Bachelor's Degrees in English in Latvia: Programmes, Fees and Admission

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Latvia has one of the larger English-taught bachelor's offers among the smaller EU countries, and most of it is in Rīga. Fees are moderate, except in medicine and dentistry, and admission for international students is decided by each institution, not by a national exam.

How many programmes are taught in English

Our catalogue has 101 bachelor's and integrated programmes with English as a language of instruction, out of 323 programmes in Latvia. They are not all alike:

About three in five are taught fully in English and are designed for international students.
The rest are listed in both Latvian and English. Some run a separate English-speaking group, while others are mainly Latvian programmes with some courses in English. Many of them publish no fee for students from outside the EU, which is often a sign that the English option is limited. Ask the institution which language your group will actually use.

The full list, with fees and links to each programme, is on our page of programmes taught in English in Latvia.

Where: institutions and cities

Rīga dominates: more than four in five English-taught programmes are there. The largest providers are:

Riga Technical University, with the biggest English offer, mostly in engineering, computing and maritime transport, plus a few programmes at its Liepāja and Rēzekne branches;
the University of Latvia, from business and computer science to medicine, dentistry and optometry;
Rīga Stradiņš University, with medicine, dentistry and one business programme;
private institutions such as the Transport and Telecommunication Institute, Riga Nordic University, Turība University, RISEBA and the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga.

Outside the capital, English-taught programmes are offered in Jelgava (Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, including veterinary medicine), Daugavpils, Ventspils, Liepāja and Rēzekne.

Which fields

Engineering and technology and business and management make up most of the English-taught offer, in roughly equal shares. Aviation, maritime and transport programmes form a noticeable group. Computer science and information technology come next, followed by languages and cultural studies, many of them bilingual philology programmes. Health is a small group in numbers but draws many international students: medicine and dentistry in Rīga and veterinary medicine in Jelgava.

There are few English-taught programmes in law, the natural sciences, education or the arts.

What it costs

Fees are set by each institution, programme by programme. For English-taught programmes in our catalogue:

Students	From	Typical	Up to
EU, EEA and Swiss	€1,600	€3,400	€17,310
From outside the EU	€2,800	€3,720	€17,310

The lowest EU figure is for a bilingual programme at Daugavpils University; fully English-taught programmes usually start higher. The top of the range is dentistry at the University of Latvia, and medicine and dentistry cost the same for EU and non-EU students. Many institutions charge non-EU students more, and a few quote fees per semester, so read the programme page carefully. State-funded (budget) places, which are free, are mostly in programmes taught in Latvian. Details are in how much it costs to study in Latvia.

How to apply

International applicants apply directly to each institution, usually online, and pay its application fee: €170 at the University of Latvia and €100 at Rīga Stradiņš University. Selection follows the institution's own rules: grades, a motivation letter, sometimes a test or interview. Rīga Stradiņš University holds a mandatory online interview with applicants from outside the EU and EEA who do not live there.

Deadlines differ and are earliest for students who need a residence permit. Rīga Stradiņš University closes applications for Medicine and Dentistry starting in September 2027 on 1 May 2027 for most non-EU countries and on 1 July 2027 for EU/EEA applicants. The Stockholm School of Economics in Riga has one deadline for everyone, 6 April 2027. Your school certificate is assessed by the Academic Information Centre. The whole process is in how to get into a university in Latvia.

English requirements

You usually prove your English with an international test. The University of Latvia asks for at least IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 80 (or 4 on the new TOEFL scale for tests taken after 21 January 2026), and Rīga Stradiņš University asks for IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 80. Exemptions differ: both accept schooling completed in English in countries such as the UK, Ireland or the US, and Rīga Stradiņš University also exempts IB Diploma and A-level students. See IELTS and TOEFL for European universities.

Do you need Latvian?

Not for your degree, but it helps with everything around it. Latvian is the language of the state, of most local jobs and of everyday life outside the international community. Rīga Stradiņš University, for example, runs Latvian language courses, and starting one in your first year makes part-time work and placements easier to find.

Where to look next

Official sources

NIID.lv: national database of study programmes and fees (State Education Development Agency)
University of Latvia: Language proficiency
Rīga Stradiņš University: When to apply
Stockholm School of Economics in Riga: How to apply

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.