06 - Iceland - Admission requirements
As a main rule, students enrolling in higher education institution must have completed matriculation
examination or equivalent study. Higher education institutions can accept students who possess
equivalent level of maturity and knowledge as assessed by the respective higher education institution.
It must be ensured that higher education institutions’ admission requirements and study standards
correspond to those demanded in certified higher education institutions within similar fields in other
countries. The Higher Education Act allows higher education institutions to set specific admission
requirements for students enrolling in study at higher education level, such as requiring students, who
meet with the aforementioned demands, to pass an entrance examination or assessment.
Students enrolling in studies at second cycle (Master’s studies) shall have completed a Bachelor’s
degree or equivalent three year study at higher education level. Students are expected to enrol in a
study programme that is based on learning outcomes which they have acquired during studies at first
cycle.
Students that enrol in doctorate studies are normally required to have completed Master’s degree or
Candidatus degree. Higher education institutions that intend to apply for permission to offer studies
leading to Doctorate degree shall set specific rules for their doctorate studies, including stipulations on
students’ admission. Doctorate studies in higher education institutions shall be organised according to
regulations for doctorate studies that cover the demands and conditions that a higher education
institution must fulfil in order to be granted permission to establish studies at doctorate level, according
to paragraph 4, article 7 of the Higher Education Act no. 63/2006.
Admission of mature students to higher education institutions on the basis of professional qualifications
and work experience without further tests is in the hands of each higher education institution.
The University of Iceland has no general restrictions on admission for those who have passed the
matriculation examination. However, in the Faculty of Medicine there is a selection procedure for
students of medicine and physiotherapy at the point of entry. Competitive examinations at the end of
the first semester are held in the Faculties of Nursing and of Odontology. The number of students
allowed to continue after a competitive examination is limited (numerus clausus). For admission to the
Faculty of Pharmacy or of Science, students are required to have matriculated from a mathematics,
physics, or natural sciences programme of an upper secondary school.
Higher education institutions other than the University of Iceland and the University of Akureyri have
exercised selection in their admission of students and often give priority to students with particular
work experience. The Academy of the Arts, Department of Drama, holds an entrance examination.
To enter a postgraduate programme a first university degree (B.A., B.S. or B.Ed. degree) in the area of
study is required. In some master’s programmes the admission requirement is a B.A./B.Sc. degree
with a 7.25 grade average on a scale of 1 to 10 (the highest grade is 10). Admission is based on
selection by the respective faculties. The same goes for the PhD programmes offered. In researchoriented
programmes students must reach an agreement with a supervisor on a research project for
their master's thesis, and then file a joint application with that supervisor for a specific research project.
The project must then be accepted by a review committee for the student to be allowed to enter the
programme.
The Icelandic NARIC/ENIC office is situated at the Office for Academic Affairs, at the University of
Iceland. Its role is to answer questions regarding the recognition of foreign credentials or qualifications.
Certified copies of official transcripts or diplomas have to be enclosed with enquiries regarding
recognition. The NARIC/ENIC office offers a guiding assessment, but the final decision on academic
recognition is taken by each individual university, faculty or institution.
Institutions:
University of Iceland
The University of Akureyri
Iceland Academy of the Arts
The Icelandic NARIC/ENIC Office
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
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