University admission in Europe

There is no central admission system – you apply directly to the university, and each one sets its own deadlines and requirements.

Deadlines at the University of Iceland:

• international applicants for bachelor's and master's programmes – by 1 February,
• applicants already living in Iceland – by 15 April for master's and by 5 June for bachelor's programmes,
• Icelandic as a Second Language – applications from 1 March to 20 May,
• doctoral programmes – deadlines are set by the faculties.

Once you are admitted to the University of Iceland, you must pay the registration fee by 4 July. You can still pay late, until 12 August, but with a surcharge of ISK 15,000.

If you come from outside the EEA, the early deadline matters: you will need your admission to apply for a residence permit, and the Directorate of Immigration asks for applications by 1 May for the autumn semester (see: Residence and formalities). The University of Iceland also charges non-EEA applicants a one-off processing fee of ISK 20,000.

Other universities may have different deadlines – check the website of your chosen institution.