Study in Iceland: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

Iceland's public universities have charged only a registration fee, 100,000 ISK a year at the University of Iceland, but the government has authorised tuition for students from outside the EEA from autumn 2027, at amounts not yet set. International applicants to the University of Iceland apply by 1 February, and a student residence permit costs 70,000 ISK, requires 259,951 ISK a month in means, allows work up to 60% of full time, and can be renewed for 18 months after graduation.

Verified 15 Sep 2026 Sources

Iceland has a small higher education system, and its largest institution, the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, offers a limited number of programmes in English, mostly at graduate level. For decades its public universities charged no tuition, only an annual registration fee, which is 100,000 ISK a year at the University of Iceland.

That is changing. The Icelandic government has authorised universities to introduce tuition fees for students from countries outside the EEA, EFTA and Switzerland from the autumn semester of 2027. The University of Iceland says the fee levels have not been decided and may vary by programme; students who start in autumn 2026, current students, doctoral students and holders of permanent residence permits are exempt. An applicant from outside the EEA planning to start in 2027 should therefore expect a tuition charge on top of the registration fee, at a level still to be announced.

The calendar is early. The University of Iceland's application period for 2027-28 opens around mid December, and international applicants to undergraduate and master's programmes must apply, and have certified transcripts and diplomas received, by 1 February. Applicants from outside the EEA pay a processing fee of 20,000 ISK. English requirements are TOEFL iBT 79, IELTS Academic 6.5 or PTE Academic 58 for most programmes, higher in English and some humanities programmes, and the university accepts no medium of instruction letter except from a short list of English-speaking countries.

A student from outside the EEA needs a residence permit for students, applied for on paper to the Directorate of Immigration and received by 1 May for the autumn semester. Applicants who need a visa may not be in Iceland while applying. The processing fee is 70,000 ISK, and the student must show independent means of 259,951 ISK a month and health insurance with at least ISK 2,000,000 of cover until national insurance starts three months after registering a legal domicile. New rules from 8 July 2026 allow students to work without a work permit up to 60% of full-time employment, require completion of at least 75% of a full-time course load to renew, and let graduates of Icelandic universities renew their permit for up to 18 months to seek work, down from three years.