Living in Iceland · Education

Education in Iceland, for foreigners

Public schools and universities in Iceland cost little or nothing for most students today. But rules are changing: from autumn 2027, public universities are authorised to charge tuition to students from outside the EEA, EFTA and Switzerland. For foreigners the hard part is still getting your old studies accepted, and the Icelandic language rule that nobody warns you about.

Last verified 17 August 2026 · island.is, ENIC-NARIC Iceland, hi.is

How the system works, in short

School is required until you are 16. After that comes upper secondary school (framhaldsskóli, say: FRAM-halds-skoh-li, the school for ages 16 to 20). You do not have to go, but everyone living here has the right to a place until they are 18. After that comes university (háskóli, say: HOWS-koh-li). Public universities charge no tuition to Icelandic, EEA, EFTA and Swiss students. You pay only a small yearly registration fee. From autumn 2027 they are also authorised to charge tuition to students from outside the EEA, EFTA and Switzerland. The exact fees have not been set yet. To get in from abroad, your old education must first be turned into Icelandic credits. That step is the whole battle.

Moving with children under two

Many people arrive because one parent was offered a job, with small children who are not old enough for school yet. Iceland is used to this, and the country is built around two working parents. But there is one gap that surprises almost every family: the months between the end of paid parental leave and the first day of daycare.

Last verified 13 August 2026 · island.is; Lög um leikskóla nr. 90/2008; municipal websites

Your child is under two and you need care so you can work

What actually happens: Public daycare (leikskóli, say: LAKE-skoh-li, the pre-school for roughly ages 1 to 6) is run by your municipality, and places are given from a waiting list, not on the day you ask. Children younger than about eighteen months to two years are usually not yet at the top of that list. For the months in between, the normal Icelandic answer is a day mother or day father (dagforeldri, say: DAHG-for-el-dri), a person approved and checked by the municipality who looks after a few small children in their own home.
What to do: Register your legal address as soon as you arrive, then put your child on the municipality's daycare waiting list the same week. Your place in the queue is usually counted from the date you apply, not from the date you move. Then look for a dagforeldri separately: your municipality's website keeps the list of approved ones, and you contact them yourself.
The common trap: Waiting until you have a flat, a job contract or a kennitala for everyone before you apply. The queue is the one thing you can start early, and it costs nothing to be on it.

You have twins, or two children close in age

What actually happens: Two places are harder to get than one, and a dagforeldri has a small legal limit on how many children they may keep at once. Families sometimes get one child placed before the other.
What to do: Say clearly in the application that you need two places at the same time, and ask the municipality's daycare office in writing what they do in that case. Some councils try to keep siblings together; the rule is not the same everywhere.
The common trap: Assuming a sibling rule exists. Ask, and keep the answer.

Both parents will not be working at first

What actually happens: If one parent stays home with the children, a daycare place can still be applied for, but in some municipalities children of two working parents are placed sooner. Fees also depend on your household situation, and each council sets its own.
What to do: Check your own municipality's rules for priority and for fees before you decide where in the country to live. Two neighbouring councils can have very different queues.

Daycare, fees and waiting lists are decided by your council, not by the state. What each council must provide, and how to apply, is on our municipal support page.

Daily life with small children

Days are long when a child is too small for school, and the weather takes away the easy answer of going outside. Iceland has more indoor, low-cost places for small children than most people expect, and almost all of them are run by the municipality.

• The swimming pool (sundlaug, say: SUND-loig). Warm all year, open early, and the main meeting place in every town. Most pools have a shallow children's area. A season card is far cheaper than single visits.
• The library (bókasafn, say: BOH-ka-safn). Free to enter, warm, and most run story hours or play mornings for small children. Ask at the desk for the children's programme.
• Open play groups and parent mornings, often run by a church, a community centre (félagsmiðstöð) or the library. These are the usual way parents meet each other.
• The health centre (heilsugæsla, say: HAILS-oo-gyes-la). Your child nurse there sees your child regularly, and is also the person who can point you to local groups and support.
• Indoor play halls and sports halls in winter, and the local leisure card for older children once they start activities.

Editor's note. Meeting other parents here takes longer than in many countries, and it happens through repetition rather than introductions: the same pool, the same time, the same week. It is slow for the first months and then it is not.

Your situations, one by one

You came with a high school diploma from your country

What actually happens: Your diploma does not automatically count as the Icelandic school-leaving certificate (stúdentspróf, say: STOO-dents-prohf). Until it is assessed, universities treat you as if you have nothing, and a school may put you in a year you already finished at home.
What to do: Apply to ENIC-NARIC Iceland for an Assessment of upper secondary education. This office belongs to the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education, and it is free. Send your diploma, your list of grades, and a translation into English or Icelandic.
The common trap: Starting courses before the answer comes back. You may repeat subjects you already passed at home.

You did one or two years of university abroad and want to carry on here

What actually happens: ENIC-NARIC can also assess single subjects and part of a degree, not only full diplomas. But the Icelandic university you apply to (HÍ, HR, HA and others) decides what counts inside their course. ENIC-NARIC says what your studies are worth. The university says how they fit.
What to do: Get the ENIC-NARIC assessment first. Then send it, together with the full description of each course you took (not only the titles), to the admissions office of the Icelandic course you want.
The common trap: Thinking European credits (ECTS) always count one for one. They usually do, but each course has its own minimum in each subject.

You want to apply to upper secondary school

What actually happens: You apply online on island.is. You choose two schools, and two study lines in each. The normal time to apply is 13 March to 26 May. Pupils coming straight from 10th grade have until 10 June.
What to do: Log in with electronic ID, allow them to collect your details from the national register, and send it. Study lines for pupils who need extra support (starfsbrautir) open earlier, in February.
The common trap: Missing the May date. Late applications are handled school by school, and no place is promised.

The Icelandic language rule is blocking your university application

What actually happens: This surprises almost every foreigner. Most bachelor courses at HÍ and HA are taught in Icelandic, and they ask you to prove you can follow them. Usually that means a set number of Icelandic credits from upper secondary school (íslenska I to V or the same), or passing the university's own Icelandic entrance test. Without that, you can have a perfect foreign diploma and still not get in.
What to do: Choose your path early. Either (1) study Icelandic as a second language at an upper secondary school or on the University of Iceland's Icelandic for Foreigners course, or (2) apply only to courses taught in English (most master's courses, and some bachelor courses at HR and HÍ). Check the language of teaching on each course page before you apply.
The common trap: Spending two years collecting credits and only then finding out the course also needs Icelandic at a very high level. Send one email to the admissions office and ask for the full list of entry rules, language included, before you start.

You need money to study

What actually happens: Public universities in Iceland charge no tuition to Icelandic, EEA, EFTA and Swiss students. Everyone pays a yearly registration fee, and the current amount is on each university's own website. From autumn 2027 the universities are authorised to charge tuition to students from outside the EEA, EFTA and Switzerland. Students who begin in autumn 2026, current students, PhD students and some permanent residents are exempt. The exact fees have not been set yet. Private universities already charge tuition. The real problem is not always fees, it is the cost of living. The Icelandic student loan fund (Menntasjóður námsmanna) lends to students who meet its rules about residence and progress in their studies.
What to do: Read the fund's rules carefully before you start: how long you must have lived here, how many credits you must take, and how fast you must pass them. If you are from outside the EEA, EFTA or Switzerland, also check the university's own page for the autumn 2027 tuition rules before you budget.
The common trap: Guessing the cost from an old blog post. Fees and registration amounts change, and the 2027 rules are still being set.

You want a job that needs a licence (nurse, teacher, electrician, doctor, lawyer)

What actually happens: An ENIC-NARIC assessment is needed, but it is not enough on its own. These jobs also need a licence from the right Icelandic office: for nurses and doctors that is the Directorate of Health (Embætti landlæknis, say: EM-byet-ti LAND-lyek-nis); for trades it is the ministry's process for accepting foreign craftsmen.
What to do: After the school assessment, apply for the licence on island.is. Plan in months, not weeks. These take a long time.

Editor's note (opinion)

The best thing I could have done on day one was ask one question, in writing, to the admissions office of the exact course I wanted: "What is the full list of entry requirements, language included?" The answer takes about a week. It would have saved me almost two years. Send that email before you start.

Sources

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