Choosing a school in Bergen: childhood at ISB and the later IB Diploma

Bergen’s two profiled schools serve different stages. International School of Bergen, or ISB, is a private day school in Sandsli for children from early childhood through Grade 10. Bergen Katedralskole is a public upper-secondary school in the city centre. Moving between them requires a new application.

For a younger child who needs English-medium education, start with ISB. For an older teenager seeking the International Baccalaureate Diploma, investigate Katedralskole’s eligibility before assuming the family can use it.

The programmes do not form one continuous school

ISB teaches the IB Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme. It does not offer the final two-year Diploma Programme.

Katedralskole offers the Diploma in Vg2–Vg3, the second and third years of Norwegian upper-secondary school. Its Pre-IB year is a separate Vg1 course following Norwegian curricula. Although much teaching is in English, it is intended for Norwegian-speaking pupils. It is not simply an English-only extra year after any overseas Grade 10.

The Diploma admissions rules distinguish applicants from Norwegian Vg1, the IB Middle Years Programme and other systems. For an MYP applicant, the published requirements include:

• Two consecutive MYP years and a completed personal project.
• At least grade 6 in mathematics and natural sciences.
• At least grade 5 in English or Norwegian Language A, and an overall average of at least 5.5.

Other educational backgrounds need an individual equivalence assessment. Send transcripts before deciding that a particular overseas year gives direct entry.

Residence matters as much as grades

Katedralskole requires valid Norwegian residence permission and a registered Vestland address for the pupil and their parents or legal guardians during study. A relocating family may receive a conditional offer pending evidence. This is not a boarding solution for a teenager whose parents remain abroad.

The school names 1 March as its application deadline. International-school and overseas applicants use its own form; check whether a Vigo application is also needed. The page quotes an annual NOK 10,000 IB-related charge despite public tuition being free. It does not label that amount by academic year, so confirm the current charge.

At ISB, the address can change the fee category

ISB’s 2026–27 policy is not one private-school price. For Category B1, all of these conditions apply:

• The family lives inside Bergen municipality.
• Neither the child nor either parent holds a Norwegian passport.
• The family has lived in Norway for less than three years.
• An employer does not sponsor the fees, with documentation required.

The annual B1 charge is NOK 149,044. Category B2 applies to families outside Bergen municipality and costs NOK 202,700, without a sibling discount. Other categories cover employer-funded places and different family circumstances. Ask the school to confirm your category before comparing homes across the municipal boundary.

Choose a workable daily route

ISB is on Sandslihaugen; Katedralskole is on Kong Oscars gate in central Bergen. Siblings at the two schools will have different journeys. Check public transport, activity finish times and any school transport separately.

The Bergen hub links both profiles. Read the Norway guide alongside them if a local Norwegian-language school is also possible.

Friendly orientation, not formal admissions advice. Always confirm dates with the school.