Application Process

*Note that the application deadline is April 12th. That date also refers to turning in the portfolio.

The application process is two-tiered:

Electronic Application

Please complete the electronic application on the university website.
Please note: It is important to complete all fields marked with an asterisk, attach all required documents, pay the application fee, and confirm the application.
Please scan and attach to the electronic application an institutionally stamped copy of a degree certificate (photocopies are not valid) as well as a record of completed courses.
If attachments are not valid the applicant receives an email and is afforded the opportunity to amend the application.
Applicants receives confirmation if the electronic application is valid.

Portfolio

Please submit a portfolio to the respective department’s office no later than April 12th 2024.
If applying to more than one programme or department, a separate application and portfolio are required for each programme/department.
The portfolios should be submitted to IUA office in Þverholt 11, 5th floor. (note that portfolios can not be submitted electronicly)

Regarding the Portfolio

Applicants should collect examples of their work in a physical portfolio.

Please note that content that is not directly included in the portfolio is viewed as complementary content. We cannot promise that complementary content will be taken into account when the portfolio is being reviewed.

The works in the portfolio should reflect the personal vision of the applicant, highlighting his/her/their key interest and attest to his/her/their skills, creativity, originality, and communication of own ideas.

It is not necessary that all works be complete or exhaustively developed. On the contrary, it is also important that the portfolio exhibits sketches, drawings, photographs, and texts. The applicant should be the author of all works in the portfolio, any collaborative works in the portfolio should be disclosed as such.

Applicant must assess independently what a portfolio should encompass, it is important that it reflects the competence, skill, and vision of the respective field through creative practice.

ATTENTION:

The portfolio should be submitted anonymously, but the applicant should label it with an application number. This number can be seen, both on the electronic application form and in the email confirmation sent to the applicant after he/she/they completes the application.
Afterward, all physical portfolios must be collected at the university office in Þverholt 11 before a set deadline, given in an email sent to applicants. Portfolios that are not collected are not archived and the university reserves the right to dispose of uncollected portfolios.

If the portfolio is mailed:

If applicants would like to send the department printed or a handmade portfolio, we ask you to please send it with mail, before the 12th of April. Notice that the delivery can take a longer time than usual, on grounds of Covid19, so please send it timely.

The portfolio should be sent by trackable mail and the envelope should be marked with the sender's info and application number.

The address on the mailed portfolio should be:

Listaháskóli Íslands, Dept. of Design and Architecture
Þverholt 11
105 Reykjavík
Iceland

Please note:
Application is only valid when the electronic application has been approved and if the portfolio has been submitted before April 12th 2024.

Admission Process

Each programme nominates an admission committee.

The committee consists of two to three specialists in the respective field, that choose which students, from the group of applicants, to admit.

The admission process is as follows:

Once applications have been assessed, each admission committee reviews all submitted portfolios. The aim of the review is to examine the applicant’s proficiency relevant to the respective field and the artistic value of the works in the portfolio. Special consideration is given to the original works of the applicant that attest to independent methodology and an independent and creative approach to the subject at hand. Applicants that pass the examination of the admission committee enter a qualifying stage and receive an interview invitation. Not all applicants receive an interview invitation.
The purpose of the interview is to get a sense of the general interests of the applicant relevant to the prospective studies, his/her/their view and approach to design and architecture and understanding of the design world, as well as his/her/their view of the subject matters and ideas of architecture. The applicant should be prepared to discuss the works submitted in the portfolio. An applicant invited to an interview may also expect to be given a special assignment before the interview, information is provided when the applicant is invited to the interview.
The admission committee is authorized to send applicants to an admission test if considered necessary.
All applicants receive an online reply to applications in May/June.
Applicants that have been granted admission need to pay a confirmation fee. This fee is non-refundable and becomes an installation for school fees.
The decision of the admission committee is ultimate and the committee is not obligated to give any further reasoning for declining admission.

Admission Requirements

Applicants are expected to have completed a secondary education degree or comparable studies.

Exemptions from Admission Requirements

The University of the Arts is authorized to exempt applicants from admission requirements should they have knowledge and experience on a level considered satisfactory in preparation for BA studies at the school. In such instances, the applicant must have completed no less than 105 credits from the older secondary education level or 150 credits from the new secondary education level.

In order to be exempted from admission requirements (secondary education or comparable studies), the applicant’s portfolio must exhibit outstanding ability, knowledge, and vision in the respective field.