Annual Reports
Presidents letter
Reykjavík University is blessed with an outstanding group of faculty and students. I was fortunate to enter a fine academic community when I became rector in the autumn of 2021. My main task this past winter was to restore the activity of the University back to normal after the worst bouts of the pandemic. The students of RU have, throughout the pandemic, been offered courses of the highest calibre despite very difficult circumstances. Most students received instruction on site when permissible, and much effort went into keeping research work going. We have also done much to resume our international relations, both in studies as well as research, and to strengthen still further the ties of RU to the community and business, especially start-up companies. The University placed prime emphasis on the inner functions of the school during the pandemic. There has therefore been much need to open windows and reach out to the outside world. This has all gone well, our core activity is flourishing and the University is everywhere met with goodwill and has never been better.
Highlights of 2021
Welcome to Reykjavik University
A total of 895 students graduated from Reykjavik University in 2020: 209 in February, 600 in June and 86 in the autumn. 603 students graduated from undergraduate studies with Bachelor's degrees or diplomas, 288 from graduate studies and four from doctoral studies. In addition to university graduates, 42 students graduated from preliminary studies. In the autumn of 2020 RU welcomed around 1,700 new students and 105 exchange students from all over the world.
Full-time equivalent students (FTE)*
| Departments | Male | Male% | Female | Female% | Non-binary / Other | Non-binary / Other% | Total FTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Computer Science | 551 | 76% | 172 | 24% | 0 | 0 | 723 |
| Department of Engineering | 417 | 55% | 322 | 45% | 1 | 0,0012 | 740 |
| Department of Business | 352 | 51% | 325 | 49% | 0 | 0% | 677 |
| Department of Law | 104 | 33% | 209 | 67% | 0 | 0% | 313 |
| Department of Applied Engineering | 305 | 82% | 74 | 18% | 0 | 0% | 380 |
| Department of Psychology | 60 | 17% | 286 | 83% | 0 | 0% | 346 |
| Department of Sport Science | 91 | 58% | 67 | 42% | 0 | 0% | 158 |
| Preliminary Studies | 101 | 73% | 31 | 27% | 0 | 0% | 132 |
| Total | 1980 | 58% | 1488 | 42% | 1 | 0,0003 | 3246 |
*Number of students on (15 October) 2021, the reference date of Statistics Iceland and OECD.
Governance
The President represents the University, is in charge of its day-to-day activities and is responsible for its operations to the Board of Directors. The President is responsible for the quality of RU's operations and the execution of internal assessment. The President appoints School Deans, Executive Directors and other University personnel who report directly to the President, but the President consults with the Board as regards their selection and primary tasks.
Schools of of Reykjavik University
The School of Social Sciences
Reykjavik University's School of Social Sciences provides students with a solid foundation in methodology, as well as hands-on learning that prepares students for the challenges they face after graduation.
The School offers study programmes in law, business administration, economics, psychology, and sport science, in four departments. Courses are at BSc and MSc level, as well as PhD. Most MSc programmes are taught in English.
The School of Technology
The School of Technology spans the range from theoretical computer science and physics, to artificial intelligence and mechatronics, to applied engineering and web-programming.
The school uses project-based learning to train students in applying the underlying theories to real-world problems. Excellence in research both drives the pursuit of knowledge and provides training to students at all levels.
Motivated in part by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the School of Technology has defined four major themes – Sustainability, Data-Driven Healthcare, Traceability, and Language Technologies – to drive research, teaching and external partnerships.
The School offers study programmes in computer science and engineering in three different departments. Courses are at BSc and MSc levels, complementing a research-oriented PhD programme. Graduate pro- grammes and a large proportion of undergraduate courses are offered in English.
Research
RU's academic staff have never received as many grants as in 2021 and never as much grants as in that year. The Icelandic Research Fund allocated to RU faculty 423 MISK in total in 2021. RU received 30 grants from the fund in 2021. The total allocation to the University from the Icelandic Research Fund has nearly quadrupled since 2012.
Finance
Reykjavik University is a non-profit corporation, owned by the private non-profit institution of the Iceland Chamber of Commerce for business education (Sjálfseignarstofnun Viðskiptaráðs um viðskiptamenntun, SVÍV), the Federation of Icelandic Industries (Samtök iðnaðarins, SI), and Business Iceland (Samtök atvinnulífsins, SA). The University is run as a private non-profit institution, therefore its owners do not profit financially from the University's activities. All financial contributions and profits from the University's activities are spent on furthering the operations of RU.
