. Keep in mind that your university's internal nomination deadline will almost certainly come before NMBU's own date, since the institution needs time to select and forward candidates.
A sensible order is: confirm partner status first, then find out your institution's internal timeline, then prepare documents. If you start by asking about partner status well before the intake you are targeting, you leave yourself room to switch to another scholarship if the answer is no.
Mistakes Pakistani applicants make with this scheme
The biggest one is treating NORSTIP like an open scholarship. Applicants read "fully funded" and "Norway," prepare a full application, and only later learn they were never eligible. Check partner status first.
The second is relying on old information. Partnerships change. A list you found on a forum, or a classmate's experience from earlier years, is not proof of current status.
The third is planning your budget around exact stipend numbers. The figures above are commonly cited, not fixed. Confirm before you count on them.
The fourth is skipping your own university. If a partnership exists, your international office is where the process actually happens, so build that relationship early and ask who decides nominations.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply directly to NMBU without a nomination?
No. The scheme is restricted to students or staff nominated through NMBU's partner institutions. It is not a general open application.
Are Pakistani students eligible?
Only if your institution is a current NMBU NORSTIP partner. The information available does not confirm that any Pakistani university is a partner, so check with NMBU's international office or your university's international relations office.
How do I know if my university is a partner?
Ask NMBU's international office directly, or ask your own university's international relations office to confirm current partner status.
Is the monthly stipend fixed at NOK 13,297?
That figure is commonly cited but should be treated as approximate. Confirm the current amount with NMBU before you plan your finances.
Does the scheme cover PhD study?
The eligible level listed is master's. If you are looking for doctoral funding, check NMBU's official site for other options rather than assuming NORSTIP applies.
For current dates, partner details and funding rates, go to the official NMBU NORSTIP page, and see our NMBU scholarship page for the full listing.