Belonging or Just Being Here? Student Experiences and Inclusion in Icelandic Universities

Joanna Marcinkowska, verkefnastýra inngildingu í Háskóla Íslands

Behind numbers and percentages lie the real experiences of students who live, learn, and shape the Icelandic university community.

This presentation brings forward the voices of students with foreign backgrounds, drawing on a survey conducted in February 2025. It sheds light on invisible barriers, unequal access, and unrealised potential within university life.

Through data-driven insights gathered directly from students, the session explores what inclusion looks like in practice and asks: what is needed for equality to become not just a policy goal, but a lived reality in everyday university life?

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Good accessibility. Designated accessible parking, electric opening and elevator. Western entrance advised (closest to largest elevator). Tables and chairs can be moved around, room is flat (no slope). Accessible restrooms on the same floor, as well as gender neutral restrooms.

See the full scheduel at Equalitydays.is