NARIC guide on Higher Education Systems in the European Union

I. Higher education system
According to law, the Icelandic education system is divided into the following four levels: (1) pre-school education
(leikskólastig); (2) compulsory education, primary and lower secondary education (grunnskólastig); (3) upper secondary
education (framhaldsskólastig); (4) higher education (háskólastig). The upper secondary level is by law under the direct
control of the Ministry of Culture and Education, but the municipalities are responsible for pre-school and compulsory
education. Responsibility for the higher education sector rests with the State and is, for the most part, financed with public
funds. However, there is no general legislation for the higher education system as a whole. Constitutionally each higher
education institution is directly responsible to the Minister of Culture and Education and has its own law defining the main
role of the institution in education and research, duration of programmes, the degrees offered, its responsibilities towards
higher authorities, its internal organisation and administrative structure. Within the framework of the available appropriations
the individual institutions draw up and update curricula, indicating aims, scope and duration, form and content of courses and
description of syllabus.
Studies at the higher education level normally presuppose 14 years’ of preparatory education (10 years’ compulsory education
and four years’ upper secondary education). However, some lines of study at the upper secondary level take longer than four
years. This applies, for example, to certain vocational courses.
I.1. The institutions of higher education
Non-university higher education institutions
There are a few specialised institutions (sérskólar), though not defined by law as higher education institutions, which offer a
range of different education bridging secondary and university level. These are Myndlista- og handídaskóli Íslands (The
Icelandic College of Art and Crafts), Leiklistarskóli Íslands (The Icelandic College of Drama), Tónlistarskólinn í Reykjavík
(The Reykjavík College of Music), Fósturskóli Íslands (The Icelandic College for Pre-school Teachers), Throskathjálfaskóli
Íslands (The Icelandic College of Social Pedagogy), Íthróttakennaraskóli Íslands (The Icelandic College of Sport and
Physical Education), and Tolvuháskóli Verzlunarskóla Íslands, Reykjavík (The Commercial College of Iceland, School of
Computer Science).
The non-university higher education institutions offer practical training programmes geared towards specific occupations in
the subject fields stipulated by the law of each institution. In most cases they do not carry out research themselves, but the
training offered is based on research.
University higher education institutions
There are two types of university higher education institutions in Iceland:
1. Háskólar (Universities, the Icelandic term háskóli is used in the same sense as the Latin term universitas). These are
Háskóli Íslands, Reykjavík (The University of Iceland), which offers study programmes in the traditional university
subjects, Háskólinn á Akureyri (The University College of Akureyri) and Kennaraháskóli Íslands, Reykjavík (The
University College of Education).
2. Tækniskólar og sérskólar (Technical and vocational colleges). These are Tækniskóli Íslands, Reykjavík (The Icelandic
College of Engineering and Technology), Bændaskólinn á Hvanneyri, Borgarfjordur (The Agricultural College,
Hvanneyri) and Samvinnuháskólinn Bifrost, Borgarfjordur (The Co-operative College of Iceland).
Universities are charged with the task of carrying out research and offering higher education programmes in the subject fields
stipulated by the law relating to each institution. These institutions must contribute to the expansion of knowledge utilising
scientific working methods and results and they themselves decide on the research to be carried out.