University of Iceland

Higher Educationhi.is

University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) is Iceland's oldest and largest public university, founded in 1911, serving domestic and international students across five faculties with degree programs, executive education, distance learning, and Arctic and environmental research.

Company typePrivate
Founded1911
HeadquartersReykjavík, Iceland
Headcount—
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What University of Iceland does

University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) is Iceland's oldest and largest public university, founded in 1911 and headquartered at Sæmundargötu 2 in central Reykjavík. The institution operates five faculties — Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Education, and Engineering and Natural Sciences — delivering undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs taught in Icelandic and English. Beyond degree programs, the university runs an Executive MBA in collaboration with IESE Business School, a self-funded continuing education division (Endurmenntun HÍ) operating purely on course fees, a startup support service (Sprettur), a public science Q&A platform (Vísindavefurinn) funded via the University Lottery, and a distance-learning delivery mode (Fjarnám). Effective January 2026, the university integrated Háskólabrú Keilis, a preparatory education institution that had previously operated under Keilir since 2007 and produced more than 3,000 graduates (approximately 80% of whom continued to University of Iceland).

The university's revenue model rests on three primary streams: Icelandic government appropriations for educational services and research (the dominant funder), self-funded continuing education programs operated entirely on fees, and tuition-based executive education. The institution operates an extensive physical footprint in Reykjavík spanning more than 20 named campus buildings (including Askja, VR-I/II/III, Læknagarður, Nýi Garður, and the Main Building) plus regional research centres across Iceland (Húsavík, Akureyri, Austurland, Breiðdalsvík, Hornafjörður, Norðurland vestra, Snæfellsnes, Strandir, Suðurland, Suðurnes, Vestfirðir, Vestmannaeyjar, and Þingeyjarsveit). It maintains 400+ international university partnerships through Erasmus+, Nordplus, Aurora, and bilateral agreements supporting both incoming and outgoing student exchange.

The university positions itself as Iceland's primary research institution in Arctic, environmental, and life sciences, with active collaborations such as the 2025 Ross Edgley coastline expedition with the University of Victoria and Iceland's Marine and Freshwater Research Institute. The institution is currently forming a strategic university group (háskólasamstæða) with Hólar University to consolidate Icelandic higher education provision, and received a record 8,700+ applications and 734 international Icelandic-language students in 2025.

University of Iceland firmographics

Firmographics

Name: University of Iceland
Legal name: Háskóli Íslands
Website: https://hi.is
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1911
Operating status: Operating
Short description: University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) is Iceland's oldest and largest public university, founded in 1911, serving domestic and international students across five faculties with degree programs, executive education, distance learning, and Arctic and environmental research.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

University of Iceland industry classification

Industry

Product category: Higher Education
NAICS: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)
SIC: Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)
akta.pro secondary industries: Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG), Third-Party Short-Term Academic Program Providers (Multi-Discipline) (EDAIAIAB), Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

Keywords

Higher education
University programs
Research services
Continuing education
Distance learning

Where University of Iceland is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Reykjavík
HQ country: Iceland
HQ region: Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

University of Iceland business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Government Funding: Public university funded primarily through Icelandic government appropriations for educational services and research activities.
Continuing Education (Endurmenntun HÍ): Self-funded continuing education programs operated entirely on course fees with no public funding. Offers professional development and lifelong learning courses to individuals and organizations.
Executive MBA Program: Executive MBA program with tuition fees, operated in partnership with IESE Business School. Targets working professionals seeking advanced business education.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

University of Iceland product offering

Product offering

Core offering

University of Iceland is a comprehensive public university delivering higher education and research across five faculties (Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities, Education, and Engineering and Natural Sciences). It sells undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs, an Executive MBA in collaboration with IESE Business School, continuing education through Endurmenntun HÍ, distance learning via Fjarnám, a preparatory bridge program (Háskólabrú Keilis), and targeted graduate programs such as Gerontology and Environmental and Natural Resources. Educational services are delivered on-campus in Reykjavík, online, through regional research centres, and via an international exchange network spanning 400+ partner universities.

Product overview

University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) operates as a comprehensive public university with five faculties: Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Teacher and Education Sciences, and Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences. The institution offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs across diverse disciplines. Key programs include MBA (Executive format), Gerontology (MA), Environmental and Natural Resources (MS), and Elderly Care Services certificates. The university provides multiple educational delivery modes including traditional on-campus instruction, distance learning (fjarnám), preparatory programs via Háskólabrú Keilis (integrated in 2026), and continuing education through Endurmenntun HÍ. Administrative infrastructure includes timetable management systems, student information platforms, and campus facilities such as VR-III, VR-II buildings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Háskólabrú Keilis: Preparatory education pathway for higher education for those who have not completed secondary school diploma
Endurmenntun HÍ
MBA-nám Háskóla Íslands
Vísindavefurinn
Háskólabrú Keilis
Aurora
Sprettur

Products and services

Háskólabrú Keilis A preparatory education pathway for individuals who have not completed secondary school graduation (stúdentspróf), providing qualifying coursework that grants access to university studies. Integrated into the University of Iceland from January 2026.
Endurmenntun HÍ (Continuing Education) The university's continuing and vocational education division, offering professional development and lifelong-learning courses to working adults and organizations. Operates self-funded on course fees with no public funding.
Fjarnám (Distance Learning programs) Distance-learning delivery mode offered across multiple programs that allows students to complete degrees remotely while working, with real-time participation in online classes, periodic campus sessions, and practical/fieldwork components.
MBA-nám (Executive MBA program) An executive-format MBA program delivered in collaboration with IESE Business School. Taught primarily in Icelandic with an international study trip component; targeted at working senior professionals seeking advanced management education. Located at Gimli, Sæmundargötu 10, Reykjavík.
Öldrunarfræði (Gerontology MA) A 120-credit research-based MA program in gerontology that examines aging from multiple perspectives with a focus on social gerontology. Taught in Icelandic.
Öldrunarþjónusta (Elderly Care Services supplementary program) A 30-credit supplementary/graduate certificate program in elderly care services for professionals working with elderly populations — social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, doctors, and physiotherapists. Delivered mostly via distance learning.
Umhverfis- og auðlindafræði (Environmental and Natural Resources MS) A 120-credit interdisciplinary MS program in environmental and natural resource studies, focused on sustainability and natural resource management. Taught entirely in English with an international student body.

Quantifiable outcome

95% of Executive MBA students report choosing the program to enhance skills and develop in their careers
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use University of Iceland

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

University of Iceland technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

University of Iceland partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and core.

University of Victoria (Canada)moderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2025Collaboration on Ross Edgley's swim around Iceland expedition. University of Iceland and University of Victoria (Canada) will analyze water samples collected during the 1,000+ mile swim for pollution monitoring and biodiversity mapping research.
Marine and Freshwater Research Institute of IcelandmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2025Collaboration on environmental DNA data collection during the coastline swim expedition. The institute will work with researchers to gather environmental DNA samples in rarely studied coastal areas around Iceland.
IESE Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration for the Executive MBA program. IESE provides international perspective and study components as part of the MBA curriculum. Students benefit from IESE's global business education expertise and network.
Aurora NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora is a network of universities in Northern Europe providing student exchange, staff mobility, and collaborative academic programs. University of Iceland participates actively in Aurora, offering students opportunities to study at partner universities in Scandinavia and beyond.
Keilir (Háskólabrú Keilis)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeilir's Háskólabrú preparatory college provides access to higher education for students without secondary school completion. From January 2026, Háskólabrú Keilis became fully integrated into University of Iceland, strengthening pathways for non-traditional students. Keilir had offered preparatory programs since 2007 under academic supervision of HI.
400+ International UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive international partnership network for student and staff exchange, including Erasmus+, Nordplus, and bilateral agreements. Enables students to study abroad at partner institutions across Europe, North America, Asia, and other regions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

University of Iceland competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

University of Reykjavik (Háskólinn í Reykjavík): Iceland's largest private university, directly competing with the University of Iceland for domestic students across multiple faculties. Overlaps significantly in business, law, computer science, and engineering programs, but operates without state subsidy.
Hólar University: Icelandic public university with strength in aquaculture, equine sciences, and rural education. Currently forming a university group ('háskólasamstæða') with the University of Iceland, making it the closest institutional partner and partial overlap in program portfolio.
Akureyri University (Háskólinn á Akureyri): Public university in northern Iceland offering undergraduate and graduate programs in health sciences, education, business, and law. Competes for domestic applicants and collaborates regionally with the University of Iceland.
Bifröst University: Smaller private Icelandic university focused on business and social sciences with a strong distance-learning tradition. Directly competes with the University of Iceland's MBA and social science programs, especially in the flexible/fjarnám segment.

Broad incumbents

University of Copenhagen: Denmark's oldest and largest public research university and the leading Nordic comparator. Competes for EEA students in Iceland's outflow to Nordic universities and collaborates via joint research and exchange agreements.
University of Oslo: Norway's premier public research university with broad faculty coverage matching the University of Iceland's five-faculty structure. Comparable in governance model (public, government-funded) and a top destination for Icelandic students studying abroad.
Uppsala University: One of Scandinavia's oldest comprehensive research universities. Highly comparable institutional model — public, comprehensive, research-intensive — and a frequent partner/destination within Nordic exchange networks like Aurora.
University of Helsinki: Finnish public research university of comparable size and faculty breadth. Aurora network partner and competitor for EEA student flows; useful benchmark for multilingual research-university operations in a small Nordic market.
NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology): Norway's largest university, with strong engineering and natural sciences faculties that directly overlap with the University of Iceland's School of Engineering and Natural Sciences. Aurora network partner and benchmark for STEM research capacity.
Aarhus University: Danish public research university with a comprehensive faculty model closely matching the University of Iceland's structure. Comparable scale, governance, and Nordic public-research profile; a regular collaborator and competitor for talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

University of Iceland compliance and trust

Trust signal

Compliance2 records

University of Iceland financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

University of Iceland leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

University of Iceland subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries1 record

University of Iceland funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

University of Iceland M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Iceland

What does University of Iceland do?

Is University of Iceland a public or private company?

University of Iceland is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was University of Iceland founded?

University of Iceland was founded in 1911.

Where is University of Iceland based?

University of Iceland is headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland, in the Europe region.

How does University of Iceland make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are continuing Education (Endurmenntun HÍ) and executive MBA Program.

Who are University of Iceland's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are University of Reykjavik (Háskólinn í Reykjavík), Hólar University, Akureyri University (Háskólinn á Akureyri) and Bifröst University. Broad incumbents are University of Copenhagen, University of Oslo, Uppsala University, University of Helsinki, NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) and Aarhus University.

Does University of Iceland have an API?

No public API is recorded for University of Iceland.

What industry is University of Iceland in?

University of Iceland's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAAAF, Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools, with a secondary code of EDAHAAAG, Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.