University of Iceland

The University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education, founded in 1911.冰岛大学（Háskóli Íslands）是冰岛雷克雅未克的一所公立研究型大学，创办于 1911 年，是该国历史最悠久、规模最大的高等教育机构。

It grew from a small civil-servants' school into a modern comprehensive university that provides instruction for about 14,000 students across twenty-five faculties, and it is the country's principal centre of higher learning and research.该校由一所规模不大的公务人员学校发展为现代综合性大学，设有二十五个学部，为约 14000 名学生提供教学，也是该国最重要的高等教育与研究中心。

Teaching and research are conducted in the social sciences, the humanities, law, medicine, the natural sciences, engineering and teacher education, with most instruction given in Icelandic.该校在社会科、人文、法律、医学、自然科学、工程与师范教育领域开展教学与研究，教学主要以冰岛语进行。

History

• Demands for a national Icelandic university stretch back to the first session of the elected Alþingi in 1845, when nationalist leaders petitioned Denmark to create a "national school" for cultural and material progress, a campaign regarded as an early expression of Icelandic cultural nationalism.建立一所冰岛国立大学的要求可上溯至 1845 年当选议会首次会议，当时民族主义领袖向丹麦请设一所「国民学校」，以求文化与物质的进步。

• The University of Iceland was founded by the Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament, on 17 June 1911, uniting three former post-secondary institutions: Prestaskólinn, Læknaskólinn and Lagaskólinn, which taught theology, medicine and law respectively.冰岛大学由冰岛议会（Alþingi）于 1911 年 6 月 17 日创办，合并了此前三所高等教育机构 Prestaskólinn、Læknaskólinn 与 Lagaskólinn，分别教授神学、医学与法律。

• The university originally had faculties for those three fields in addition to a faculty of humanities, and its first rector was Björn M. Ólsen, a professor in the faculty of humanities.该校最初除人文学院外，仅设上述三个领域的学院，其首任校长为人文学院教授 Björn M. Ólsen。

• In its first year of operation in 1911 the university enrolled 45 students, a modest beginning for what would become the country's largest university.1911 年开办第一年，该校注册学生为 45 人，对日后成为全国最大大学的机构而言，起步颇为微小。

• For its first twenty-nine years, from 1911 until 1940, the university was housed in the Icelandic Parliament building, Alþingishúsið, in central Reykjavík.最初二十九年间，即自 1911 年至 1940 年，该校寄居于雷克雅未克市中心的冰岛议会大楼 Alþingishúsið 之内。

• In 1933 the university received a special licence from the Alþingi to operate a cash-prize lottery called Happdrætti Háskólans.1933 年该校获议会特许，经营名为 Happdrætti Háskólans 的现金彩票。

• The university lottery began in 1934 and remains a major source of funding for the construction of new university buildings.这项大学彩票于 1934 年开办，至今仍是新校舍建设的重要资金来源之一。

• In 1940 the university moved into the Main Building, designed by the Icelandic state architect Guðjón Samúelsson, which forms the core of the campus on Suðurgata.1940 年该校迁入由冰岛国家建筑师 Guðjón Samúelsson 设计的主楼，该楼构成 Suðurgata 街校园的核心。

• The national library of Iceland was founded in 1818 and was merged in 1994 with the university library, formally established in 1940, to form the National and University Library of Iceland.冰岛国家图书馆创办于 1818 年，于 1994 年与 1940 年正式设立的大学图书馆合并，组成冰岛国家与大学图书馆。

• Before 2008 the university was divided into eleven faculties which were in turn divided into departments, a structure replaced by the present five-school system.2008 年以前该校分为十一个学院，学院之下再设系；这一架构其后被现行的五学院制取代。

• In 2008 the university was restructured into five schools, and at the same time the Iceland University of Education was merged into it to become its School of Education.2008 年该校重组为五个学院，冰岛教育学院同时并入，成为其教育学院。

• On 21 January 2021 a broken main water pipe serving the Vesturbær neighbourhood flooded the campus with more than 2,000 tonnes of water, damaging the Háskólatorg and Gimli buildings.2021 年 1 月 21 日，为 Vesturbær 街区供水的主水管破裂，逾 2000 吨水涌入校园，损坏了 Háskólatorg 与 Gimli 两座建筑。

• The university played an important role in the construction of the Icelandic nation-state and was seen by Icelanders as an important stepping stone towards full independence.该校在冰岛民族国家的构建中发挥重要作用，被冰岛人视为迈向完全独立的重要一步。

• Increased competition from local colleges encouraged the university to strengthen its marketing and recruitment, something previously considered unnecessary.来自本地院校的竞争加剧，促使该校加强招生与市场推广，而这在此前被认为并不必要。

• Over its first century the university added faculties of engineering, science, social science and education, evolving from a professional school into a comprehensive university.在最初一个世纪中，该校陆续增设工程、理科、社会科学与教育等学院，从职业学校演变为综合性大学。

• The university marked its centenary in 2011 with events that revisited the founding of 1911 and the merger of the three original schools.该校于 2011 年庆祝百年校庆，活动回顾了 1911 年的创办以及最初三所学校的合并。

• During the Second World War the university hosted military training linked to the Allied presence in Iceland, after which the campus expanded around the Suðurgata core.第二次世界大战期间，该校承担了与盟军驻冰岛相关的军事训练，此后校园以 Suðurgata 核心区为原点不断扩展。

• The university's continuing education centre extends its teaching beyond degree programmes to professionals and the wider public, from young professionals to retirees.该校的继续教育中心把教学从学位项目延伸到职业人士与更广泛的公众。

• The university operates a Graduate School for doctoral training and a growing portfolio of English-taught master's programmes designed to attract foreign students.该校设有负责博士培养的研究生院，并提供日益增多、面向外国学生的英语授课硕士项目。

• Today the university is a leading Icelandic research institution and a symbol of the country's cultural and scientific self-reliance, both at home and abroad.如今该校是冰岛领先的研究机构，也是该国文化与科学自主的象征。

Academics

• The university is divided into five schools which are further divided into a total of twenty-five faculties, a structure introduced in 2008 to replace the earlier eleven faculties.该校分为五个学院，学院之下共设二十五个学部，这一架构于 2008 年引入，取代此前的十一个学院。

• As of fall 2025 the School of Social Sciences was the largest with around 3,500 students, followed by the School of Health Sciences with around 2,700, while the remaining four schools each had between 1,900 and 2,600 students.截至 2025 年秋季，社会科学学院规模最大、约有 3500 名学生，其次是约有 2700 名学生的健康科学学院，其余四个学院各有 1900 至 2600 名学生。

• At that time 231 exchange students from other institutions were also enrolled at the university, which additionally hosts visiting researchers from partner institutions in Europe and North America.当时还有 231 名来自其他院校的交换学生在该校就读。

• The School of Social Sciences comprises faculties of sociology, anthropology and folklore, social work, economics, law, political science and business administration.社会科学学院下设社会学·人类学与民俗学、社会工作、经济学、法律、政治学与工商管理等学部。

• The School of Health Sciences comprises faculties of nursing, pharmacy, medicine, food science and nutrition, psychology and dentistry.健康科学学院下设护理、药学、医学、食品科学与营养、心理学与牙医学等学部。

• The School of Humanities comprises faculties of theology and religious studies, Icelandic and cultural studies, languages and cultures, and history and philosophy.人文学院下设神学与宗教研究、冰岛与文化研究、语言与文化、历史与哲学等学部。

• The School of Education comprises faculties of subject teaching, health promotion, sport and leisure studies, teaching and education, and education and diversity.教育学院下设学科教学、健康促进·运动与休闲研究、教学与教育、教育与多样性等学部。

• The School of Engineering and Natural Sciences comprises faculties of industrial, mechanical and computer science, earth sciences, life and environmental sciences, electrical and computer engineering, physical sciences, and environmental and civil engineering.工程与自然科学学院下设工业·机械与计算机科学、地球科学、生命与环境科学、电气与计算机工程、物理科学，以及环境与土木工程等学部。

• With more than 700 tenured teachers, over 2,000 non-tenured teachers and about 300 researchers and administrators, the university is the largest single workplace in Iceland, and its concentration of researchers makes it the principal scientific employer of the Icelandic state.该校拥有 700 多名终身教职教师、2000 多名非终身教职教师以及约 300 名研究人员与行政人员，是冰岛最大的单一雇主。

• The university offers studies in more than 160 undergraduate programmes in the humanities, science and social sciences, as well as in theology, law, business, medicine, odontology, nursing, pharmacology and engineering.该校提供 160 多个本科项目，涵盖人文、理科与社会科学，以及神学、法律、商科、医学、牙医学、护理、药理学与工程等领域。

• Postgraduate studies are offered by all faculties, most of them research-based, alongside several multidisciplinary master's programmes in health and environmental sciences.各学院均提供研究生教育，多数为研究型，此外还设若干健康与环境科学方向的跨学科硕士项目。

• Doctoral education is organised through the individual faculties, which together award doctoral degrees across the humanities, the sciences, the social sciences, law, medicine and engineering, with candidates supervised by the university's senior researchers and often spending time at partner institutions abroad.博士教育通过各学部组织，共同在人文、理科、社会科学、法律、医学与工程领域授予博士学位，博士生由该校资深研究者指导，并常赴海外合作机构交流。

• The principal language of instruction is Icelandic, textbooks are mainly in English and Icelandic, and most departments allow foreign students to sit examinations in English, and doctoral theses may also be written and defended in English.该校主要教学语言为冰岛语，教材以英语与冰岛语为主，多数院系允许外国学生以英语参加考试。

• Icelandic language, medieval studies and environmental sciences are among the university's strongest specialties, drawing on Iceland's unique literary heritage and natural setting.冰岛语、中世纪研究与环境科学是该校最强的专长之一，依托冰岛独特的文学传统与自然环境。

• The university runs more than sixty research institutes and seven rural research stations, including the Social Science Research Institute and the Keldur Institute for Experimental Pathology.该校运营 60 多个研究所与 7 个乡村研究站，其中包括社会科学研究所与 Keldur 实验病理研究所。

• The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies preserves medieval Icelandic manuscripts, and the earth sciences faculty runs the Earth Sciences Institute, which includes the Nordic Volcanological Centre.阿尼·马格努松冰岛研究所保存中世纪冰岛手稿，地球科学学部则运营地球科学研究所，其中包含北欧火山学中心。

• The Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages, a Foreign Languages Institute accredited as a UNESCO category 2 institute, is attached to the university.维格迪丝·芬博阿多蒂尔外国语研究所是附属于该校的外国语研究所，被列为联合国教科文组织第二类研究所。

• The university is an active member of the University of the Arctic network and takes part in its north2north student mobility programme.该校是北极大学网络的活跃成员，并参与其「north2north」学生流动项目。

Campus

• The main campus lies immediately south-west of Tjörnin lake in the centre of Reykjavík and covers about ten hectares with around thirty buildings, a compact site that students can cross on foot within a few minutes.主校区位于雷克雅未克市中心 Tjörnin 湖的西南侧，占地约十公顷，约有三十座建筑。

• The oldest building on campus, Gamli Garður, was built in 1934, while the Main Building of 1940 overlooks a semi-circular lawn with a statue of Sæmundur fróði.校园内最古老的建筑 Gamli Garður 建于 1934 年；1940 年的主楼俯瞰一片半圆形草坪，草坪上立有「Sæmundur fróði」的雕像。

• A new service centre opened next to the Main Building in 2007, and some lectures take place in the Háskólabíó cinema at the northern end of the campus.2007 年主楼旁开设了新的服务中心，部分课程则在校园北端的 Háskólabíó 电影院进行。

• The campus also has a gym, several dormitories and smaller research-institute buildings, while the Faculty of Sport, Leisure Studies and Social Education is located in the village of Laugarvatn.校园内还设有体育馆、若干宿舍与较小的研究所建筑；而运动·休闲研究与社会科学教育学部则位于 Laugarvatn 村。

• The National and University Library of Iceland occupies the Þjóðarbókhlaðan building next to the main campus, serving both the university and the Icelandic nation.冰岛国家与大学图书馆坐落于主校区旁的 Þjóðarbókhlaðan 大楼内，同时服务大学与冰岛全国。

• Teaching and research are closely tied to the National University Hospital in Reykjavík, and the facilities of the School of Health Sciences are largely located on the hospital grounds.该校的教学与研究同雷克雅未克的国家大学医院紧密相连，健康科学学院的设施大多位于医院用地上。

• The university's buildings are concentrated on the main campus and in nearby neighbourhoods rather than spread across the city.该校建筑集中于主校区及临近街区，而非散布于全城。

• The university sits in the heart of Reykjavík, close to the old harbour and the city's cultural institutions, with the old harbour, museums and concert halls within easy reach on foot.该校坐落于雷克雅未克心脏地带，靠近旧港与城市的文化机构，旧港、博物馆与音乐厅皆可步行抵达。

• Because the site is compact, students can move between lectures, the library and the hospital teaching facilities in a few minutes.由于校区紧凑，学生可在数分钟内往返于课堂、图书馆与医院教学设施之间。

• The campus grounds include the university gymnasium and several dormitory complexes serving the student community.校园用地包括大学体育馆与若干服务学生社群的宿舍建筑群。

• The seven rural research stations extend the university's reach to the Icelandic countryside, supporting agriculture, fisheries and environmental monitoring.七个乡村研究站把该校的影响延伸至冰岛乡野，支撑农业、渔业与环境监测。

• The university operates a continuing education centre as part of its campus provision in Reykjavík.该校在雷克雅未克的校区设施中还设有一所继续教育中心。

Reputation

• In the 2027 QS World University Rankings the University of Iceland is placed 537th in the world.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，冰岛大学位列世界第 537 名。

• The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 place the university in the 501-550 band.2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名把该校列入 501 至 550 区间。

• In the U.S. News Best Global Universities ranking for 2026-2027 the institution is ranked 620th in the world.在 2026-2027 年度《美国新闻与世界报道》全球最佳大学排名中，该校位列世界第 620 名。

• The 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities places Iceland in the 601-700 band.2026 年软科世界大学学术排名把冰岛大学列入 601 至 700 区间。

• OpenAlex attributes about 32,661 scholarly works and 2,959,948 citations to the university, reflecting a strong research output for so small a country.OpenAlex 把约 32661 项学术成果与 2959948 次引用归于该校，对如此小的国家而言科研产出相当可观。

• In 2011 Times Higher Education included the university for the first time, placing it in the 276-300 band, and the following year it rose to the 251-275 band.2011 年泰晤士高等教育首次将该校纳入排名，置于 276 至 300 区间，次年升至 251 至 275 区间。

• The 2017 edition of the Academic Ranking of World Universities placed the university in the 401-500 band.2017 年版软科世界大学学术排名把该校列入 401 至 500 区间。

• The university is the leading higher-education institution and one of the principal research centres of Iceland, producing one of Europe's highest research outputs per capita for a country of fewer than 400,000 people.该校是冰岛领先的高等教育机构，也是该国主要的研究中心之一，对一个不足 40 万人口的国家而言，其人均科研产出位居欧洲前列。

• Its research strengths in geology, glaciology and volcanology draw directly on Iceland's position on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, giving Icelandic geoscientists access to an active volcanic landscape found almost nowhere else.该校在地质学、冰川学与火山学方面的研究优势，直接得益于冰岛位于大西洋中脊的地理位置。

Student life

• The University of Iceland is a public, government-funded university and does not charge tuition, although students pay an enrolment fee of 75,000 krónur.冰岛大学是一所公立的政府资助大学，不收学费，但学生须缴纳 75000 冰岛克朗的注册费。

• The university has no formal Latin motto and grounds its identity instead in its role as Iceland's national university.该校没有正式的拉丁文校训，其身份认同更多建立在它作为冰岛国立大学的角色之上。

• Most students either work part-time to finance their studies or receive student loans at favourable interest rates from the Icelandic Student Loan Fund, a system that helps keep Icelandic higher education accessible to students from every region of the country.多数学生或兼职以维持学业，或从冰岛学生贷款基金获得低息学生贷款。

• The Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture offers annual awards to foreign students for the study of Icelandic language, history and literature, usually covering board and lodging for one academic year.冰岛教育、科学与文化部每年向外国学生提供学习冰岛语、历史与文学的奖学金，通常覆盖一个学年的食宿。

• The main source of funding for foreign graduate students is the Eimskipafélag Íslands University Fund, which grants about 2.5 million Icelandic krónur a year for up to three years.外国研究生的主要资助来源是 Eimskipafélag Íslands 大学基金，每年提供约 250 万冰岛克朗、为期最长三年。

• The Students' Council is the official representative of students, and its elections are contested each year by parties such as Vaka and Röskva.学生议会是学生的官方代表机构，每年选举由 Vaka 与 Röskva 等学生政党角逐。

• There are more than sixty student unions at the university, each representing students of a particular subject or group of related subjects, with a tradition of so-called "science trips" hosted by industry.该校设有 60 多个学生社团，各自代表某一学科或若干相关学科的学生，并形成由业界邀请学生参访的「科学之旅」传统。

• Félagsstofnun stúdenta, a self-owned institution, runs kindergartens, low-rent apartments, cafeterias and a large bookstore in and around the campus.自有的机构「Félagsstofnun stúdenta」在校内外经营幼儿园、低价公寓、食堂与一家大型书店。

• Older students and graduate students often have their own unions, some of which organise small academic seminars alongside social events, and membership is optional for all students.高年级学生与研究生常有各自的社团，其中一些在社交活动之外还组织小型学术研讨。

• Because the university holds Icelandic manuscripts, 1703 census records, genealogical data and climatological, glaciological, seismic and geothermal records, its students work with uniquely Icelandic sources.由于该校保藏冰岛手稿、1703 年人口普查记录、家谱数据，以及气候、冰川、地震与地热记录，其学生得以使用冰岛独有的研究资料。

• Many Icelandic politicians began their careers in student politics at the university, reflecting its central role in national life.许多冰岛政治人物在冰岛大学的学生政治中起步，反映出该校在国家生活中的核心地位。

• Annual student festivals, concerts and the spring graduation ceremony give a steady rhythm to campus life around Tjörnin lake, while the nearby cafeterias and the student-run bookstore serve as informal meeting places throughout the year.年度学生节、音乐会与春季毕业典礼为 Tjörnin 湖周边的校园生活带来稳定节奏，附近的食堂与学生书店则终年充当非正式的聚会场所。

Notable people

• Björn M. Ólsen, a professor of humanities, served as the university's first rector from its founding in 1911.人文教授 Björn M. Ólsen 自 1911 年建校起担任该校首任校长。

• Guðjón Samúelsson, the Icelandic state architect, designed the Main Building of the university, completed in 1940 and still the core of the campus.冰岛国家建筑师 Guðjón Samúelsson 设计了该校主楼，该楼于 1940 年落成，至今仍是校园核心。

• Árni Magnússon, the seventeenth-century manuscript collector, is commemorated by the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, which preserves his manuscripts.十七世纪的手稿收藏家阿尼·马格努松，由阿尼·马格努松冰岛研究所予以纪念，该所保存着他的手稿。

• Jón Atli Benediktsson served as rector before Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, who took office as rector in 2025.约恩·阿特利·贝内迪克特松曾任校长，其后由西尔娅·鲍拉·奥马斯多蒂尔于 2025 年接任校长。

• Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, an alumna of the university, became the world's first democratically elected female head of state as President of Iceland in 1980, a landmark for women in public life worldwide.该校校友维格迪丝·芬博阿多蒂尔于 1980 年出任冰岛总统，是世界上首位经民主选举产生的女性国家元首。

• Sæmundur fróði, the medieval scholar and chronicler, is honoured by the statue on the lawn of the Main Building.中世纪学者与编年史家「Sæmundur fróði」由主楼草坪上的雕像予以纪念。

• The Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute of Foreign Languages is named after the former president, tying her name permanently to the university.维格迪丝·芬博阿多蒂尔外国语研究所以这位前总统命名，使她的名字永久与该校相连。

• The university's rectors and council have been drawn from Iceland's academic and public elite, reflecting its role in national governance.该校历任校长与校务委员会成员多出自冰岛学术与公共精英，体现其在国家治理中的角色。

• The Council, chaired by the rector and including faculty, students and external members, is the highest administrative authority of the university.由校长主持、包含教师、学生与外部成员的校务委员会，是该校最高行政机构。

• Icelandic scholars trained at the university have shaped the study of the Icelandic sagas, language and geology worldwide.在冰岛大学受训的冰岛学者，塑造了全球对冰岛萨迦、语言与地质学的研究。

• The university's alumni and faculty have long filled the ranks of Iceland's civil service, hospitals, schools and research institutions.该校校友与教员长期充实冰岛的公务系统、医院、学校与研究机构。