In general, for bachelor level education, an applicant in Iceland needs to have completed a high school examination/matriculation exam or equivalent. Higher education institutions may, under their own discretion, take applicants without such an examination if they deem them to have a comparable level of maturity, knowledge and experience for the course they are applying to.  For some subjects, however, there may be additional entry requirements and/or entrance exams set by the university. Typically, these are in subjects such as the medical sciences, economics, and law.

Students enrolling in post-graduate education should possess a good bachelor’s degree in a subject that corresponds closely to the post-graduate degree being applied for.

Admission requirements can differ between universities. There is no central admissions system in Iceland and applicants must apply directly to the university. Application deadlines for international students differ between universities but usually fall in the spring. Some universities also require an application fee for certain international students.