Higher education in Iceland is provided by institutions accredited by the Ministry in accordance with the Higher Education Act No. 63/2006. The accreditation of HEIs is on the one hand on the institutional level, and on the other on the level of academic fields and subfields, within which, once accredited, the HEIs can self-accredit individual study programs. There is a separate accreditation process for being allowed to offer education at a doctoral level.  

The Icelandic system is characterized by a unitary institutional structure, where all higher education institutions are referred to as háskólar, or universities.