Icelandic Government Scholarship (Icelandic as a Second Language)

Because the programme is specifically built around learning and using the Icelandic language, it targets students who already have a genuine interest in Icelandic language, literature, or Nordic studies and who have completed at least one year of university-level study in the humanities before applying — it is not a general open-field undergraduate scholarship.

Iceland awards a limited number of places each year (historically around a dozen), drawn from applicants worldwide, with preference typically given to younger applicants and those who can demonstrate at least a basic working knowledge of Icelandic before arrival, commonly evidenced by completion of introductory Icelandic Online coursework.

The scholarship covers university registration and provides a monthly stipend intended to cover room and board for the nine-month academic year (September to May), making it a genuinely low-cost route to studying in one of the world's most expensive countries, provided the applicant is committed to intensive language study as the core of the programme.

For students interested in linguistics, Nordic literature, translation, or Icelandic/Scandinavian studies, this scholarship offers a rare, fully immersive route into a small but academically rigorous national language programme, alongside exposure to Iceland's distinctive culture, literature, and natural environment.