Credit system

In most cases, BA, B.Ed., or BS degree programmes require 180 ECTS credits (3 years). The BS degree in Nursing amounts to 240 ECTS (4 years).

Students opting for a 120 ECTS major in a given subject must also select and complete a 60 ECTS minor, in order to graduate with a 180 ECTS Bachelor's degree.

In most cases, master's programmes require 120 ECTS credits (2 years). 
Diploma programmes can vary but most of them are between 30 and 60 ECTS credits. 

Individual faculties are permitted to grant credits for courses or studies a student has completed at another faculty or university.

Students shall apply for evaluation of courses to the faculty, which decides whether the respective courses should be credited, and, in that case, how many credits they should be worth. The faculty shall seek the assessment of a teacher in the specific subject prior to making a decision.
 

Required documents

An application for transfer credit must be supplemented by a certified academic transcript with course descriptions from the university in question.

In the application, the student shall indicate whether the respective courses should be credited as elective courses or whether they should be credited in order to replace specific compulsory courses.

Faculty rules

Rules regarding the evaluation of previous qualifications can vary from one faculty to another. The rules may stipulate a minimum grade in the subjects to be evaluated and a time limit may apply in terms of when exams were completed.

In addition, faculty rules stipulate whether credits may be transferred for courses that have previously been counted towards a completed degree programme.

When handling requests for transfer credit, University faculties must comply with the international agreements concerning university education accreditation to which Iceland is a party, such as the Lisbon Convention and the Nordic Education Ministers' Reykjavík Declaration.