The International Students' Union of Norway is committed to the social, academic and political interests of all international students studying in Norway.

ISU is an independent, democratic, non-profit, non-partisan organization run for and by international students. It has partnership agreements with the two Norwegian student organizations Norsk studentunion (NSU), and Studentenes landsforbund (StL). ISU also has membership status with Studentenes og Akademikernes Internasjonale Hjelpefond (SAIH) - the Norwegian students' and academics' fund focused on fostering education in the developing world, Landsrådet for Norges barne- og ungdomsorganisasjoner (LNU) - the umbrella organization for youth in Norway, Frivillighet Norge (FN) - the Association of NGOs in Norway, and a cooperation agreement with Utviklingsfondet Ungdom (Spire) - the youth organization for the development fund.

The International Students’ Union was formed in the late 1970s when a small group of dedicated student activists put their efforts in protecting the welfare and academic situation of international students in Norway. Eventually, in 1981, this became a unified effort and the ISA (International Students Association) was born. The organisation grew - establishing member branches at all the universities in Norway. During its history, the organization has come to be known under different names; first it changed to FSA (Foreign Students Association), then to FSU (Foreign Students Union), and finally to the current name, ISU (International Students’ Union).

Currently, ISU has local member organizations at 13 different institutions of higher education in Norway, with the national office in Oslo. Each member organization has a president, who is responsible for the operation of the branch. The branches are to a large extent autonomous and must be approved into the organization by at least two thirds of the National Assembly’s vote.

For more information please visit our Constitution, Platform and Reports on our Documents page.