Upper secondary education / the college system

Framhaldsskólar

Upper secondary education is not compulsory, but anyone who has completed compulsory education has the right to enter a course of studies in an upper secondary school.
Colleges in Iceland are either called fjölbrautaskólar, framhaldsskólar, iðnskólar, menntaskólar or verkmenntaskólar.
Education at upper secondary level is free of charge but students pay an enrolment fee and purchase their textbooks. Students in vocational education pay a part of the cost of materials they use.
The school year, which lasts for nine months, is divided into autumn and spring terms.
The brochure; Upper Secondary Education in Iceland introduces the study opportunities available in Icelandic upper secondary schools to non-Icelandic compulsory school pupils and their parents or guardians. This brochure provides comprehensive information about upper secondary schools, registration for upper secondary education, admission requirements, various types of exemptions, and criteria that upper secondary school students must fulfil to qualify for grants to balance out their study costs.
Please note that more extensive information, which pupils and their parents/ guardians are encouraged to look into, may be found on the websites of the individual upper secondary schools.