Scholarship Programmes to Study in Iceland

The Icelandic Government and the universities offer scholarships to study in Iceland.

Icelandic Government Scholarships

The Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture offers many scholarships each year to international students for study language course at the University of Iceland, Reykjavik. The scholarship programme is managed and regulated by the Arni Magnusson Institute for Icelandic Studies. 

Scholarship subjects:  Icelandic as second language-
Icelandic as a second language encompasses theoretical as well as practical areas of study. It is a language study that trains pupils in reading, writing and speaking modern Icelandic. It also provides knowledge of Icelandic history, literature and knowledge.

Eligibility Criteria: 
  • Students should have finished 1 year of university study, and additionally must have Icelandic knowledge as per the requisites for a BA course in Icelandic as a second language 
  • Candidate’s age must be below 35 years
Subjects offered: Phonetics, morphology, syntax and translations of modern Icelandic. 

Eligible Countries
The citizens of the following countries are eligible for this scholarship programme:
  • Bulgaria
  • Finland
  • China
  • Estonia
  • Croatia
  • Norway
  • Austria
  • France
  • Czech Republic
  • Holland
  • Denmark
  • Faeroe Islands
  • Slovakia
  • Poland
  • Germany
  • Canada 
  • United Kingdom
  • Lithuania
  • Sweden
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • Russia
  • Japan
  • Spain
  • United States of America
  • Latvia
  • Switzerland
Scholarship Provider: The Icelandic Government, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Iceland

Scholarship benefits: Includes monthly stipend that varies each year, registration fees at the University of Iceland; also a room is given for rent in University dorm. The stipend is paid at the commencement of each month, from September to April.

Number of scholarships: About 15 (Varies)

Duration: September to April 

Applying Ways and Means : Students from the aforementioned countries, except Canada and United States of America, must apply for the scholarship programme by fill out an application form. To download the application form, click here.
Submit the application along with the following documents to the adderss mentioned below:  
Arni Magnusson Institute for Icelandic Studies, 
Sigureur Nordal Office, Box 1220, 121 Reykjavik, 
Iceland

Documents:Submit the following documents along with the application form:
  • Educational credentials: Must include copies of diploma/certificates, university transcripts, grades.
  • CV/Resume
  • English or Icelandic Language certificates
  • Recommendation letter: At least 2 recommendation letter from academic supervisors
**The documents must be translated in any of Scandinavian language, Icelandic or English

Applications are assessed by a committee and final results are published on the website. 

Icelandic Student Loan Fund (LIN, or Lanasjoeur islenskra namsmanna)

The Icelandic Student Loan Fund is funded and run by the government and is for Icelandic nationals. The LIN provides student loans at educational institutions that need preparatory study equivalent to studies at the universities in Iceland. Loan is also provided to students who wish to go for special studies. Loans are not provided for studies that are part of paid employment as per an employment contract. Also, they are not offered for preparatory studies or for studies taken after obtaining a doctorate degree.

Eligibility: Candidate must be financially capable in order to receive the fund.

Course level: Full-time courses that carry 60 ECTS study units in each academic term or a minimum of 30 ECTS credits each academic session (if the programme is not extended over a full academic year) 

Duration of loan: 5 years; and for postgraduate studies the loan is given for a period of 10 years.

Loan benefits: It covers tuition fee and living expenses.

Repayment: 2 year grace period is given after the completion of studies; and loans must be paid back at below-market interest rates. 

To know more about the LIN Fund, click here.

Scholarships by Higher Education Institutions

In Iceland, many scholarships are offered by higher education institutions. 

Scholarships by Reykjavik University 

Reykavik University offers scholarships and grants to freshmen who have excellent academic records. The grant is awarded for 1st semester at the university. 

Eligibility: Candidates who have achieved a GPA of 8.0 in their matriculation exam are eligible to apply for the grant. Prior to applying for grant, candidate must be enrolled as a full-time student at the university. Candidates who wish to complete 3 years BS or BA degree at the university must apply. 

Benefits: It includes the tuition fee for the 1st semester.

Selection ways and means: Candidates are selected on the basis of the result of their matriculation examination. Also, personal statement of the candidate is taken into consideration while selection.

Result: The final decision on the grant for the fall semester is announced in mid-June; and for the spring semester in mid-December.

To know in detail about the scholarship and grants awarded by the Reykavik University, click here.

Scholarships and Grants by University of Iceland 

There are many scholarships and grants awarded by the University of Iceland for students who are enrolled at the University. Following are the some of the grants awarded by the University: 

The Watanabe Trust Fund

The University of Iceland offers the Watanabe Trust Fund to students for study in Iceland or Japan. This scholarship is awarded for the entire duration of studies and is offered at undergraduate and postgraduate study levels. 

Doctoral Grants 

The doctoral grants are for specialist or tenured lecturers working at the University of Iceland.

Travel Grants 

These grants are for doctoral pupils at the University of Iceland, and are offered for attending seminars or conferences.

Assistantship Fund 

This fund of the University of Iceland permits the lecturers to appoint pupils as assistant to research or teaching, thus providing skills and training in professional work to pupils. 

Research Fund

The research fund is offered to encourage research activities in the University of Iceland, and is organized and handled by the University Council Science Committee. The fund is offered to specialist or tenured lecturers working at the University of Iceland. The fund is given one time every year.

There are many more funds being offered by the University of Iceland. To know more about the scholarships and funds offered by the University of Iceland, click here

For more such scholarships, study grants and aid etc see education funding.
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