Norway’s State Educational Loan Fund celebrates success as student loans are fully paid off

Just before the weekend, I received a semi-official letter in my digital mailbox. It was from Norway’s State Educational Loan Fund. The headline was one of the most beautiful and bittersweet I’ve read in a long time: “Your student loan has been paid off.” One of the longest relationships in my life was irreversibly over, even though it had been on the cards for quite some time.

My grandfather was born into poverty in Telemark in 1908. He experienced his father having to mortgage the family farm to enable him to pursue his secondary education. In many ways, it was an unnatural choice for a financially strained family in Morgedal during the harsh 1920s, and it wasn’t an option given to any of his younger siblings. Yet, it was this decision that led my grandfather not to become a smallholder but a professor—a leap unimaginable for the generation before him and still unattainable for many of his peers. Today, such achievements evoke little surprise.

This high social mobility for those with talent and determination in Norway is largely due to the State Educational Loan Fund, established in 1947 to make higher education accessible for all. The government took on the risk to ensure that no parent ever needed to mortgage their farm to provide their children with a better life. My journey with this fund began in 1996 when my parents dropped me off at Ringerike folk high school.

The fund not only allowed me to navigate my educational path but also introduced me to friends from various small towns, many of whom shared similar backgrounds. Together, we engaged in discussions, cultural events, and study sessions, creating unforgettable memories. Without the State Educational Loan Fund, much of this would not have been possible, and I would have felt the pressure that many young adults in other countries still endure, where access to the job market remains heavily influenced by parental status.

As I reflect on this while listening to music from this year’s introductory week, I remember my own experiences in the late 1990s and wish the best for today’s students. The letter concludes: “We hope you have benefited from and enjoyed your education!” signed, “Best regards, Lånekassa.”