🇮🇸 How to apply to university in Iceland

There is no central application system: you apply to each institution directly. Programmes usually start: Late August; spring entry is rarely possible for non-EEA students because of permit timing.

Checked on 20 October 2026 against the official sources listed below.

The essentials

Application system: None — apply to each institution on its own website.
When programmes start: Late August; spring entry is rarely possible for non-EEA students because of permit timing.
International applicants: International students apply directly to each university. From autumn 2027, universities may charge tuition to students from outside the EEA/EFTA and Switzerland; amounts weren't set when we checked.
Language: English test (IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge or PTE) for English-taught programmes; Icelandic for Icelandic-taught ones.

Key dates

Add all these dates to my calendar (.ics)

Other Icelandic universities set their own deadlines. Non-EEA students' residence permit application must reach the Directorate of Immigration by 1 May for the autumn semester.

Date	What	Who	Intake	Source	Calendar
1 February 2027	University of Iceland undergraduate application deadline — one university's example	International applicants (other than exchange students) to the University of Iceland	Autumn 2027 entry (2027–28)	University of Iceland — Application deadline

A window shows its opening date above its closing date. Individual universities and programmes can set earlier dates of their own — always confirm on the official page before you rely on a date. The calendar file adds each date as an all-day event with a reminder a week before.

Your checklist

The usual steps for an international student applying to a bachelor's in Iceland, in order. Tick them off as you go — your ticks stay in this browser, with no account.

1.Choose a university and programme; each sets its own admission requirements and deadlines.
2.Check that your school-leaving certificate is equivalent to the Icelandic matriculation exam.
3.Take an English test (e.g. IELTS Academic 6.5 at the University of Iceland) for English-taught programmes.
4.Apply online — at the University of Iceland by 1 February 2027 — and pay the processing fee if you're from outside the EEA/EFTA (ISK 20,000 there).
5.Accept your place; the University of Iceland's registration fee is ISK 100,000 a year.
6.Apply to the Directorate of Immigration for a student residence permit as soon as you're accepted (deadline 1 May for autumn).
7.Register in Iceland within two weeks of arriving and find housing.

0 of 7 done · ticks are saved in this browser only

Next steps

Sources

Written by CollegeMatcher in our own words from these official pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Dates change every year.