Despite the diversity and inclusion efforts of higher education institutions, immigrant and minority students frequently experience marginalisation that adversely affects their academic progress. In this article, we examine the under-researched population of immigrant women in Icelandic universities. Drawing on the intersectionality perspective, we focus on how sociocultural differences shape immigrant women's educational experiences. We explore how power relations and institutional whiteness play roles in either privileging or marginalising particular student populations. The data come from life-story interviews with 16 first-generation immigrant women from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. We use thematic analysis to show how immigrant women face academic challenges and marginalisation in the forms of othering and (in)visibility based on gender, race, language and religion. Nevertheless, they demonstrate personal agency for their academic progress. The findings underline how discussions on (in)equity in Icelandic higher education would benefit from an intersectional approach.