Latvia

• Tuition is low by European standards - some bachelor programmes are under EUR 1,600 a year
• English-taught medicine and dentistry at RSU, with no Danish quota standing in the way
• Living costs in Riga are roughly EUR 450-700 a month
• As an EU citizen you just register; no visa, no health surcharge
• Stockholm School of Economics in Riga is a genuinely selective, Swedish-run business school with a heavily subsidised EU fee

• There is no central portal - you apply to each university separately and each has its own deadlines and fees
• You must pay for and obtain an AIC recognition statement for your IB Diploma before a university can admit you (EUR 54.60)
• Medicine at RSU is not cheap: EUR 13,500 a year plus a one-off EUR 1,800 registration administration fee
• Outside medicine, business and a few IT programmes, English-taught bachelor choice is thinner than in Lithuania
• Latvian is the language of daily life; you will be fine at university but not automatically in a part-time job

Accepted

Yes

Subjects and levels

Set by each university and each programme rather than nationally. RSU's admissions system applies programme-specific subject requirements; the exact IB subject and grade rules are not published; ask the programme.

Score conversion

The Academic Information Centre (AIC) compares your foreign qualification with the Latvian education system and issues a recognition statement, which the university then uses as the basis for its admission decision. No IB-to-Latvian grade conversion table is published.

• Academic recognition is compulsory, not optional: the University of Latvia states that recognition 'is required if the student holds a foreign qualification (diploma) and wishes to continue their studies in Latvia', and that an application can be rejected if the recognition is not positive.
• Recognition costs EUR 54.60 (the fee is now set by Cabinet Regulation No. 281 of 13 May 2025, same amount as before). AIC says its statement is prepared within a month - start it early.
• AIC is Latvia's ENIC/NARIC centre and was set up by the Ministry of Education and Science in 1994.
• Minimum IB points are set per programme, not nationally - check each programme page.

1. Pick the programme first. There is no national application system for international students, so your deadlines are whatever the university says they are.

2. Apply to the Academic Information Centre for recognition of your IB Diploma. It costs EUR 54.60 and the university cannot admit you without a positive statement.

3. Submit the university's own online application with your transcript, passport and proof of English, and pay the application fee (EUR 100 at RSU, EUR 250 at Turiba).

4. Sit whatever the programme requires: RSU runs programme-specific assessments, SSE Riga runs a four-hour online test in April followed by interviews in May.

5. Accept the offer and sign the study agreement. RSU expects payment within two weeks of receiving the offer, and charges medicine and dentistry students a one-off EUR 1,800 registration administration fee.

6. As an EU citizen, travel to Latvia freely, then complete the registration formalities and collect a Registration Card if you are staying more than three months.

Selection is per programme. Medicine and dentistry at RSU are competitive and close earlier for non-EU applicants. SSE Riga is selective: it requires minimum grades of 6 on a scale of 10 in Mathematics and English, runs its own admissions test covering mathematical reasoning, logical thinking and English, interviews the top performers, and takes 150 students. Latvia does operate state-funded ('budget') study places, but whether an EU citizen from Denmark can compete for them is not confirmed here; ask the university.

• 1 September 2026 to 1 July 2027
  September 2027 intake

  Riga Stradins University - International Business & Start-up Entrepreneurship, September 2027 intake, EU/EEA applicants

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  RSU's table prints the opening as "1 Sep 2025", which is the previous intake's date: the master's row for the same intake reads "1 Sep 2026 – 1 Jul 2027", and the February tab opens this programme on 1 Sep 2026. So the window opened on 1 September 2026 and is open now. The date that matters is the close, 1 July 2027, which is not in doubt.

  Source

• 1 February to 1 August 2027
  Published without a year on 2026-09-22; expect the same window for the autumn 2027 intake but re-check

  Turiba University - autumn intake

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "From February 1 to August 1", with no year given, so this site assumes the 2027 intake. Studies begin at the end of September. Turiba also runs a winter intake, "From August 2 to December 1" for a February start; that is a different intake, which is why it has no card of its own: a May 2027 IB candidate cannot start in February 2027 and would be looking at February 2028. All Turiba programmes are available in both intakes.

  Source

• 1 March 2027

  RSU: Medicine and Dentistry applications open

  Via Latvian institution

  Details

  Source

• 1 March to 1 May 2027
  September 2027 intake

  Riga Stradins University - September 2027 intake, non-EU/EEA applicants

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Non-EU applicants close earlier than EU applicants to leave time for the residence permit.

  Source

• 1 April 2027
  September 2027 intake

  Riga Stradins University - September 2027 intake, applicants from 'Additional Assessment' countries

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published inside the non-EU/EEA window as "1 March 2027 to 1 May 2027 (1 April 2027 for citizens of 'Additional Assessment' countries)". Non-EU applicants close earlier than EU applicants to leave time for the residence permit.

  Source

• 6 April 2027

  Stockholm School of Economics in Riga - BSc application deadline

  Hard deadline Via Latvian institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "April 6, 2027". Top 150 candidates are admitted.

  Source

• 17 April 2027, 10:00 Eastern European Time

  Stockholm School of Economics in Riga - admissions test

  Hard deadline Via Latvian institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Mathematics, logical reasoning and English, about four hours. Top performers are interviewed 11–28 May.

  Published as "April 17, 2027, starting at 10:00" Eastern European Time — eleven days after the application closes, so there is no time to prepare for it once you have applied. Prepare before 6 April, not after.

  Source

• 1 May 2027

  RSU: applications close for non-EU/EEA applicants

  Applies to: applicants from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland

  Hard deadline Via Latvian institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

• 11 May to 28 May 2027
  Autumn 2027 intake

  Stockholm School of Economics in Riga - online interviews for top performers

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "from May 11 till May 28, 2027". Only candidates who do well in the 17 April test are invited, and the window falls squarely across the May 2027 IB examination session — so if SSE Riga is on your list, expect to be interviewed during your exams and plan for it now rather than in May.

  Source

• 8 June 2027

  Stockholm School of Economics in Riga - results, EU applicants

  Via Latvian institution

  Details

  A month before IB results.

  Published as "June 8, 2027" for applicants from EU countries; applicants from non-EU countries hear four days earlier, on 4 June 2027, which is context rather than your date.

  Source

• 1 July 2027

  RSU: applications close for EU/EEA applicants

  Applies to: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

  Hard deadline Via Latvian institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Medicine, Dentistry and International Business & Start-up Entrepreneurship. Five days before IB results.

  Published as "1 Mar – 1 Jul 2027". Worth knowing before you plan around the July closing date: RSU allows IB graduates, alongside German Abitur holders and applicants from Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands, to send their school graduation documents after the deadline provided every other application document is in by it. That concession is published on this page with the previous cycle's year on it ("graduating during the summer of 2026 … submitted by 1 July 2026") and RSU had not restated it for 2027 by 23 September 2026, so confirm it with RSU admissions before you rely on it.

  Source

• 6 July 2027

  IB results released

  Via Latvian institution

• 25 July 2027
  Autumn 2027 intake

  Stockholm School of Economics in Riga - registration deadline, EU applicants

  Hard deadline

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "July 25, 2027" for applicants from EU countries. This is the day an offer stops being yours: you have from 8 June to register, and a place you have not registered by this date is gone. Non-EU applicants must register by 20 June 2027, over a month earlier, to leave time for a residence permit — not your deadline, but it explains why the EU date is the later one. Studies begin 23 August 2027.

  Source

• 1 August 2027

  Turība: autumn intake applications close

  Hard deadline Via Latvian institution

  Details

  After this the door closes.

  Published as "February 1 to August 1" with no year. The only window here that stays open after IB results.

• Set by each institution

  Every other institution: its own closing date

  Via Latvian institution

  Details

  There is no central application for international students. Check each programme page.

• Not open to you

  Riga Stradins University - February 2027 intake, EU/EEA applicants (Medicine and Dentistry)

  This intake starts in February 2027, before a May 2027 IB Diploma is awarded, so a May 2027 candidate cannot use it.

  Source

English-taught bachelors

Moderate. Concentrated in medicine and health at RSU, business at SSE Riga, Turiba and BA School of Business and Finance, and engineering/IT at RTU. Outside those areas the choice thins out quickly. No exact national count is published.

Proving your English

Each university sets its own standard. Turiba requires its own English test unless you hold a certificate, and accepts IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 72, TOEFL PBT 513, TOEIC 605, Cambridge FCE/CAE/CPE 160, PTE Academic 51, Linguaskill 160, Duolingo 100 or LanguageCert ESOL B2. SSE Riga requires B2, certified by an international testing authority for applicants educated outside the EU. Whether IB English A or B is accepted in place of a test is not confirmed here - ask the programme directly.

Local language needed?

Not for English-taught programmes

• Programmes advertised as English-taught are taught fully in English; Latvian is not required for the degree.
• Russian is still widely spoken in Riga alongside Latvian, which surprises some students.

Tuition, EU/EEA

Varies entirely by university. Study in Latvia states tuition 'range from less than EUR 1 600 per year for certain bachelor's degree programmes (3-4 years of studies)' upwards. SSE Riga charges EU/EEA/EFTA students EUR 5,200 a year after an automatic EUR 2,400 Baltic-EU scholarship is deducted from the EUR 7,600 list price. RSU does not distinguish EU from non-EU rates. (Study in Latvia figure undated on its page; SSE Riga figure current as published on 2026-09-22)

Tuition, non-EU

RSU 2026/2027: Medicine EUR 13,500 a year (6-year programme), Dentistry EUR 15,500 a year (5-year programme), International Business & Start-up Entrepreneurship EUR 3,300 a year - the same rates apply to EU and non-EU students. SSE Riga: EUR 7,600 a year for non-EU/EEA/EFTA students, EUR 22,800 over the three-year programme. (2026/2027)

Application fee

RSU EUR 100 (EUR 30 for Latvian citizens), plus a one-off registration administration fee of EUR 1,800 for Medicine and Dentistry. Turiba EUR 250, non-refundable.

Living costs

EUR 450-700 a month, covering food, housing, utilities, transport and everyday costs, depending on accommodation and lifestyle (Undated on the source page (as of September 2026))

• Add EUR 54.60 for the compulsory AIC recognition of your IB Diploma.
• RSU's fees are payable by semester, due within two weeks of receiving the offer of a study place.
• SSE Riga fees are fixed for all three years of the programme.

Funding you could actually get

• SSE Riga runs a large scholarship scheme: an automatic EUR 2,400 Baltic-EU scholarship for EU/EEA/EFTA students, up to 20 competitive admissions scholarships giving partial or full tuition waivers for one to three years, merit awards of EUR 300-2,000, and an SEB bank loan programme guaranteed by the school. In 2025, 47 bachelor students shared EUR 218,080 in scholarships.
• Latvian state-guaranteed student loans are mentioned by SSE Riga as available; eligibility for an EU/EEA citizen who is not resident in Latvia is not confirmed here; ask SSE Riga.
• Danish SU can follow you here if you can claim it (Danish citizens, or EU/EEA citizens with equal status under EU rules) and meet the ties-to-Denmark requirement. The programme must be SU-approved, and outside the Nordics SU is capped at four years (48 klip). If you cannot claim SU, look first at your own country's student finance: several EU/EEA systems fund a full degree in another country.
• Individual universities run their own merit scholarships; check each programme page.

Residency

As an EU/EEA citizen you can travel to Latvia freely and stay three months with no immigration procedure at all. For a longer stay you complete registration formalities with the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs and receive a Registration Card. Non-EU students must obtain a residence permit before arriving in Latvia, arranged through the university's international office. After finishing a bachelor's degree, non-EU graduates get four months to find further study or work.

Working

A full-time bachelor's student at a Latvian university may work up to 20 hours a week during term and up to 40 hours a week during holidays. Master's and doctoral students have no restriction. The Study in Latvia FAQ does not distinguish EU from non-EU students on this point, but non-EU students additionally need a work permit arranged with the employer.

Housing

Universities run dormitories and most international offices help arrange a room; RSU's 'Your Start in Riga' pages cover this. Private rental in Riga is cheap by Nordic standards and there is no housing shortage of the kind you see in Copenhagen or Amsterdam. Arrange it once you have accepted an offer.

Healthcare

As an EU citizen bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC, the blue card) from the country where you are insured for necessary care. Latvia's public system covers emergencies; most international students also take out private insurance. Non-EU students must arrange insurance as part of the residence permit application.

Your IB is still a foreign qualification here, so the IB entry rules still apply to you.