University of Akureyri

What University of Akureyri does

The University of Akureyri (Háskólinn á Akureyri, abbreviated HA) is a publicly chartered Icelandic higher education institution founded in 1987 and headquartered in Akureyri, northern Iceland. The university delivers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs across three academic schools: Humanities and Social Sciences (Hug- og félagsvísindasvið), and Health, Business and Science (Heilbrigðis-, viðskipta- og raunvísindasvið), with disciplines spanning social sciences, law, psychology, education, nursing, occupational therapy, business administration, fisheries science, biotechnology, computer science, and polar law.

Its technology platform is built on Canvas LMS for course delivery, the Ugla student information portal, FortiClient VPN for remote access, the Skemman national thesis preservation repository, and Turnitin for plagiarism detection, with the Bókasafn Háskólans á Akureyri library providing database subscriptions and information literacy instruction. The business model is a public-sector subscription structure: government appropriations constitute the primary funding stream, supplemented by tuition and registration fees (Skólagjöld, Skráningargjald) billed annually per ECTS program and by international research grants. The go-to-market is direct-to-student, with recruitment via the unak.is website, open days (Nýnemadagar), and partnerships with secondary schools and Nordic-Baltic exchanges (Nordplus), while clinical placements across Icelandic hospitals and European partner universities serve as the distribution channel for healthcare programs.

Name

University of Akureyri

Legal name

Háskólinn á Akureyri

Website

https://unak.is

Company type

Public

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The University of Akureyri is a publicly chartered Icelandic university in Akureyri offering undergraduate through doctoral programs across humanities, social sciences, health sciences, business, and natural sciences, serving domestic Icelandic students, graduate researchers, and Nordic-Baltic exchange students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Operations, Supply Chain & Logistics Management Schools (EDAHAHAF), Specialty Law Schools (e.g., Tax, IP, International, Trial Advocacy) (EDAHAIAF), Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAIAC), Experiential & Field-Based Study Abroad (Research, Field Schools, Practicums) (EDAIAAAD)

Keywords

• Higher education
• University programs
• Academic research
• Undergraduate degrees
• Graduate studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Akureyri

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and registration fees: Students pay tuition fees and registration fees (Skólagjöld, Skráningargjald) for enrollment in programs
2. Government funding: Public university funded primarily through Icelandic government appropriations for higher education
3. Research grants: International research funding from projects such as the approximately ISK 30 million research grant for improving rural healthcare services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The University of Akureyri is a public higher education institution that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across social sciences, health sciences, law, education, business, and natural sciences. It provides degree education, academic research, and professional licensure preparation (including nursing, law, and teaching), supported by a campus-based learning platform (Canvas LMS, UGLA portal) and library services, with clinical placements across Iceland and exchange partnerships across the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Product overview

University of Akureyri is a higher education institution offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs across multiple disciplines. The university provides a unified educational platform built around its Learning Management System (Canvas), student information portal (UGLA), and library services (Bókasafn Háskólans á Akureyri). Students access course materials through Canvas, submit theses via Skemman and Turnitin, and receive writing support from Ritver. Library services include extensive database subscriptions accessible through VPN (FortiClient) and the Leitir.is gateway. Additional student services encompass psychology support, academic advising, and IT help desk (Þjónustugátt HA). The institution's programs span Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Business and Science, and Humanities, with specialized offerings in Polar Law, Fisheries Science, and Nordic studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs (Grunnnám) Bachelor's degree programs (180-240 ECTS) including Social Sciences, Media Studies, Nursing, Law, Psychology, Education, Computer Science, Business Administration, Fisheries Science, Biotechnology, and specialised programs such as Police Science and Preschool Teacher Education, for domestic and international students.
• Graduate Programs (Framhaldsnám) Master's degree programs and postgraduate diplomas (90-120 ECTS) across Health Sciences, Education, Law, Business, Natural Resources, Polar Law, and Social Sciences, including research-linked tracks such as Occupational Therapy research master's and Health Services Management.
• Doctoral Programs (Doktorsnám) PhD programs and doctoral research opportunities across academic disciplines offered by the University of Akureyri.
• Bókasafn Háskólans á Akureyri (BSHA) - University Library Services University library and information service providing access to databases, electronic journals, books, interlibrary loans, information literacy instruction, and research support for students and faculty.
• Ritver HA - Academic Writing Support Academic writing support service offering consultation on thesis structure, academic writing, and technical formatting requirements for students.
• Sjálfsmat (Self-Assessment) Psychology Service Psychology service offering self-assessment tools for students covering anxiety, depression, procrastination, and cognitive patterns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research grant of ISK 30 million for rural healthcare improvement project

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nordplus (Nordic-Baltic Exchange Program)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudent exchange program providing opportunities for HA students to study at partner universities across Nordic and Baltic countries. Includes financial support through Nordplus grants.
• European universities (clinical placement partners)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with universities in Europe allow nursing students to complete portions of their clinical practice at international institutions, providing cross-cultural healthcare education experience.
• Healthcare institutions across IcelandcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClinical placement partnerships with Icelandic hospitals and healthcare facilities for nursing, occupational therapy, and other health sciences students.
• Centre for Police Training and Professional DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with police training centre for practical training of police science students, including fieldwork and professional skills development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Nord University (Norway): Mid-sized Norwegian state university with explicit focus on northern Norway, fisheries, maritime, and health sciences programmes. Comparable overlap with UNAK's fisheries and health sciences portfolio, with broader geographic reach and scale.
• Linnaeus University (Sweden): Mid-sized Swedish public university offering programmes across business, social sciences, health, and natural sciences with strong digital and international orientation. Comparable multi-school public university profile with similar international exchange footprint via Nordplus.
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU): Norway's largest university with programmes spanning natural sciences, engineering, health, business, and social sciences. Comparable in offering breadth and Nordic student mobility, though operating at much larger scale than UNAK.
• Aalborg University (Denmark): Danish public university known for problem-based learning and broad programmes in humanities, social sciences, engineering, health, and natural sciences. Comparable multi-disciplinary public university profile, though substantially larger than UNAK.

Direct peers

• University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands): Iceland's flagship university and the primary direct competitor across humanities, social sciences, health sciences, law, business, and natural sciences. Comparable because both operate multi-school degree programmes from BA through PhD and compete for the same domestic Icelandic student pool and government funding.
• Reykjavik University (Háskólinn í Reykjavík): Other major Icelandic university offering undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programmes in business, law, computer science, engineering, and health sciences. Closely comparable in scale, programme breadth, and target student segments to UNAK.
• UiT The Arctic University of Norway: Norway's northernmost university with explicit Arctic/Polar research mandate and similarly broad multi-disciplinary portfolio including health sciences, business, law, and fisheries/marine sciences. Strongly comparable given parallel regional-university positioning and Arctic specialisations matching UNAK's Norðurslóð centre.
• University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik): Small Nordic public university serving a peripheral Arctic population with multi-disciplinary programmes and Arctic research focus. Comparable scale and mission to UNAK as a regional higher education provider in a sparsely populated Northern territory.

Regional players

• University of the Faroe Islands (Fróðskaparsetur Føroya): Small Nordic regional university in the Faroe Islands offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across social sciences, health, and natural sciences. Comparable as a similarly sized peripheral Nordic university serving a small North Atlantic population, though it does not directly compete in the Icelandic market.
• University of Lapland (Lapin yliopisto): Finnish university in Rovaniemi with Arctic research focus and multi-disciplinary programmes including law, education, and health sciences. Comparable as a small northern European university with Arctic specialisation, though operating in the Finnish rather than Icelandic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/haskolinn_ak

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about University of Akureyri