Iceland

Placement Information

• Partner Organization: Fulbright Iceland
• Eligible Program Timeframes: January – April 2028 or mid-August – mid-December 2028
• Language Requirement: None
• Monthly Allowance: Between $5,700 - $6,000
• Eligible Thematic Areas: 
  • Super Intelligence (SI) and Technology Innovation in Education
  • Future-Ready Skills, Career Readiness, and Apprenticeship Pathways
  • Effective Civics Education through Comparative Pedagogy
• Host Institution: Fulbright Iceland will identify appropriate host institutions for selected U.S. teachers based on their respective thematic areas of study.
• Dependent Information: Participants with school-aged dependents can attend primary and lower-secondary public schools at little or no cost, which is a great way to integrate into Icelandic society. Fulbright Iceland can assist in finding appropriate local public schools. If participants choose to register their children in a private international school, the cost per month can be approximately $3,300 to 4,000 per child per month. The family may be eligible for a substantial tuition reduction through municipal subsidies, but this cannot be guaranteed. All participants traveling with dependents should read Fulbright Iceland's family guide.
  Please note that tuition support for dependents is subject to availability and requests for funding are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and only if Fulbright Iceland determines that free public school options are not advised or available. Applicants are strongly encouraged to research schooling options for their dependents during the application phase. 
   

Country Overview

Iceland is a small Nordic country, an island republic in the North Atlantic, between the United States and the European mainland. Iceland is technologically advanced, and English is widely spoken. 

• The government of Iceland
• National news from the Iceland Monitor and RUV
• Iceland Travel's overview of culture, history and the arts in Iceland 
• Visit Iceland's Official travel guide
• More on Icelandic history and culture from Visit North Iceland

Educational System Overview

The education system in Iceland is divided into four levels: pre-school, compulsory, upper secondary, and higher education. The system is predominantly publicly funded with very few private schools. The central government has the overall responsibility at all levels of education and sets policies. Local authorities are responsible for the operation of pre-schools and the single structure compulsory school levels (primary and secondary schools) in their area.

• National education system
• Overview of the Icelandic school system
• Eurydice is the European Commission network that explains how education systems are organized in Europe and how they work. It provides the political, social, and economic background and trends per national unit.
• Schooling and daycare information