Bifröst is a magnificent place. Here, beneath the dormant crater of Grábrók, we have built up a small university college that leads Iceland in the fields of business, law, and social science. Our students form ties which last throughout their lives. By leading and contributing to life at Bifröst, they prepare to become leaders and contributors to industry and society.
The history of the university dates back to 1918, when it was founded as the Cooperative College (Samvinnuskólinn) in Reykjavík by the Icelandic politician Jónas Jónsson frá Hriflu. His model was Ruskin College at Oxford, which encouraged young people without means to aim for positions of social leadership and worked to break up what was then an elitist educational system.
The college relocated to a greenfield site at Bifröst in Norðurárdalur valley in 1955, and for nearly two decades was led by the Reverend Guðmundur Sveinsson. Bifröst has always been at the forefront of business and management education in Iceland. The college was long associated with the cooperative movement, and trained it students to work in Iceland's network of cooperative stores.
As Iceland's population grew and its educational system became stronger, Bifröst changed in step with the times. After many years as a college for students in their late teens, Bifröst began offering university-level instruction in 1988. Since that time, its bachelor's program has grown from one field to three and since 2000 it has added master's programs in all three areas as well.
Like similar-sized colleges and universities in North America, Bifröst's pedagogy places an emphasis on small groups and close interaction between students and faculty. The school occupies a unique setting that no other university in Iceland can match. The campus is densely populated and designed to be child- and family-friendly. Traffic has been kept to the perimeter. All necessary services are on site. Mountains, lava fields, woods, waterfalls, and a lake ring the campus and offer endless possibilities for outdoor enjoyment.
I encourage you to familiarise yourself with Bifröst by browsing this Web site, contacting us via phone or e-mail, or even better – since seeing is believing – by visiting us at Bifröst.
Welcome to Bifröst University.
– Magnús Árni Magnússon, Rector