University of Iceland

University of Iceland

Háskóli Íslands
Latin: Universitas Islandiae
Type	Public
Established	1911
Rector	Jón Atli Benediktsson
Administrative staff	1,522 (2014, full-time admin. & academic)
Undergraduates	9,487 (2014)
Postgraduates	3,646 (2014)
Location	Reykjavík, Iceland
Campus	Urban, suburban
Colors	Dark blue and silver
Nickname	HÍ
Mascot	Athena
Affiliations	EUA, Utrecht Network, Aurora, UArctic
Website	www.hi.is

The University of Iceland (Icelandic: Háskóli Íslands) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern comprehensive university, providing instruction for about 14,000 students in twenty-five faculties. Teaching and research is conducted in social sciences, humanities, medicine, natural sciences, engineering and teacher education. It has a campus concentrated around Suðurgata street in central Reykjavík, with additional facilities located in nearby areas as well as in the countryside.

The University of Iceland was founded by the Alþingi on June 17, 1911, uniting three former post-secondary institutions: Prestaskólinn, Læknaskólinn and Lagaskólinn, which taught theology, medicine and law, respectively. The university originally had only faculties for these three fields, in addition to a faculty of humanities. During its first year of operation 45 students were enrolled. The first rector of the university was Björn M. Ólsen, a professor in the faculty of humanities.

For its first 29 years the university was housed in the Icelandic Parliament building, Alþingishúsið, in central Reykjavík. In 1933, the university received a special licence from Alþingi to operate a cash-prize lottery called Happdrætti Háskólans. The university lottery, which started in 1934, remains a major source of funding for the construction of new university buildings. In 1940, the university moved into the main building, designed by Icelandic state architect Guðjón Samúelsson. The main building forms the core of the university campus on Suðurgata, where most of the principal buildings of the university are located today.