Iceland

• As an EEA citizen you pay no tuition at five of the six universities — Reykjavik University is the exception — just a registration fee, ISK 100,000 a year at the University of Iceland, about 720 euros.
• The University of Iceland has two English-taught bachelor's, International Studies in Education and English Studies, both 180 ECTS. International Studies in Education is capped at 60 students with about 30 international places, so the cohort is small.
• If you can claim Danish SU, it travels here on Nordic terms: paid as if you studied in Denmark, rather than capped at the four years that apply outside the Nordics.
• IB Diploma holders face no English test at all. The University of Iceland's IB page says English proficiency is 'Not required' for IB Diploma holders.
• Nordic citizens need only confirmation of home insurance for healthcare, and register domicile through a separate Nordic track.

• Only three English-taught bachelor's degrees nationally: two at the University of Iceland (International Studies in Education and English Studies), and Contemporary Dance Practices at the Iceland University of the Arts. Reykjavik University's own programme filter returns zero results for undergraduate plus English. Akureyri, Bifröst and the Agricultural University teach bachelor's degrees in Icelandic only.
• The University of Iceland begins charging tuition to non-EEA students in autumn 2027 — that is this exact cohort. Students starting in autumn 2026 are explicitly exempt. The amount per ECTS has not been set.
• For international applicants the University of Iceland deadline is 1 February, a full six months before you start. Two of its own pages disagree about whether Nordic citizens (Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish) can instead use the 5 June deadline, so apply by 1 February and email admission@hi.is to check.
• No minimum IB point score is published by any Icelandic university. The '27 points' figure that circulates online is from commercial aggregator sites, not from any official page.
• Reykjavik University publishes undergraduate tuition of ISK 1,794,000 (about €13,000 at the ECB rate of 24 September 2026) a year for non-EEA students while its bachelor teaching is in Icelandic and one department says it does not accept applications from abroad. Email admissions@ru.is before assuming any English route exists.
• Living costs are Copenhagen-level or above. A realistic floor is around ISK 184,000 a month, and Reykjavík's official minimum-support benchmark is ISK 247,572.

Accepted

Yes

Score conversion

The IB Diploma is treated as equivalent to the Icelandic stúdentspróf. The IBO's recognition database records the University of Iceland as accepting it 'as Icelandic general High School diploma'. No points-to-grade table is published.

• The University of Iceland has a dedicated IB page. It confirms the Diploma is accepted, that no translation of documents is needed, and that no separate English proficiency evidence is needed.
• The IB Career-Related Programme is explicitly rejected. Only the full Diploma counts.
• No minimum point score is published anywhere, and subject requirements are set faculty by faculty rather than centrally. Do not rely on any number you find on an aggregator site.
• Reykjavik University, Akureyri, Bifröst, the Agricultural University and the Iceland University of the Arts do not name the IB anywhere in their admissions material. Their formal position on it is unknown.
• Whether IB English A and English B are treated differently is not addressed by any Icelandic university.
• Medicine, odontology and physical therapy at the University of Iceland have entrance exams in June; nursing, dental technology and odontology have exams in December. These are taught in Icelandic.
• Request your transcript through the IB website and have it sent to transcript@hi.is.

1. Accept early that your realistic target is one of three English-taught programmes: International Studies in Education or English Studies, both BAs at the University of Iceland, or Contemporary Dance Practices, BA at the Iceland University of the Arts, which you apply to separately. The steps below are for the University of Iceland; check your programme's page before you plan anything else.

2. Apply directly to the university — there is no central portal and no way to apply to several institutions on one form.

3. Get your application in by 1 February 2027, with all supporting documents the same day. Do not assume the June Nordic deadline applies to you.

4. Ask your IB coordinator to send your transcript to transcript@hi.is through the IB's own service.

5. If you apply to International Studies in Education and it is oversubscribed past its 60-place cap, selection looks at prior higher education, work experience in education, your CV and a personal statement — so write the statement properly.

6. Pay the ISK 100,000 registration fee by 4 July 2027. It is non-refundable.

7. Apply for student housing through studentagardar.is the moment you are admitted, and register your domicile with Registers Iceland to get a kennitala once you arrive.

Admission at the University of Iceland is by matriculation examination or equivalent, with requirements varying by faculty. International Studies in Education is capped at 60 students, split roughly 30 international and 30 domestic, and if oversubscribed it ranks on prior study, relevant work experience, CV and personal statement rather than on grades alone. Reykjavik University assesses each applicant individually on grades, further education, work experience, extracurricular participation and stated interests, and requires two references on institutional letterhead plus a letter of intent of at most 300 words.

• 1 February 2027

  University of Iceland, international applicants (undergraduate and master's)

  Hard deadline Via n Icelandic university

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Printed as "1 February" with no year. The university's own pages disagree on whether a Nordic citizen may instead use 5 June; work to 1 February unless the university confirms otherwise in writing.

  Published as "1 February" with no year; this site assumes the 2027 intake. Certified academic transcripts and previous degree diplomas must reach the university by the same day. The application period opens "around mid December", published without a precise day, so there is no opening date here to count down to. Both the deadline page and the FAQ agree that 1 February is the date for an international applicant — and those are the same two pages that contradict each other about 5 June, which is why this is the deadline to use: it is the one for every non-Nordic applicant, and the safe one for Nordic citizens (Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish).

  Source

• 5 February 2027
  recurring annual cycle

  Reykjavik University, applications open, EU/EEA residents, autumn

  Details

  Published as "February 5th" with no year; this site assumes the 2027 intake. Nothing can be submitted to Reykjavik University before this day.

  Source

• 30 April 2027

  Reykjavik University, EU/EEA residents, autumn

  Hard deadline Via n Icelandic university

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Opens 5 February; printed with no year.

  Published as "April 30th" with no year; this site assumes the 2027 intake. The window opens on 5 February, which is its own entry. Non-EU/EEA residents run a separate and much earlier cycle — open 5 October, close 31 January, autumn semester only — which does not apply to you as an EU/EEA citizen living in Denmark.

  Source

• 5 June 2027

  University of Akureyri: EU/EEA applicants

  Hard deadline Via n Icelandic university

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Open from the beginning of March; printed with no year.

  Published as "open at the beginning of March until June 5th" with no year; this site assumes the 2027 intake. The March opening is published without a day, so there is no opening date. Akureyri says "EU/EEA residents" where the University of Iceland says "Nordic citizens", and unlike Iceland it says the same thing in one place only — there is no second Akureyri page to contradict it. Non-EEA applicants have earlier deadlines, 1 March for Polar Law and 1 April for everything else, and pay a 50-euro application fee; neither applies to an EU/EEA citizen.

  Source

• 4 July 2027
  recurring annual date

  Registration fee payment, University of Iceland and Akureyri

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "The fee needs to be paid by the due date of 4 July", with no year; this site assumes the 2027 intake. The fee is ISK 100,000 for a full academic year. The rule on the fees page is the one that matters: if the registration fee is not paid by the due date, the student is considered to have withdrawn from the programme. The University's Help Centre article on the registration fee (https://thjonusta.hi.is/hc/en-gb/articles/21426087664667-Registration-fee) describes a late-payment surcharge and a later, more expensive payment date, but neither figure could be confirmed, so none is given here. Do not plan around paying late.

  Source

• 6 July 2027

  IB results released

  Via n Icelandic university

• Set by each institution

  Bifröst, the Agricultural University and the University of the Arts

  Via n Icelandic university

  Details

  Each sets its own date. Check the institution's page.

• Date not published
  2027 entry

  University of Iceland, the 5 June undergraduate deadline — the university's own two pages disagree about whether it is yours

  Details

  The University of Iceland's own two pages disagree about who can use 5 June. The deadline page (https://english.hi.is/study/apply/application-deadline) lists the autumn undergraduate deadline of 5 June under "Icelandic and Nordic citizens", which would include any Nordic citizen (Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swedish) applying from Denmark; if you are not a Nordic citizen, 1 February is your deadline either way. The FAQ (https://english.hi.is/faq/when-application-deadline) gives the same 5 June only to "International students who have lived in Iceland og are living in Iceland" and does not mention Nordic citizens; the untranslated Icelandic "og" suggests it is a partial translation that has fallen out of step with the deadline page. Both pages were live on 23 September 2026. If you rely on 5 June and the stricter reading is the right one, you lose a year, so no date is counted down here. Apply by 1 February 2027, which both pages agree is open to you, and if you want to use 5 June, get it confirmed in writing by admission@hi.is before you rely on it.

  Source

English-taught bachelors

Three. At the University of Iceland, International Studies in Education, BA (180 ECTS over three years, all teaching in English) and English Studies, BA (180 ECTS, every course taught in English); and Contemporary Dance Practices, BA at the Iceland University of the Arts, which its exchange page describes as run completely in English. The University of Iceland publishes no list of English-taught bachelor's degrees. Reykjavik University, Akureyri, Bifröst and the Agricultural University have none, and the arts university's other BA programmes are taught mostly in Icelandic.

Proving your English

Not required at all if you hold an IB Diploma — the University of Iceland's IB page says so directly. Its Denmark page also accepts a Danish studentereksamen, HHX or HTX with English. Reykjavik University, for its English-taught graduate provision, asks for TOEFL iBT 91, IELTS Academic 6.5, DAAD B2 or Cambridge B2.

Local language needed?

Yes, for most programmes

• The University of Iceland states plainly that the primary language of instruction is Icelandic and that its English-taught programmes are mostly at graduate level. It runs over 600 English-taught individual courses, but those are for incoming exchange students, not degree-seekers.
• Study in Iceland's national portal lists two English-taught bachelor's degrees, but one of them — Icelandic as a Second Language, BA — is actually taught in Icelandic and requires you to pass an admission test at CEFR A2+ Icelandic. Do not treat it as an English-taught option.
• Reykjavik University's Computer Science BSc page says: taught in Icelandic, proficiency in Icelandic is a requirement, and applications from abroad are not accepted. Its Business Administration BSc requires Icelandic even though all third-year teaching is in English.
• Bifröst requires Icelandic at B2.2 for business and social science and C1.2 for law, plus TOEFL iBT 94.
• If you are serious about Iceland, the honest routes are: take one of the three English-taught BAs; learn Icelandic to B2 or C1 first; or do your bachelor's elsewhere and come here for a master's, where English provision is far broader.

Tuition, EU/EEA

No tuition at five of the six universities — only a registration fee, ISK 100,000 per year at the University of Iceland and at the Iceland University of the Arts (about 720 euros), or ISK 75,000 for a spring start. The University of Iceland raised this from ISK 75,000 in February 2026, the first increase since 2014. Reykjavik University is the exception and charges real tuition: ISK 656,000 per year for EEA undergraduates, about €4,750 at the ECB rate of 24 September 2026. (2026/27)

Tuition, non-EU

Reykjavik University charges ISK 1,794,000 per year, about 12,925 euros, for non-EEA undergraduates. The University of Iceland will begin charging non-EEA tuition in autumn 2027 — this cohort — but the amount per ECTS has not been set. The Iceland University of the Arts began charging non-EEA tuition in autumn 2026, also at an unpublished amount. (2026/27 and 2027/28)

Application fee

None for EEA citizens at the University of Iceland. Non-EEA applicants pay a processing fee of ISK 20,000 at the University of Iceland, ISK 16,000 at Reykjavik University (covering two applications, deducted from tuition if admitted), 135 euros at Bifröst and 50 euros at Akureyri. The Iceland University of the Arts charges ISK 5,000 per application to everyone.

Living costs

A realistic floor of about ISK 184,000 per month excluding books, roughly 1,326 euros. Reykjavík City's official minimum support benchmark is ISK 247,572, about 1,784 euros. Housing with utilities starts at ISK 100,000, food at ISK 56,000, transport at ISK 6,000. (undated — the University of Iceland does not state which year these figures are for)

• Exchange rate used throughout: 1 euro = 138.80 ISK, taken from the Central Bank of Iceland on 22 September 2026. The Bank's page did not date the rate, so treat conversions as indicative.
• Registration fees are service fees, not tuition. They cover services beyond teaching and are non-refundable with no exemptions.
• Bifröst abolished tuition entirely and now charges only the ISK 100,000 admission and registration fee, with exam fees billed separately.
• Student housing at Stúdentagarðar ranges from ISK 109,755 for an unfurnished 24 square metre room to about ISK 187,461 for a central studio. Electricity, heating and laundry are included in most houses. Base rents rose 2 percent in September 2025 and 5.25 percent in September 2026, so budget for annual increases.

Funding you could actually get

• Danish SU can follow you here if you can claim it (Danish citizens, or EU/EEA citizens with equal status under EU rules) and meet the ties-to-Denmark requirement. In 2026 it is DKK 7,426 a month before tax if you live away from your parents. Because Iceland is a Nordic country, it is paid as if you studied in Denmark — for anyone starting after 1 July 2025, for the programme's prescribed length only. Apply through minSU Fast Track no later than the first month you want support for, and document your progress twice a year. If you cannot claim SU, look first at your own country's student finance: several EU/EEA systems fund a full degree in another country.
• Menntasjóður námsmanna, the Icelandic student loan fund, appears to be directly open to you if you are a Danish, Finnish, Norwegian or Swedish citizen. Its rules list being a citizen of Denmark, Finland, Norway or Sweden as a standalone qualifying condition, with no work or residency requirement attached — unlike other EEA citizens, who must work at least 40 hours a month in Iceland. This is more generous than most Nordic funds, so confirm it with the fund before relying on it.
• You cannot take both. Menntasjóður states that students cannot receive an Icelandic student loan while receiving study assistance from another state, which includes Danish SU. It is one or the other.
• Menntasjóður mechanics if you go that route: you must complete at least 22 ECTS per semester, the maximum loan covers 30 ECTS, and the 2026/27 deadlines were 15 October, 15 February and 15 June, with late applications automatically rejected. A housing top-up loan is available if your rent is at least ISK 40,000 a month. A travel loan of ISK 60,000 a year applies to students from Nordic countries.
• There is no tuition loan for the registration fee. Menntasjóður does not lend for the first ISK 100,000 of annual tuition, which is exactly what the registration fee costs — so at the University of Iceland, Akureyri, Bifröst and the arts university there is no tuition loan at all.
• Scholarships are close to non-existent at bachelor level. The University of Iceland states in the IBO database that it offers no scholarships to any students. The Icelandic Government Scholarships administered by the Árni Magnússon Institute are only for studying Icelandic language, literature and history.

Residency

EU/EEA and Swiss students register with Registers Iceland (Þjóðskrá), not the Directorate of Immigration, no later than three months after arriving, showing their admission and that they can support themselves. If you are a Nordic citizen, your track is simpler still: you may register legal domicile if you intend to stay three months or longer, and must if you stay six months or longer. Registering gets you a kennitala, the Icelandic ID number, which you need for a bank account, a housing contract and health registration. Non-EEA students need a student residence permit costing ISK 70,000, applied for by 1 July for the autumn semester, and usually granted six months at a time.

Working

EU/EEA citizens need no work permit in Iceland. Non-EEA students need a work permit, and the weekly hour limit is not confirmed here.

Housing

Student housing for University of Iceland students is run by Félagsstofnun stúdenta through studentagardar.is. Applications are accepted year-round, and new students starting in the autumn can apply from 1 May — though one FS page says 1 June and another says 1 May, so check both. FS publishes no waiting-list data. Reykjavík's private rental market is tight and expensive, so apply the day you are admitted. Rent includes electricity, heating and, in most houses, laundry. Reykjavik University publishes no student housing information.

Healthcare

If you are a Nordic student, you have the easiest position of anyone: Study in Iceland says Nordic students need only confirmation of insurance in their home country, such as a health insurance card. Other EU/EEA students rely on the EHIC. Bring your EHIC and present it with your passport at medical visits. You may read that Icelandic Health Insurance only begins after six months of legal domicile. That is unconfirmed, but Menntasjóður lends up to ISK 550,000 a year for health insurance costs, which suggests a real gap exists, so check with Icelandic Health Insurance before you arrive whether you need cover for your first months. Non-EU students must have insurance in place before arrival.

Your IB is still a foreign qualification here, so the IB entry rules still apply to you.