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The University of Iceland ( ) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
in
Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...
,
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern
comprehensive university A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
, providing instruction for about 14,000 students in twenty-five faculties. Teaching and research is conducted in
social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
,
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
,
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
,
medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
,
natural sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...
,
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
and
teacher education Teacher education or teacher training refers to programs, policies, procedures, and provision designed to equip (prospective) teachers with the knowledge, attitude (psychology), attitudes, behaviors, approaches, methodologies and skills they requir ...
. It has a campus concentrated around ''Suðurgata'', a street in central Reykjavík, with additional facilities located in nearby areas as well as in the countryside.


History

The University of Iceland was founded by the on 17 June 1911, uniting three former post-secondary institutions: ''Prestaskólinn'', ''Læknaskólinn'' and ''Lagaskólinn'', which taught theology, medicine and law, respectively. The university originally had only faculties for these three fields, in addition to a faculty of
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...
. During its first year of operation, 45 students were enrolled. The first rector of the university was Björn M. Ólsen, a professor in the faculty of humanities. The university played an important role in the construction of the Icelandic nation-state and was perceived by Icelanders as an important stepping stone towards full independence. Demands for a national Icelandic university stretch as far back as to the first session of the elected assembly of Alþingi in 1845. Icelandic nationalist leaders petitioned Denmark at the time to create a "national school" to achieve cultural and material progress, but also to make sure that the education that Icelanders obtained was sufficiently national in character. For its first 29 years, the university was housed in the Icelandic Parliament building, , in central
Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...
. In 1933, the university received a special licence from to operate a cash-prize lottery called ''Happdrætti Háskólans''. The university lottery, which started in 1934, remains a major source of funding for the construction of new university buildings. In 1940, the university moved into the main building, designed by Icelandic state architect
Guðjón Samúelsson Guðjón Samúelsson (16 April 1887 – 25 April 1950) was a State Architect of Iceland, and the first Icelander to be educated in architecture. He has been described as one of Iceland's most influential architects. His notable designs include th ...
. The main building forms the core of the university campus on ''Suðurgata'', where most of the principal buildings of the university are located today. In recent years, there has been some major restructuring. In 2008, the university was divided into five different schools. Simultaneously, the
Iceland University of Education Iceland College of Education was a normal college in Iceland. It merged with the University of Iceland in July 2008 and is now called the School of Education. Enrollment was around 2300 students with more than half of them being distance learn ...
was merged with the University of Iceland to become its School of Education. Increased competition from local colleges has encouraged the university to greatly improve its marketing strategies, which had previously been deemed unnecessary. On 21 January 2021, a broken main water pipe serving the
Vesturbær Vesturbær () is a district in Reykjavík in Iceland, comprising eight neighbourhoods west of the city center: ''Gamli Vesturbær'' , ''Bráðræðisholt'' , ''Grandahverfi'' , ''Hagahverfi'' , ''Melar'' , ''Skjól'' , ''Grímsstaðaholt'' , ''Skil ...
neighbourhood of Reykjavík flooded the campus with over 2,000 tonnes of water, causing damage to buildings Háskólatorg and Gimli.


Campus


School buildings

The university's main campus lies immediately south-west of
Tjörnin Tjörnin () is a small, prominent lake in central Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Most visitors to the city pass along its shore, as it is situated in the city centre next to the Reykjavik City Hall and several museums. ''Tjörnin'' means "t ...
lake in the centre of Reykjavík. It covers about 10 hectares in total. There are around 30 buildings in total, the oldest of which, Gamli Garður, was built in 1934. The Main Building overlooks a semi-circular lawn, featuring a statue of Sæmundur fróði. In 2007, a new service centre was opened next to the main building and many of the most vital service desks were relocated there. Some lectures take place in Háskólabíó cinema at the northern end of the campus. There are also a gym, several dormitories, and smaller research institute buildings on the grounds. Most buildings are located on the main campus and nearby neighbourhoods. The Faculty of Sport, Leisure Studies and Social Education, on the other hand, is located in the village of
Laugarvatn Laugarvatn () is the name of a lake and a small town in the south of Iceland. The lake is smaller than the neighbouring Apavatn. Tourism Laugarvatn lies within the Golden Circle (Iceland), Golden Circle, a popular tourist route, and acts as a s ...
.


Library

In 1994, the university library (formally established in 1940) merged with the national library of Iceland, ''Landsbókasafn Íslands'' (est. 1818) to form one large
academic library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution, which supports the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are an es ...
, the
National and University Library of Iceland ( Icelandic: ; English: ''The National and University Library of Iceland'') is the national library of Iceland which also functions as the university library of the University of Iceland. The library was established on 1 December 1994 in Reykjav ...
(). The library main building, ''Þjóðarbókhlaðan'', is situated next to the main campus.


Hospital

Education and research at the University of Iceland are closely tied with the
National University Hospital The National University Hospital (NUH) is a tertiary referral hospital and academic medical centre in Singapore, located in Kent Ridge. It is a 1,160-bed tertiary hospital serving more than 670,000 outpatients and 49,000 inpatients and serves ...
in Reykjavík. The facilities of the School of Health Sciences are therefore largely located on the hospital grounds.


Organisation


Administration

The University Council is the highest administrative authority within the institution and consists of the Rector and ten other members, including two students and two members endorsed by the University Forum. The University Forum consists of the Rector, faculty heads and various domestic representatives. It does not have any executive powers but works with the Council on the overall strategy of the university. The five academic schools and their faculties are headed by deans and have much control over curricula and day-to-day administration.
Jón Atli Benediktsson Jón Atli Benediktsson (born 19 May 1960) is the rector and president of the University of Iceland and professor in electrical and computer engineering at the university. His research fields are remote sensing, image analysis, pattern recognit ...
is the current Rector of the University of Iceland. He took over from
Kristín Ingólfsdóttir Kristín Ingólfsdóttir is an Icelandic pharmaceutical scientist and former president and rector of the University of Iceland. She served two terms from 2005 to 2015 and was the first woman to hold office in the university's 100-year history. S ...
in 2015.


Schools and faculties

The University of Iceland is divided into five schools (''svið'') which are further divided into a total of twenty-five faculties (''deildir''). Prior to 2008, it was divided into eleven faculties which were then divided into departments (''skorir''). The largest current school is the School of Social Sciences with over 4,700 students, while each of the other four have around half that number. The university also operates a
continuing education centre Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...
. The university consists of the following schools and faculties:


Institutes

There are over sixty research institutes and seven rural research stations run by the university. Some of the most notable are: :*
Árni Magnússon Árni Magnússon (; 13 November 1663 – 7 January 1730) was an Icelandic scholar and collector of manuscripts who assembled the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection. Early life and education Árni was born in 1663 at Kvennabrekka in Dalasýsl ...
Institute for Icelandic Studies :* Institute of Earth Sciences (includes the Nordic Volcanological Centre) :* Keldur – Institute for Experimental Pathology :* Social Science Research Institute :*
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (; born 15 April 1930) is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth president of Iceland from 1980 to 1996, the first woman to hold the position and the first in the world to be democratically elected president of ...
Institute of Foreign Languages (a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
category 2 institute)


Academics

In addition to the major faculties, there are numerous research institutes attached to the university. With more than 700 tenured teachers, over 2,000 non-tenured teachers and about 300 researchers and administrators, the University of Iceland is the largest single work-place in
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
. Some of the resources available at the university are uniquely Icelandic; these include the manuscripts preserved in the
Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies ( ; abbreviated to ) is a university-level institute, which operates on an independent budget under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education. The institute fost ...
, Icelandic census records dating from 1703, exceptionally complete genealogical data and climatological, glaciological, seismic and geothermal records.


Education

The University of Iceland offers studies in more than 160
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...
programmes in the humanities, science and social sciences and in professional fields such as theology, law, business, medicine,
odontology Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of ...
, nursing, pharmacology and engineering.
Postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...
studies are offered by all faculties, most of them research-based although not exclusively. There are also several multidisciplinary master's programmes available in the fields of health and environmental sciences, some of them in cooperation with other European universities. The principal language of instruction is Icelandic. Textbooks are mainly in English and Icelandic. Most departments offer courses in English and allow foreign students to take their examinations in English. Icelandic language, medieval studies and environmental sciences are some of the university's strongest specialties, owing to Iceland's unique literary heritage and nature. A growing number of English-taught programmes are offered in these fields and others, attracting a large number of foreign students.


International collaboration

The university is an active member of the
University of the Arctic The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arcti ...
. UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region. The university participates in UArctic's mobility program north2north. The aim of that program is to enable students of member institutions to study in different parts of the North.


Rankings

In 2011, ''
Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The THES''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...
'' included the University of Iceland for the first time, placing it in the 276-300 band globally. The following year it had risen to the 251-275 band on the same list. The 2017 edition of
Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...
(ARWU) placed it in the 401-500 band globally.


Student life


Student funding

The University of Iceland is a public, government-funded university and as such it does not charge tuition (although an enrollment fee of 75,000 króna must be paid). In terms of living expenses, most students at the University of Iceland either work part-time to finance their studies or receive student loans at favourable interest rates from the Icelandic Student Loan Fund. The Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture annually offers awards to foreign students for the study of
Icelandic language Icelandic ( ; , ) is a North Germanic languages, North Germanic language from the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national languag ...
,
history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
and
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
at the University of Iceland. Scholarships are usually restricted to students from selected countries each year. Awards are tenable for one academic year and aim to cover board and lodging. The major source of funding available to foreign graduate students is the
Eimskipafélag Íslands Eimskipafélag Íslands hf. (, ), trading as Eimskip (, ), is an international shipping company with 56 offices in 20 countries and four continents; Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Eimskip specialises in worldwide freight forwarding ...
University Fund, which is open to both scholars and current or prospective
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
students. Each grant from the fund is approximately 2.5 million ISK per year, for a period of up to three years and is intended to cover living expenses.


Student politics, unions and services

The ''Students' Council'' is the official representative of those studying at the university. It handles all kinds of rights issues and relations with internal and external authorities. Elections for the council take place every year. There are three major parties that participate in the student politics. These are Vaka and Röskva. Many local politicians started their careers as members of the council. There are over 60 student unions in operation within the university. Each union is made up of students of a particular subject or a few related ones. Postgraduate students in some fields have their own unions. Membership is optional. A large part of the unions' function revolves around social activities, the most common of which are the so-called "science trips", a tradition where companies and organizations in the industry invite students in a relevant field over for a presentation and drinks. Some postgraduate student unions also organize small-scale academic seminars. Félagsstofnun stúdenta is a self-owned institution that runs several services in and around the campus. These include kindergartens, low-rent apartments, cafeterias and a large bookstore.


Notable faculty members


Current

* Brynhildur Davidsdottir (ecological economist) * Steven Campana (fisheries scientist) * Gísli Pálsson (anthropologist) * Guðbjörg Linda Rafnsdóttir (sociologist) * Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson (political scientist) *
Hannes Jónsson Hannes is a masculine given name and a diminutive of Johannes or Hannibal (given name), Hannibal. Hannes may refer to: *Hannes Alfvén (1908–1995), Swedish chemist and Nobel-prize winner *Hannes Aigner (born 1989), German slalom canoeist and Oly ...
(theoretical chemist) *
Hrund Ólöf Andradóttir Hrund Ólöf Andradóttir is the first woman to hold the position of professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering in Iceland. Professional experience Hrund completed her matriculation examination from Hamrahlid College in 1990 from the phy ...
(civil engineer) * Inga Bergmann Árnadóttir (odontologist) * Jóhanna Einarsdóttir (early childhood education) * Unnur Anna Valdimarsdóttir (epidemiologist) * Vilhjálmur Árnason (philosopher) *
Þór Whitehead Þór Whitehead (Thor Whitehead) (born 19 August 1943) is an Icelandic historian. He is currently a professor at the University of Iceland. Thor has written extensively on the history of Iceland during World War II and the Cold War. His best know ...
(historian) *
Þorvaldur Gylfason Thorvaldur Gylfason (Icelandic orthography Þorvaldur Gylfason; born 18 July 1951) is an Icelandic economist who has been active in Icelandic public life. On 27 November 2010, he was elected to be a delegate at the Icelandic Constitutional Asse ...
(economist)


Former

* Sigrún Aðalbjarnardóttir (professor emeritus) *
Halldór Ásgrímsson Halldór Ásgrímsson (pronounced ; 8 September 1947 – 18 May 2015) was an Icelandic politician, who served as prime minister of Iceland from 15 September 2004 to 15 June 2006 and was the leader of the Progressive Party from 1994 to 2006. Ed ...
(lecturer, 1973–1975) *
Guðmundur Finnbogason Guðmundur Finnbogason (June 6, 1873 – July 17, 1944)Pind (2005), pp. 9, 30 was an Icelandic philosopher, the son of Guðrún Jónsdóttir and Finnbogi Finnbogason.Pind (2005), p. 9 He was one of the first Icelandic psychologists. His work "Sy ...
(writer, teacher) *
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (; born 14 May 1943) is an Icelandic politician who was the fifth president of Iceland, serving from 1996 to 2016.
(political scientist, former
President of Iceland The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election, 2024 presidential election. The president is not involved in the running of the country, bu ...
) *
Þorsteinn Gylfason Þorsteinn Gylfason (12 August 1942 – 16 August 2005) was an Icelandic philosopher, translator, musician and poet. Þorsteinn distinguished himself in Icelandic public life with his writings in newspapers, journals and publications. His l ...
(philosopher) * Erlendur Haraldsson (social scientist) * Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (former
President of Iceland The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election, 2024 presidential election. The president is not involved in the running of the country, bu ...
) *
Sigurður Nordal Sigurður Nordal (14 September 1886 – 21 September 1974) was an Icelandic scholar, writer, and ambassador. He was influential in forming the theory of the Icelandic sagas as works of literature composed by individual authors. Education Nor ...
(Medieval literature scholar) *
Páll Skúlason Páll Skúlason (4 June 1945 – 22 April 2015) was a professor of philosophy and former Rector of the University of Iceland. Born and raised in Akureyri, in northern Iceland, Páll Skúlason graduated from highschool in 1965. He studied phil ...
(philosopher, 1945-2015) *
Sigurður Þórarinsson Sigurdur Thorarinsson ( Icelandic: Sigurður Þórarinsson) (8 January 1912 – 8 February 1983) was an Icelandic geologist, volcanologist, glaciologist, professor and lyricist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of tephrochronology, and he ...
(geologist)


Notable alumni

*
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (; born 15 April 1930) is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth president of Iceland from 1980 to 1996, the first woman to hold the position and the first in the world to be democratically elected president of ...
(former
President of Iceland The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election, 2024 presidential election. The president is not involved in the running of the country, bu ...
) *
Ólafía Einarsdóttir Ólafía Einarsdóttir (28 July 1924 – 19 December 2017) was an Icelandic archaeologist and historian, specialising in Icelandic chronology. She was the first Icelander to complete a degree in archaeology. After completing her PhD from Lund Un ...
(archaeologist) *
Arnaldur Indriðason Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur. Early life Arnaldur was born in Reykjavík on 28 January 1961, the son o ...
(writer) *
Arndís Þórarinsdóttir Arndís Þórarinsdóttir (born 1982) is an Icelandic children's author. Biography Arndís studied at Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, and took a BA in literature at the University of Iceland, and an MA in creative writing at Goldsmiths, University ...
(writer) *
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (; 13 May 1894 – 15 September 1972) was the second president of Iceland; he served from 1952 to 1968. He also served as the prime minister of Iceland from 3 June 1932 to 28 July 1934 for the Progressive Party. Ásgeir is ...
(politician, former
President of Iceland The president of Iceland () is the head of state of Iceland. The incumbent is Halla Tómasdóttir, who won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election, 2024 presidential election. The president is not involved in the running of the country, bu ...
) *
Björn Bjarnason Björn Bjarnason (born 14 November 1944) is an Icelandic politician. His father was Bjarni Benediktsson (born 1908), Bjarni Benediktsson, Prime Minister of Iceland, Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs and Mayor of Reykjavík. Matric ...
(politician) *
Davíð Oddsson Davíð Oddsson (pronounced ; born 17 January 1948) is an Icelandic politician, and the longest-serving prime minister of Iceland, in office from 1991 to 2004. From 2004 to 2005 he served as Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Iceland), foreign minis ...
(politician) * Einar Pálsson (literature) * Einar Már Guðmundson (writer) *
Friðrik Sophusson Friðrik is a masculine Icelandic given name. Notable people with the name include: * Friðrik Dór (born 1988), Icelandic singer and songwriter * Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (born 1953), Icelandic film director * Friðrik Ólafsson (1935–2025) ...
(politician) *
Guðmundur Finnbogason Guðmundur Finnbogason (June 6, 1873 – July 17, 1944)Pind (2005), pp. 9, 30 was an Icelandic philosopher, the son of Guðrún Jónsdóttir and Finnbogi Finnbogason.Pind (2005), p. 9 He was one of the first Icelandic psychologists. His work "Sy ...
(writer, teacher) * Hreiðar Már Sigurðsson (businessman) *
Kári Stefánsson Kári Stefánsson (born 6 April 1949) is an Icelandic neurologist and founder and CEO of Reykjavík-based biopharmaceutical company deCODE genetics. In Iceland he has pioneered the use of population-scale genetics to understand variation in the ...
(physician and scientist) *
Katrín Jakobsdóttir Katrín Jakobsdóttir (; born 1 February 1976) is an Icelandic former politician who served as the prime minister of Iceland from December 2017 to April 2024 and was a member of the Althing for the Reykjavík North constituency from 2007 to 202 ...
(former
Prime Minister of Iceland The prime minister of Iceland () is head of government of the Republic of Iceland. The prime minister is appointed formally by the president of Iceland, president and exercises executive authority along with the Cabinet of Iceland, cabinet subje ...
, writer) * Kristín Steinsdóttir (writer) * Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir (writer) *
Magnús Scheving Magnús Örn Eyjólfsson Scheving (; born 10 November 1964) is an Icelandic writer, television producer, entrepreneur, actor, and former athlete. He is best known as the creator of the children's television show '' LazyTown'', on which he serv ...
(actor) * Rannveig Þorsteinsdóttir (lawyer and politician) *
Sigurjón Sighvatsson Sigurjón "Joni" Sighvatsson (born 15 June 1952) is an Icelandic film producer and businessman. He is the principal of Palomar Pictures, an independent production company, as well as chairman of Scandinavian film distributor/producer Scanbox Em ...
(film producer) *
Stefán Jón Hafstein Stefán Jón Hafstein (born February 18, 1955) is an author and independent consultant in various capacities (2025) He was an employee of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Iceland, formerly ambassador to the UN Rome based agencies, FAO, WFP and ...
(writer and statesman) * Thor Sigfusson (businessman) *
Vigdís Grímsdóttir Vigdís Grímsdóttir (born 15 August 1953) is an Icelandic writer. Early life and education Born on 15 August 1953 in Reykjavík, she qualified as a teacher in 1973, then gained her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Iceland in 1978, and a f ...
(writer) *
Þórarinn Eldjárn Þórarinn Eldjárn (born 22 August 1949) is an Icelandic writer, particularly well known in Iceland for his humorous poetry books for children. Life and work Þórarinn is the son of Kristján Eldjárn, the third president of Iceland (in off ...
(writer) *
Þórður Helgason Þórður Helgason (born 5 November 1947, in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic writer and educationalist. Life In 1977, Þórður graduated as a Cand. mag. in Icelandic literature from the University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a publ ...
(writer and educationalist) *
Össur Skarphéðinsson Össur Skarphéðinsson (pronounced ; born 19 June 1953) is an Icelandic politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from February 2009 to May 2013. Össur matriculated from the Reykjavík Grammar School in 1973, and gained a BS in ...
(politician) * Steinunn Helga Lárusdóttir (
professor emerita ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...
) * Páll Logason (powerlifter and strongman) * Jacob Winchester (writer, voice actor, and composer)


See also

* Skemman.is (digital library) *
National and University Library of Iceland ( Icelandic: ; English: ''The National and University Library of Iceland'') is the national library of Iceland which also functions as the university library of the University of Iceland. The library was established on 1 December 1994 in Reykjav ...
*
Icelandic scholars This is a list of notable people from Iceland, arranged in categories and ordered Icelandic orthography, alphabetically by first name, following the usual Icelandic name, naming conventions of Iceland. Business *Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson, ...
*
List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945) The list of modern universities in Europe (1801–1940) contains all University, universities that were founded in Europe after the French Revolution and before the end of World War II. Universities are regarded as comprising all institutions ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iceland, University Of Universities and colleges established in 1911
University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...
1911 establishments in Iceland Universities and colleges formed by merger Volcanology in Iceland