الدراسة الجامعية في لاتفيا

A student route in the Baltics: Latvia

Located on the Baltic coast of Northern Europe, Latvia is a small country with a population of around 1.8 million, but firmly anchored in the region through its membership of the European Union and NATO. It regained in 1991, after the Soviet era, the independence it had declared in 1918. The capital, Riga, is a port city whose historic centre is on UNESCO's World Heritage List, and it is the country's hub for education, trade and technology. With its English-taught programme options, calm living environment and reasonable budget, Latvia is an alternative worth considering for students who want to study in Europe.

Education system

Latvian higher education is in line with the Bologna Process. According to the durations stated in the source, a bachelor's degree takes 3–4 years, a master's 1.5–2 years and a doctorate 3–4 years. Most students head for the universities in Riga: chief among them are the University of Latvia, the country's largest public university; Riga Technical University, which is strong in engineering; and Rīga Stradiņš University, founded in 1950 and specialising in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. Rīga Stradiņš offers a 6-year English-taught medicine programme. The public universities in Liepāja and Daugavpils offer smaller-scale options in education sciences, business and basic IT.

Tuition fees

The annual ranges in our partner sources are as follows: bachelor's €2,000 – €5,000, engineering and technical fields €3,000 – €6,000, master's €2,500 – €6,500, medicine €9,000 – €15,000. The Riga city page gives 2,500 – 6,000 EUR for a bachelor's and 10,000 – 14,000 EUR for medicine; for Liepāja and Daugavpils, a range of 2,000 – 4,000 EUR is given for bachelor's fees. Current amounts may change from term to term.

Riga Technical University and programme fees

Founded in 1862, Riga Technical University (RTU) is presented as the country's oldest and largest technical university; the source shows its QS ranking in the 701-751 band. It has partner universities in more than 40 countries under Erasmus+ and offers internship opportunities through industry partnerships. The amounts below appear as programme fees in the table in the source; all programmes have an autumn intake. We recommend confirming with the university before applying whether the fee is charged per year or per semester.

Bachelor's programmes

• Civil Engineering (3 years): €4400
• Engineering Technology, Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering (3 years): €3220
• Aviation Transport (4 years): €3220
• Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (4.5 years): €4600
• Chemistry and Chemical Technology (4 years): €3220
• Environmental Engineering (3 years): €3570
• Materials Engineering (3 years): €3220
• Computer Systems (3 years): €4030
• Data Communication Engineering / Telecommunications (3 years): €3080
• Adaptronic Systems (4.5 years): €3220
• Smart Electronic Systems (4 years): €3080
• Entrepreneurship and Management (3 years): €3500
• Marine Electrical Automation and Marine Engineering (4.3 years): €6180

Master's programmes

• Design Engineering (2 years): €5120
• Business Informatics (2 years): €4140
• Computer Systems (2 years): €4430
• Materials Science and Nanotechnology (2 years): €4830
• Environmental Engineering (2 years): €5230
• Chemistry and Chemical Technology (2 years): €5350
• Adaptronics (1.5–2 years): €4660
• Industrial Engineering and Management (2 years): €4490

Admission requirements and calendar

The application requires English or Latvian translations of your high school diploma and transcript, a passport and a language proficiency certificate. For RTU's English-taught programmes, the source states a minimum of IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80; some programmes may ask for a motivation letter, CV and reference letter, and some may hold an online interview. It is recommended that your passport be valid for a further 6 months after your return date and have at least 2 years of validity. At RTU, applications for bachelor's and master's programmes are mostly accepted between February and June; for language and academic preparatory programmes, you apply in the summer months and start classes in September.

Accommodation and cost of living

RTU offers enrolled students places in its dormitories in Ķīpsala, on Olaines Street and on Biešu Street. The source states that a 200-euro deposit is paid at the booking stage and that the minimum rental period is 5 months; the fee varies by room type. Monthly living costs across the country are given in the range of €500 – €900. In Riga, a dormitory costs 120 – 250 EUR, rent 350 – 700 EUR and general expenses 550 – 900 EUR; in Liepāja and Daugavpils, general expenses are shown at around 400 – 650 EUR.

Career and recognition

Students can work part-time during their studies; in Riga, where sectors such as logistics, information technology and maritime are strong, internship options are diverse. The equivalence of the diploma in Turkey is assessed according to YÖK's current legislation; as summarised in the source, it is important to take into account the ranking criteria in the 2024 regulation at the selection stage.

If you would like to discuss which programme at Riga Technical University suits your goals, our consultants are ready to answer your questions.