Despite the global situation with the coronavirus pandemic, the admission process for the Autumn 2020 intake in Latvian higher education institutions has been going on with some adjustments this year.
Variety of choice
Study in Latvia invites to choose studies at one of the 18 Latvian universities and more than 100 study programmes, which have been selected based on a set of quality criteria defined by the Ministry of Education and Science of Latvia.
You can browse the list of programmes and search for a specific programme in the StudyinLatvia.lv database or click on the links below to go directly to the desired level of studies:
- Bachelor (undergraduate) study programmes
- Master (postgraduate) study programmes
- Doctoral study programmes
Deadlines
The deadlines for the Autumn admission may vary from university to university. Due to the delays in the issuance of educational documents in many countries worldwide and other conditions this summer admission deadlines have been extended and are until the end of July, start of August or mid-August depending on the university.
The exact application deadlines depend on the chosen university and the citizenship of the prospective student.
In Latvia, the admission to higher education institutions takes place twice a year. If you are not ready to apply for studies this summer, several universities also organize the admission in autumn for the spring semester.
University entry requirements
There are some general entry requirements binding to all higher education institutions in Latvia and some institution-specific requirements, for instance, previous marks in academic transcripts, entrance exams or tests, and online interviews. The general requirements are:
- Completed previous education: secondary or high school diploma and academic transcript for the Bachelor level (undergraduate) study programmes or higher education diploma and academic transcript for the Master level (postgraduate) study programmes or Doctoral studies.
- Recognition of diploma: students should be aware that the admission office of the chosen university will send their education documents to Latvian Academic Centre for the academic recognition and authenticity verification.
- Proof of the study language proficiency:all students applying for studies in Latvia need to demonstrate sufficient study language proficiency which is mostly English. The level of knowledge must be equal or higher than B2 level. This summer changes have been made to the admission requirements regarding the proof of the language proficiency. It can be provided in different ways depending on:
- the country, where the previous education has been obtained;
- the language of instruction in previous educational institution if it is the same as study language.
Detailed information about the entry requirements can be found here.
Admission procedure
In order to apply for the studies in Latvia, students can follow simple steps summarized by Study in Latvia that will help to manage the application to the universities of Latvia. These admission steps are explained here.
As Study in Latvia does not administer application process and it is managed by individual universities, it is always advisable to contact the chosen university before the application to get detailed information on the application.
Start of studies and arrival
The state of emergency in Latvia ended on June 10. However, that does not mean a complete return to the norms of the pre-pandemic period. The information about the current restrictions in Latvia regarding the pandemic can be found here and here.
The Covid-19 situation has affected both the opening of campuses in Latvia and the student residence permit and visa procedures. It has also been affected by the work of the embassies of Latvia, which are providing services remotely or in person depending on the epidemiological situation in the respective country.
However, many universities in Latvia, similarly to other countries, are planning to offer new students alternative ways to start their studies if the Covid-19 situation will restrict their arrival in Latvia in September when most of the study programmes begin. Students are advised to contact the Admissions Office of the chosen Latvian university for more detailed info on the available options for starting studies online or postponing the start of the studies.
Other useful links
- Tuition fees here.
- Frequently asked questions here.
- Visa and residence permits here.
- Higher education in Latvia here.
- About Latvia here.