The Practical Diploma in Icelandic as a second language is a 60 ECTS programme for students who have little prior knowledge of Icelandic.
Applicants must demonstrate through an entrance examination that they have reached level A1 within the Common European Framework when they start the programme. See, for example:
Information about the entrance exam can be found here.
The deadline for applications is:
Applications must be sent through the Application Portal. Applications sent via email cannot be accepted.
A full-time programme consists of two mornings or two afternoons per week, on Mondays/Tuesdays and Wednesdays/Thursdays. Students will have the chance to choose a group in late August, before the start of class. Also, there will be a group in the afternoon, four days per week, from 16:40 to 18:10 if enough participation is achieved. Online learning is available, and students attend either four mornings per week, from 8:20 to 9:50, or four afternoons per week, from 16:40 to 18:10, Monday to Thursday, provided that sufficient participation is achieved. Students choose their group in August, before the start of classes.
It is mandatory for all students of the Practical Diploma, including online students, to take midterm and final exams onsite at the University of Iceland, at UnA, UW, or other universities or official institutions that can supervise university exams.
Classes start in mid-August. Enrolled students can check our handbook related to the practical diploma after logging in with their university account.
Note: The last day for students to be allowed to start their studies after the beginning of the semester is 3 September 2026.
Foreign equivalent to the Icelandic matriculation examination (stúdentspróf) or equivalent qualification. Detailed information on admission requirements can be found in the Regulation on admission requirements for undergraduate study at the University of Iceland, no. 331/2022. Further information by country can be found here. Students whose native language is not English must also demonstrate English proficiency: TOEFL (4.5), IELTS (6,5) or PTE Academic (58). TOEFL tests taken before 21 January 2026 must be TOEFL (79). In order to be able to verify your results in online databases, the test results can not be older than two years. Other ways to meet the English requirements can be found here.
Students must have reached level A1 within the Common European Framework when they start the programme. Applicants must take an admission test to prove this level of proficiency. Information about the admission test for Icelandic as a Second Language, for Practical Purposes Information about the admission test for Icelandic as a Second Language, for Practical Purposes can be found here.
NOTE: At the University Council meeting on 4 December 2025, it was approved that in the academic year 2026–2027, a maximum of 50 non-EEA students will be accepted to the practical diploma in Icelandic as a second language each year. Applicants from Switzerland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands are exempt from these restrictions, as are those who have a permanent residence permit for Iceland or a residence permit that can be the basis for a permanent residence permit.
Applicants must have passed a foreign equivalent of the Icelandic matriculation exam. Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate proficiency in English, see Article 17 of Regulation no. 331/2022 on admission requirements for undergraduate study at the University of Iceland.
All applicants who meet the above admission requirements must pass a written entrance exam to demonstrate level A1 Icelandic skills. Applicants resident in Iceland will take the written exam on site in Iceland but applicants living abroad will take the exam online. Applicants who pass the online written exam (minimum grade 6.0 out of 10) must also pass an oral exam via a video conferencing platform, designed to test A1 skills and confirm the examinee’s identity. The minimum grade for the oral exam is 6.0 out of 10.
NOTE: At the University Council meeting on 4 December 2025, it was approved that in the academic year 2026–2027, a maximum of 50 non-EEA students will be accepted to the practical diploma in Icelandic as a second language each year. Applicants from Switzerland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands are exempt from these restrictions, as are those who have a permanent residence permit for Iceland or a residence permit that can be the basis for a permanent residence permit.
If more than 50 students, to whom the restrictions apply, achieve the minimum grade on the oral exam, the applicants with the 50 best grades on the oral exam will be accepted to the programme.
To qualify for a diploma in Icelandic for Practical Purposes, students must complete the following mandatory courses: Vocabulary and Grammar I, Speech and Expression I, and Pronouncing and Listening I in the autumn semester; Vocabulary and Grammar II, Speech and Expression II, and Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension II in the spring semester. Please note that you can only take Vocabulary and Grammar II, Speech and Expression II, and Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension II if you have completed Vocabulary and Grammar I, Speech and Expression I, and Pronouncing and Listening I. Additionally, students must finish 20 ECTS credits of restricted elective courses. Please note that students may only choose one of the following courses: ÍSE014G Icelandic Culture, ÞJÓ437G Being Icelandic or MEX020G Icelandic Nature and Cultural Legacy. If a student takes more than one of these courses, only one of them will count towards the 20 ECTS of restricted elective courses. Enrolment in the elective course Self Study in Icelandic II is not dependent on having completed Self Study in Icelandic I. To graduate from the Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies, a student must achieve an average grade of 6.0 as stated in article 114 in Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569-2009.
Check below to see how the programme is structured.
This programme does not offer specialisations.
This survey course is intended to introduce students to the history of Iceland from settlement in the ninth century to modern times providing an overview of events and developments during this long period. Political, social, economic and cultural aspects will address key themes. These include the settlement of Iceland in the context of the Viking expansion; paganism and the rise of Christianity; the Reformation and the strengthening of the Danish Kingdom; environment and pre-industrial demographic crises; the influence of the Enlightenment; rise of nationalism and the making of the nation-state; the transition from peasant society to industrial society; the effects of the Cold War; the ´cod wars´; the women‘s movement; globalization and the financial crisis of 2008.
The objective of the course is to equip students with general knowledge of Iceland’s history as well as introducing to them to some of the central issues of debate reflecting key questions of research, methods and interpretation.
The course is not intended for Icelandic students.
The aim of this course is to introduce foreign students to Icelandic folk culture past and present: from the folk beliefs implied by the Icelandic sagas to the famous collection of folk tales concerning "hidden people", elves, magicians, seal-folk, ghosts and more which was published by Jón Árnason in 1862-64; the ballads and music enjoyed by the people in the countryside; and the beliefs, behaviour and lifestyles encountered by the somewhat dumbfounded and awe-inspired early foreign travellers to Iceland during the last century. Students will also be introduced to modern Icelandic traditions and beliefs, from the Christmas men to the "elf stones" that road builders avoid, to the eating of sheeps heads, and the continual interest in the supernatural. The course is not intended for Icelandic students.
Nature of Iceland
Students learn about the weather and climate, geology, vegetation and animal life. (wild and domestic). They attend lectures about the geology of Iceland and go on fieldtrips to see volcanoes, hotsprings and lava and study the geography of the country. They go birdwatching, to the seashore and to a woody hill.
Field trips (1-6 hours) are an important ingredient of this part of the course.
Environmental problems and nature conservation in Iceland will be discussed.
Cultural Legacy
The course will give an overview of Icelandic history and culture from medieval times to the present.
An Icelandic Family Saga wil be read. Some Icelandic folk tales and familiar motives from oral tradition will be looked into as well as modern and contemporary literature and other art forms.
Field trips will be made to historical museums and art exhibits.
Teaching methods: Lectures, seminars , group work and field trips.
This course focuses on grammar, listening comprehension and reading comprehension/vocabulary. The course is based on principles of autonomous learning where the overall aim is to train fluency and accuracy through self-directed work under the supervision of an instructor. Students will go through the web-based beginners course Icelandic Online I Plus and choose additionally one of the following sub-sections to work on: grammar, listening or reading/vocabulary. Students attend classes where they get the opportunity to ask questions and practice what they have learned.
The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the development of Icelandic culture from early to modern times, with emphasis on contemporary culture and art. Focus is placed on the rapid development of the country from a rural to an urban society during the past decades and the way in which the development has influenced Icelandic music, visual arts, films, theatre, and literature. Students will e.g. read a varied selection of literary texts. Icelandic Culture is open to all foreign students at the University of Iceland. The course is taught in English.
This course is aimed at beginners in Icelandic. The main emphasis is on practical efficiency in the spoken and written language. Practical vocabulary, basic grammar and syntax are introduced and practiced through reading, writing and oral communication. The grammatical topics covered on the course include gender, number, common verb phrases and the conjugation of verbs in the present tense.
This course is for beginners in Icelandic. Strategies for managing interaction are introduced and practiced, i.e. opening and closing a conversation, making introductions, asking for service or assistance. Simple daily-life phrases are introduced. Students work on assignments as they conduct their daily lives in the so-called Icelandic Village, as well as out in wider society. Students work both individually and in small groups in the classroom setting and out in society through conversations and short presentations.
Basic features of the phonetic system of Icelandic are introduced and explained. The pronunciation of vowels and consonants is systematically trained and practiced, as are basic rules of intonation and stress. Students work on various listening, comprehension and pronunciation assignments, inside and outside the classroom.
Nature of Iceland
Students learn about the weather and climate, geology, vegetation and animal life. (wild and domestic). They attend lectures about the geology of Iceland and go on fieldtrips to see volcanoes, hotsprings and lava and study the geography of the country. They go birdwatching, to the seashore and to a woody hill.
Field trips (1-6 hours) are an important ingredient of this part of the course.
Environmental problems and nature conservation in Iceland will be discussed.
Cultural Legacy
The course will give an overview of Icelandic history and culture from medieval times to the present.
An Icelandic Family Saga wil be read. Some Icelandic folk tales and familiar motives from oral tradition will be looked into as well as modern and contemporary literature and other art forms.
Field trips will be made to historical museums and art exhibits.
Teaching methods: Lectures, seminars , group work and field trips.
An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.
Teaching form:
The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE001G, Self Study in Icelandic I, based on principles of autonomous learning. The overall aim is to practice fluency and accuracy through self-directed work under the supervision of an instructor. Students will go through the web-based course Icelandic Online 2 Plus and choose additionally one of the following sub-sections to work on: grammar, listening or reading/vocabulary. Students attend classes where they get the opportunity to ask questions and practice what they have learned.
The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the development of Icelandic culture from early to modern times, with emphasis on contemporary culture and art. Focus is placed on the rapid development of the country from a rural to an urban society during the past decades and the way in which the development has influenced Icelandic music, visual arts, films, theatre, and literature. Students will e.g. read a varied selection of literary texts. Icelandic Culture is open to all foreign students at the University of Iceland. The course is taught in English.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE002G Vocabulary and Grammar I.
The main aim of this course is to expand students' vocabulary through reading and writing. Students read texts/stories on daily-life topics and use them to practice language use, vocabulary and grammar. Basic Icelandic grammar will be introduced and trained at home/in class. Areas of grammar to be covered include conjugation of verbs in the present and past tense, grammatical gender and the declension of nominals.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE030G Speech and Expression I. Students read short texts at home concerning daily-life issues and discuss them in small groups in class. Students are also expected to give presentations about some of these topics in front of the class. Furthermore, lessons are intended to prepare students for communication outside the classroom.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE032G Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension I. Various pronunciation rules are explained, trained and practiced, especially those pertaining to consonant clusters and vowel-consonant sequences. Common elisions and changes of sounds in continuous speech are dealt with. Students work on listening, comprehension, and pronunciation assignments inside and outside the classroom.
This survey course is intended to introduce students to the history of Iceland from settlement in the ninth century to modern times providing an overview of events and developments during this long period. Political, social, economic and cultural aspects will address key themes. These include the settlement of Iceland in the context of the Viking expansion; paganism and the rise of Christianity; the Reformation and the strengthening of the Danish Kingdom; environment and pre-industrial demographic crises; the influence of the Enlightenment; rise of nationalism and the making of the nation-state; the transition from peasant society to industrial society; the effects of the Cold War; the ´cod wars´; the women‘s movement; globalization and the financial crisis of 2008.
The objective of the course is to equip students with general knowledge of Iceland’s history as well as introducing to them to some of the central issues of debate reflecting key questions of research, methods and interpretation.
The course is not intended for Icelandic students.
The aim of this course is to introduce foreign students to Icelandic folk culture past and present: from the folk beliefs implied by the Icelandic sagas to the famous collection of folk tales concerning "hidden people", elves, magicians, seal-folk, ghosts and more which was published by Jón Árnason in 1862-64; the ballads and music enjoyed by the people in the countryside; and the beliefs, behaviour and lifestyles encountered by the somewhat dumbfounded and awe-inspired early foreign travellers to Iceland during the last century. Students will also be introduced to modern Icelandic traditions and beliefs, from the Christmas men to the "elf stones" that road builders avoid, to the eating of sheeps heads, and the continual interest in the supernatural. The course is not intended for Icelandic students.
Nature of Iceland
Students learn about the weather and climate, geology, vegetation and animal life. (wild and domestic). They attend lectures about the geology of Iceland and go on fieldtrips to see volcanoes, hotsprings and lava and study the geography of the country. They go birdwatching, to the seashore and to a woody hill.
Field trips (1-6 hours) are an important ingredient of this part of the course.
Environmental problems and nature conservation in Iceland will be discussed.
Cultural Legacy
The course will give an overview of Icelandic history and culture from medieval times to the present.
An Icelandic Family Saga wil be read. Some Icelandic folk tales and familiar motives from oral tradition will be looked into as well as modern and contemporary literature and other art forms.
Field trips will be made to historical museums and art exhibits.
Teaching methods: Lectures, seminars , group work and field trips.
This course focuses on grammar, listening comprehension and reading comprehension/vocabulary. The course is based on principles of autonomous learning where the overall aim is to train fluency and accuracy through self-directed work under the supervision of an instructor. Students will go through the web-based beginners course Icelandic Online I Plus and choose additionally one of the following sub-sections to work on: grammar, listening or reading/vocabulary. Students attend classes where they get the opportunity to ask questions and practice what they have learned.
The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the development of Icelandic culture from early to modern times, with emphasis on contemporary culture and art. Focus is placed on the rapid development of the country from a rural to an urban society during the past decades and the way in which the development has influenced Icelandic music, visual arts, films, theatre, and literature. Students will e.g. read a varied selection of literary texts. Icelandic Culture is open to all foreign students at the University of Iceland. The course is taught in English.
This course is aimed at beginners in Icelandic. The main emphasis is on practical efficiency in the spoken and written language. Practical vocabulary, basic grammar and syntax are introduced and practiced through reading, writing and oral communication. The grammatical topics covered on the course include gender, number, common verb phrases and the conjugation of verbs in the present tense.
This course is for beginners in Icelandic. Strategies for managing interaction are introduced and practiced, i.e. opening and closing a conversation, making introductions, asking for service or assistance. Simple daily-life phrases are introduced. Students work on assignments as they conduct their daily lives in the so-called Icelandic Village, as well as out in wider society. Students work both individually and in small groups in the classroom setting and out in society through conversations and short presentations.
Basic features of the phonetic system of Icelandic are introduced and explained. The pronunciation of vowels and consonants is systematically trained and practiced, as are basic rules of intonation and stress. Students work on various listening, comprehension and pronunciation assignments, inside and outside the classroom.
Nature of Iceland
Students learn about the weather and climate, geology, vegetation and animal life. (wild and domestic). They attend lectures about the geology of Iceland and go on fieldtrips to see volcanoes, hotsprings and lava and study the geography of the country. They go birdwatching, to the seashore and to a woody hill.
Field trips (1-6 hours) are an important ingredient of this part of the course.
Environmental problems and nature conservation in Iceland will be discussed.
Cultural Legacy
The course will give an overview of Icelandic history and culture from medieval times to the present.
An Icelandic Family Saga wil be read. Some Icelandic folk tales and familiar motives from oral tradition will be looked into as well as modern and contemporary literature and other art forms.
Field trips will be made to historical museums and art exhibits.
Teaching methods: Lectures, seminars , group work and field trips.
An examination will be made of the religious beliefs and practices of people in Scandinavia from the earliest of times until the conversion, material ranging from burial practices to rock carvings, to the written evidence given in the works of Tacitus, Adam of Bremen and Saxo Grammaticus, as well as in early Icelandic works like the Eddic poems and the Kings' sagas. Alongside this discussion of the development and key features of Old Norse religion, some attention will be paid to the concepts of seid and shamanism, especially in connection to their role in early religions. Finally, an examination will be made of the conversion of Scandinavia and how Christian concepts and practices both fitted and contrasted with the previously dominant Old Norse worldview.
Teaching form:
The teaching takes place in the form of lectures and discussion on the material of the lectures.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE001G, Self Study in Icelandic I, based on principles of autonomous learning. The overall aim is to practice fluency and accuracy through self-directed work under the supervision of an instructor. Students will go through the web-based course Icelandic Online 2 Plus and choose additionally one of the following sub-sections to work on: grammar, listening or reading/vocabulary. Students attend classes where they get the opportunity to ask questions and practice what they have learned.
The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the development of Icelandic culture from early to modern times, with emphasis on contemporary culture and art. Focus is placed on the rapid development of the country from a rural to an urban society during the past decades and the way in which the development has influenced Icelandic music, visual arts, films, theatre, and literature. Students will e.g. read a varied selection of literary texts. Icelandic Culture is open to all foreign students at the University of Iceland. The course is taught in English.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE002G Vocabulary and Grammar I.
The main aim of this course is to expand students' vocabulary through reading and writing. Students read texts/stories on daily-life topics and use them to practice language use, vocabulary and grammar. Basic Icelandic grammar will be introduced and trained at home/in class. Areas of grammar to be covered include conjugation of verbs in the present and past tense, grammatical gender and the declension of nominals.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE030G Speech and Expression I. Students read short texts at home concerning daily-life issues and discuss them in small groups in class. Students are also expected to give presentations about some of these topics in front of the class. Furthermore, lessons are intended to prepare students for communication outside the classroom.
This course is a continuation of the course ÍSE032G Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension I. Various pronunciation rules are explained, trained and practiced, especially those pertaining to consonant clusters and vowel-consonant sequences. Common elisions and changes of sounds in continuous speech are dealt with. Students work on listening, comprehension, and pronunciation assignments inside and outside the classroom.
The timetable shown below is for the current academic year and is FOR REFERENCE ONLY.
Changes may occur for the autumn semester in August and September and for the spring semester in December and January. You will find your final timetable in Ugla when the studies start.
Note! This timetable is not suitable for planning your work schedule if you are a part-time employee.
The University of Iceland collaborates with over 400 universities worldwide. This provides a unique opportunity to pursue part of your studies at an international university thus gaining added experience and fresh insight into your field of study.
Students generally have the opportunity to join an exchange programme, internship, or summer courses. However, exchanges are always subject to faculty approval.
Students have the opportunity to have courses evaluated as part of their studies at the University of Iceland, so their stay does not have to affect the duration of their studies.
A better knowledge of Icelandic will enable you to:
This list is not exhaustive
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