A record number of students, almost 15,000, is currently enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Iceland. This is an increase of almost 15% from the same time last year.
Each year the University of Iceland publishes statistics on the number of students enrolled at the end of October; the deadline for students to withdraw from their studies and courses for the autumn semester.
As the University received a record number of applications this spring, in part due to the impact of the corona pandemic, it was to be expected that the number of students would be considerably higher than last year. This has now been confirmed.
There are currently a total of 14,992 students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the university, as opposed to 13,092 at the same time last year. The increase is thus 1,900 students between years, or 14.5%. It is worth mentioning that the number of students is currently around 1,000 higher than it was in the autumn semesters following the economic collapse in Iceland in 2008.
There are a total of 9,400 undergraduate students, thereof 4,400 new students; also a record. Furthermore, there are 5,600 postgraduate students, thereof 600 in PhD studies.
It is to be expected that the number of students at the University of Iceland will increase even further in the new year as applications for a selection of programmes in undergraduate and graduate studies are accepted in spring semester. The deadline for spring semester is 31 October for graduate studies and 30 November for undergraduate studies.
"The University community has never been as big and we welcome new students with open arms. It is pleasing to see the great interest in our courses on offer. The University is a comprehensive university and there is an increase in students at all of the five University schools. It is a challenge to grow this much but we rely on increased funding from the government to be able to create the best environment possible for our staff and students," says Jón Atli Benediktsson, rector of the University of Iceland, about this increased turnout.