Country guide

Study in Iceland: universities, tuition fees and admission

Our catalogue has 7 universities and colleges in Iceland offering 140 undergraduate programmes in 4 cities. 100 of the programmes are at public institutions and 40 at private ones.

Universities

7

Programmes

140

Cities

4

EU fee / year, public

€733

Non-EU fee / year, public

€733

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.

How admission works

You apply online directly to each university. You need the Icelandic matriculation exam (stúdentspróf) or an equivalent foreign upper-secondary qualification, and Icelandic-taught programmes (most bachelor's degrees) expect good Icelandic, sometimes tested with a B2 entrance exam. Most programmes have no selection, but places are limited by entrance exams in June for medicine, physiotherapy and dentistry and by a competitive exam in December for nursing at the University of Iceland; the arts university selects by portfolio or audition. For autumn 2027 the deadline is 5 June 2027 for Icelandic, Nordic and most EEA applicants (20 May for medicine, physiotherapy and dentistry), while other international applicants must apply by 1 February 2027 at the University of Iceland and by 31 January 2027 at Reykjavík University.

• Selection: minimum requirements set by each university
• Main exam or platform: Stúdentspróf

Tuition fees in Iceland

At public universities an EU student typically pays €733 a year, and a student from outside the EU €733 a year. All amounts are per year in euros; fees charged per credit or per semester are converted to a full year (60 ECTS credits or two semesters).

Where the fee depends on family income, the typical figure is the full fee and the range starts at the lowest one.

Good to know about fees

• Ísland: Public universities charge no tuition, only an annual registration fee that is the same for all students: ISK 100,000 in 2026/27 at the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri, and ISK 75,000 as still published by the Agricultural University. The government has allowed public universities to charge tuition to students from outside the EEA and Switzerland; the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri plan it from autumn 2027, but the amounts are not set yet. Reykjavík University charges ISK 328,000 per semester for EEA students and ISK 897,000 for others, and the Iceland University of the Arts charges EEA students the ISK 100,000 registration fee and other students ISK 4.5–5.5 million a year.

Language of instruction

Icelandic: 131 programmes; English: 17 programmes; Danish: 2 programmes; French: 1 programme; Japanese: 1 programme; Chinese: 1 programme; Spanish: 1 programme; Italian: 1 programme; German: 1 programme. See all English-taught programmes in Iceland.

Map of universities in Iceland

Each dot is a university or college: select it to open its page. The street map is optional and loads images from OpenStreetMap.

Where to study: cities

All 7 universities in Iceland by city

What you can study

• Languages and Literature 12
• Primary Education Teaching 10
• Computer Science 6
• Business Administration 6
• Mathematics 5
• Industrial Engineering 4
• Law 4
• Psychology 4
• Journalism 3
• Sociology 3
• Economics 3
• Philosophy 3
• Mechanical Engineering 3
• Design 3
• Performing Arts 3
• Music and Musicology 3
• Pedagogy 2
• Physics 2
• Nursing 2
• Geology 2
• Audiovisual Communication 2
• Early Childhood Education 2
• Biomedical Engineering 2
• Anthropology 2
• Electrical Engineering 2
• Animal Science 2
• Social Education 2
• Civil Engineering 2
• Sport Sciences 2
• Energy Engineering 2
• Marine Sciences 2
• Chemistry 1
• Chemical Engineering 1
• English Studies 1
• Tourism 1
• Archaeology 1
• Social Work 1
• Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy 1
• Geography 1
• Art History 1
• Pharmacy 1
• Medicine 1
• Biochemistry 1
• Biomedical Laboratory Science 1
• Biology 1
• Food Science and Technology 1
• Human Nutrition and Dietetics 1
• History 1
• Physiotherapy 1
• Political Science 1
• Dentistry 1
• Translation and Languages 1
• Industrial Electronics and Automation 1
• Building Engineering 1
• Occupational Therapy 1
• Biotechnology 1
• Marketing 1
• Finance and Accounting 1
• Agronomy 1
• Landscape Architecture 1
• Forestry 1
• Environmental Sciences 1
• Architecture 1
• Fashion Design 1
• Multimedia and Video Games 1
• Fine Arts 1