Medicine

The language of instruction is English. English language proficiency.
 

You will need to scan and upload the following document copies on apply.lu.lv:

Your average application grade will be made up by your secondary education Chemistry (40%), Biology (40%) and English (20%) grade OR your Natural sciences (80%) and English (20%) grade if you haven’t studied Chemistry or Biology. The better the average grade, the better your chances for being offered a study place.

Your application will only be considered if the final grade in each of the subjects mentioned (Chemistry, Biology (or Natural sciences) and English) will be equivalent to 60% or more.

Popular alternatives for the grading system used in Latvia:

• At least Cum laude approbatur (Approved with Honors) for Finnish Ylioppilastutkintotodistus;
• At least 9 (3 out of 5) for German Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife/Fachhochschulreife or equivalent;
• At least VG for Swedish Slutbetyg Från Gymnasieskola/Slutbetyg Från Komvux
• At least 4 for Norwegian Vitnemål
• At least B for UK Advanced levels (not GCSEs, or O-levels)
• At least 4 in Higher level Chemistry/Biology/English or at least 5 for Standard level Chemistry/Biology/English for International Baccalaureate (IB) students

The final deadlines for applications are as follows:

• Admission for EU/EEZ citizens will start from the 1st of January, 2023 till the 1st of July, 2023.
• Admission for non-visa country citizens outside of EU/EEZ will start from the 1st of January, 2022 till 16th of June, 2023.
• For all other countries will start the 1st of January, 2022 till 24th of April, 2023

The final results will be available approximately two weeks after the final deadline – in mid-July.

We are not able to provide official results before that because the competition can be influenced by each new application we receive, therefore the preliminary results are not to be considered final.

1.   English language proficiency
2.   Skype interview which includes questions about profiling subjects and motivation.

Yes, the number of study places for each intake is limited and can change from year to year. In 2022/2023 30 students will be accepted.

The study curriculum is divided in 3 parts: A part (mandatory subjects), B part (mandatory selection) and C part (electives).

During your studies you will have to take A part subjects worth 333 ECTS (222 Latvian credit points) – Normal anatomy, Inorganic chemistry, Introduction to cell biology, Medical Latin, Introduction to medical studies, Psychology and basics of psychiatry, Physics, Organic chemistry, General and special histology, Basics of genetics, Basics of biochemistry, Medical embriology, Human physiology, Physical and sports medicine, Medical biochemistry, Microbiology, Parasitology, Immunology, General pathology, Molecular genetics, Pharmacology, Propaedeutics of Internal diseases, Environmental protection, Visual diagnostics, Principles of surgery, Internal diseases, Pathology of organs and systems, Obstetrics, Dermatovenerology, Public health and epidemiology, Pediatrics, Gynecology, Infectious diseases, Surgery, Neurology, Urology, Medical history and ethics, Narcology, Ophtalmology, Otorhinolaryngology, Oncology, Radiology, Forensic medicine, Specific Considerations of Surgery and Anesthesiology, Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics.

B part subjects are worth 15 ECTS (10 Latvian credit points), and C part courses – 12 ECTS (8 Latvian credit points).

During your studies you will also have practice in different areas: Basics of Clinical care (5th semester), Clinical practice (5th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th semesters), Emergency medicine and basic life support (6th semester), Practice of Family medicine (12th semester), Practice of Internal diseases (12th semester), Practice of surgery (12th semester).

To continue studies in residency, work under a supervision of a practicing physician or do research (PhD). You will receive a medical doctor (MD) degree.

The full duration of studies is 12 semesters – 6 years. Classes are mostly from 8.30 am to 6 pm on weekdays. The form of studies will be full-time, and since it will take most of your time (including individual studies and preparation for tests), there will be no time to work part-time.

The tuition fee for the 1^st year of studies is € 11262. The tuition fee for the further years of studies will be set in the study agreement.

Tuition covers your studies and the use of resources provided by the university.

Study books and lab coats are not included in your tuition fee but your professors will advise you on the necessary books and electronic resources, and many of them will also be available online.

You should expect to pay the first half (€5631) of your first tuition fee installment in August before the start of studies to be registered and have access to all resources and studies. Students from outside the EU/EEA are expected to pay a €500 deposit along with the first semester payment upon arrival. The deposit is intended to cover possible immigration expenses and payed back upon request after graduation.

There also is an application fee of €170,00, which includes the recognition of education documents by the Academic Information centre of Latvia.

No, the studies in the English language programme have no state financed places or scholarships for students irrelevant of the citizenship. You are advised to inquire about financial support (grants and scholarships) from your home country – you’ll be able to provide them the certificate of enrollment and your transcript of records for proof every semester.

Some state financed scholarship competitions by the Latvian government for gifted students may be announced along the way but you should rely on your own resources at all times.

To be able to transfer from another university:

1. You have to be a student of Medicine in your current university;
2. You have to have acquired at least 60 ECTS and a whole year in your current studies;
3. Your current subjects must coincide (overlap) with the LU subjects in contents at least 70%. Meaning – most of the subjects you have already done or are studying need to be similar and containing the same or larger amount of credit points than the ones envisioned by the LU study plan. 1 Latvian credit point = 1.5 ECTS.
4. You can only transfer up to the 3rd year of studies.

The application for transfer students can be found on https://apply.lu.lv/. The application deadlines are the same for full-time first year and transfer students. Students from other universities in Latvia can apply for transfer until the registration week of the following semester (until the last week of August usually). The documents needed to apply for transferring are the same as for full-time first year students + the following documents from your current university:

1. Statement that proves your status as a student;
2. Your study transcript containing all subjects taken up to this point, the grades and credit points acquired;
3. Course descriptions for the subjects taken up to this point.

Your application will only be rewieved if all the necessary documents are submitted.

Please ask about transferring options by sending your inquiry and current grade transcripts and course descriptions to ivars.pekainis@lu.lv.

Senior Expert of Study Development
Mr. Ivars Pēkainis 
E-mail: ivars.pekainis@lu.lv
Phone: +371 67033823, +371 25980910
The Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences
Jelgavas Street 3 - 330, LV–1004

During the studies students learn the science and methods of medicine based on human morphology (structure), functions (physiology), psychology, basic clinical practice (anamnesis, overall objective examination and interpretation of results, manipulation competence), obtains knowledge on health promotion and disease prevention in the context of family and society. After successful completion of the programme graduates may enter residency and PhD studies.

The programme corresponds to EU standards and professional requirements set for MDs. The obtained degree is in line with European labor market requirements (part of European comparative degree system) and allows free movement within Europe.

After successful completion of the programme graduates work in the field of health care, medical firms, governmental institutions. Graduates may also work in hospitals or health centre under the supervision of a certified Doctor.

ERASMUS+ exchange possibilities

UL full-time students, regardless of their citizenship, have the opportunity to apply for the ERASMUS + exchange program for studies or/and traineeship.  

More information:

ERASMUS + study mobility 
ERASMUS + traineeship moblity