Statistics Iceland publishes for the first time data on new entrants at the tertiary level of education in Iceland 1997-2007. The data are published in the Statistical series.
The number of new entrants has increased by more than 70% since the autumn of 1997
There were 3,379 new entrants at the tertiary level in Iceland in the autumn of 2007. New entrants are students enrolled at the tertiary level of education for the first time in Iceland since the start of the Statistics Iceland student register. Their number had increased by 70.7% since the autumn of 1997. Provisional data for the autumn of 2008 indicate that the number of new entrants is 3,667, more than any year since 1997. The number of new entrants increased considerably in the autumn of 1999 and again in 2002 and 2003. Women are approximately 60% of new entrants on average.
There are more new entrants than there are graduates with the matriculation examination
Around 2,500 students graduate annually from Icelandic upper secondary schools with the matriculation examination, which grants admission to tertiary education. Thus, the number of new entrants is higher than the number of graduates with the matriculation exam. Around one-third of new entrants in 2007 had completed the matriculation exam during the school year 2006-2007 while more than 37% (1,263) had not completed this exam in Iceland during the years 1995-2007. Thereof 507 were foreign citizens.
The data indicate that 74.6% of young people will enter tertiary education
Around 40% of new entrants were 21 years old and younger while one in ten was 40 years or older at the start of tertiary education. If the current age-specific entry rates continue it can be estimated that 74.6% of young people will enter tertiary education. There were 3,332 new entrants to academically oriented programmes at ISCED level 5A, 333 to occupationally oriented programmes at level 5B and 83 at the doctorate level. The number of new entrants at the doctorate level in Iceland has increased eight times since the autumn of 1997, when they were 10. More than one-third of new entrants study social sciences, business or law.
Foreign new entrants are five times as many as in 1997
The number of foreign new entrants in Icelandic universities has increased five times since the autumn of 1997. They are one in four new entrants at the doctorate level and mostly come from the countries of the European Economic Area.
Re-entrants to tertiary education were 2,754 in the autumn of 2007
There were 2,754 re-entrants to tertiary education in the autumn of 2007, three times their number in 1997. Re-entrants are students who have returned to tertiary education after having taken a study break of at least one school year. Most re-entrants return to programmes at the first level of tertiary education. Re-entrants at the Master’s level in the autumn of 2007 were 1,055, nine times their number in the autumn of 1997.
New entrants in tertiary education 1997-2007 - Statistical Series