Education in Latvia: School Stages, Examinations and University Pathways

Latvia’s education system combines compulsory preschool preparation and nine-year basic education with distinct general, vocational and higher-education pathways. Understanding the exact award, school year and language arrangements makes its transitions much easier to navigate.

Reviewed: 17 October 2026. This guide uses current Latvian legislation and official 2026/27 notices. Examination changes are identified by cohort; named institutional programmes illustrate the system without implying identical rules everywhere.

Latvia education system at a glance

Question	Quick answer
When does compulsory preparation begin?	Preschool preparation from five; basic education or its continuation until eighteen is compulsory.
When does Grade 1 normally start?	In the calendar year the child turns seven, with defined earlier/later-entry provisions.
What is the school ladder?	Basic Grades 1–6 and 7–9, followed by general Grades 10–12 or a vocational route.
Which language is central?	Latvian in the ordinary school route; cohort-specific foreign-language rules and programme exceptions matter.
What is changing in 2026/27?	Grade 9 science joins centralized assessment; advanced upper-secondary examinations are optional for this cohort.
What comes after secondary education?	Short-cycle professional higher education, bachelor programmes or specified long-cycle professional degrees.
Who publishes national examination instructions?	The State Education Development Agency (VIAA).

1. The school ladder and the decisions within it

Latvia’s mainstream route is preschool, nine years of pamatizglītība (basic education), then general or vocational upper-secondary study. Basic education comprises Grades 1–6 and Grades 7–9. General upper secondary normally occupies Grades 10–12. A vocational route after Grade 9 commonly takes longer because it combines preparation for an occupation with secondary learning. Ministry school overview; Vocational route guide.

The Ministry of Education and Science sets national policy. Schools operate within national standards, but their course offers, admission procedures and support arrangements still matter. The State Education Development Agency, Valsts izglītības attīstības aģentūra (VIAA), publishes current assessment instructions. Families should use those instructions alongside the school’s own programme information.

An institution’s name does not identify every qualification it offers. A secondary school can include basic grades; a technical institution can offer different levels. Read the programme’s entry requirement and final award. “After Grade 9” and “after secondary education” describe materially different starting points, even when both courses concern computing or engineering.

2. Compulsory education and the actual starting-age rule

Preschool preparation is compulsory from five. Compulsory preschool preparation. Basic school normally begins in the calendar year a child turns seven. Normal starting age. Depending on health and psychological readiness, entry may be one year earlier at the parents’ request, or one year later on a family doctor’s opinion. General Education Law, sections 20¹ and 32.

The ministry states the continuing obligation precisely: acquisition of basic education, or continuing to acquire it until age eighteen, is compulsory. This should not be read as a universal requirement that every young person remain in general Grade 12 until eighteen. The legal obligation and the usual age of a particular class are different questions. Compulsory basic education.

For example, a child whose seventh birthday is in November normally starts that September, rather than waiting for the birthday itself. A family considering delayed entry should discuss readiness and the required medical opinion before registration. A teenager who has not completed basic education needs a completion plan, rather than an assumption that reaching the usual Grade 9 age ends the obligation.

3. Preschool: preparation through play

The ministry describes preschool as preparation for school through intellectual, physical and social development, curiosity, independence, creativity and early Latvian-language skills. Play is its central learning activity. Municipal admission follows the founder’s procedures, so families need the municipality’s actual registration and place-allocation information. Preschool provision and learning.

The compulsory programme need not be confused with one mandatory full-day childcare arrangement. The law allows preschool learning in an institution or in the family, with methodological support from an appropriately licensed provider or consultation centre. Preschool programme arrangements.

A useful readiness discussion is concrete: can the child follow a short explanation, communicate a need, take turns, handle simple quantities and engage with a story? These observations help identify support. They should not become an invented entrance examination or a race to complete Grade 1 worksheets early. Ask how the preschool shares information about the child’s learning with the receiving school, especially when the home language differs from the teaching language.

4. Latvian-medium schooling and continuing language support

The Vienota skola, or unified-school, transition moved the ordinary minority-education preschool and basic-school route to Latvian-medium education in stages: preschool and Grades 1, 4 and 7 in 2023; Grades 2, 5 and 8 in 2024; and Grades 3, 6 and 9 in 2025. A description of the former bilingual proportions is therefore not a reliable guide to a current ordinary basic-school class. Published transition schedule.

Implementation still requires support. The State Education Quality Service’s March 2026 account of the 2024/25 review discusses language-development needs, staff support and differing local challenges. A national transition timetable does not establish that every learner has the same proficiency or that every school has identical support capacity. Implementation review.

For a transferring learner, ask separately about classroom explanation, textbooks, assessment language and additional Latvian teaching. A pupil may understand fractions or a scientific process while needing help expressing the reasoning in Latvian. Subject teachers and language support should address both. International programmes, foreign-language learning and university courses advertised in English require their own checks; the school-language reform should not be turned into a claim that every educational activity in Latvia uses only Latvian.

5. Grades 1–3: understanding STAP assessment

Early-primary summative reporting uses four attainment levels: S, sācis apgūt (beginning); T, turpina apgūt (developing); A, apguvis (acquired); and P, apguvis padziļināti (acquired in depth). Grades 4–9 use a ten-point scale. Formative and diagnostic feedback does not determine the summative grade. Basic standard, assessment provisions and annexes.

VIAA updated its early-primary reporting guidance in August 2026 after a 2025/26 trial. The guidance covers learning outcomes across nine subjects, including Latvian, mathematics, science, English, design and technology, arts, music, social studies and health-related learning. It emphasises opportunities to learn and receive feedback before summative assessment. Current primary assessment guidance.

An “A” for one outcome is not an English-style letter grade for the entire child. For example, a pupil might confidently add within the taught range but still need help explaining a word problem. Ask which outcome a symbol describes and what independent performance would demonstrate the next step. Counting how many “P” symbols appear is less informative than examining the child’s work and the teacher’s next learning goal.

6. Grades 4–9: marks, workload and monitoring

Basic education develops a broad foundation before specialisation. Its seven learning areas include languages, mathematics, sciences, technology, social and civic learning, arts, and health and physical activity. The ministry’s workload limits rise from twenty-six lessons a week in Grade 4 to thirty-four in Grades 8 and 9. These are limits on scheduled lessons, not a recommended number of additional tutoring hours. Basic-school workload; National learning areas.

For 2026/27, VIAA schedules basic-literacy monitoring in Grades 3 and 6, and unified-school monitoring in Grades 2, 5 and 8. These exercises inform support and system improvement. They should not be presented as separate national leaving qualifications. 2026/27 monitoring schedule.

Keep three kinds of evidence distinct: feedback during learning, the school’s recorded achievement, and national assessment results. If a learner struggles, an example of the task and the marking criteria is more useful than a single average. In mathematics, identify whether the obstacle is calculating, interpreting Latvian wording, choosing a method or explaining the answer. Each needs a different response.

7. Second foreign languages: check the cohort

The current basic standard applies the new second-foreign-language choice rule from September 2026 as pupils enter Grade 5. The language must be an official European Union or European Economic Area language, or one covered by an intergovernmental education agreement. Pupils who began another second foreign language before September 2025 can continue it through basic-school completion. Basic standard, clauses 9² and 27⁷–27⁸.

Upper secondary has its own transition. New study from September 2026 follows the revised language choice. A pupil who had already begun the otherwise excluded second language by the end of 2025/26 may continue to programme completion, no later than 2027/28. Upper-secondary transition and exception.

This matters when changing schools. Two pupils in different grades can legitimately have different second-language arrangements. Before accepting a place, ask which language the new school teaches, the expected starting level and how previous learning will be accommodated. A headline about a language change cannot replace the pupil’s specific cohort rule.

8. Grade 9 examinations in 2026/27

The published 2027 Grade 9 programme includes centralized Latvian, mathematics and a new integrated natural-science examination. Latvian’s written component is scheduled for 20 May, mathematics for 25 May and science for 2 June. Foreign-language assessment is a monitoring exercise in April. Latvian and mathematics require at least 20%; the new science examination has no minimum percentage threshold in this first 2026/27 arrangement. Participation in foreign-language monitoring remains part of the stated completion requirements. Revised Grade 9 examination notice.

Registration is due by 15 January in the Valsts pārbaudījumu informācijas sistēma (VPS), the State Examination Information System. Schools register basic-education pupils. Registration instructions.

The absence of a science percentage threshold does not make science optional. Likewise, a monitoring exercise can require participation without functioning as a pass-or-fail centralized examination. Families should obtain the school’s subject timetable, accommodation decisions and absence procedures. Use the current year’s notice: the threshold and subject arrangements differ from earlier cohorts.

9. Completing basic school and choosing the next programme

The basic-school award is the apliecība par vispārējo pamatizglītību, accompanied by a transcript and relevant examination certification. Section 39 instead provides for a liecība if an annual subject mark is missing, two or more annual subject marks are below four, or a required state-assessment result is missing without an applicable exemption. Basic completion, section 39.

These are completion rules, not a promise of admission to every upper-secondary school. A selective programme may rank eligible applicants. Riga State Gymnasium No. 3’s 2026/27 information, for example, describes the shared mathematics entrance examination used for Riga state-gymnasium entry. This is a bounded school-sector example, not a national entrance test taken by every child. 2026/27 gymnasium admission.

At this transition, compare a three-year general route with a vocational programme’s occupational outcome and secondary qualification. Ask whether the actual certificate obtained supports the next intended step. If the learner has only a report rather than the completion award, discuss the specific missing requirement and available continuation route before assuming either that all further study is impossible or that ordinary Grade 10 entry is assured.

10. Grades 10–12: course choices and depth

General upper secondary organises learning at general, optimal and advanced levels. Basic courses cover seven broad learning areas. Schools offer advanced-course combinations, and the ministry describes pupils choosing three advanced courses from the school’s offer of at least four. A school’s actual combinations can therefore influence preparation for university. Upper-secondary course structure.

Advanced courses and advanced national examinations are different requirements. The change making advanced examinations optional in 2026/27 does not mean that the curriculum has become a free choice to avoid demanding study. The standard also includes an interdisciplinary project: pupils carry out and defend research, creative or community work linked to advanced study. Read the course plan and examination notice together. Current upper-secondary standard; Current examination choice.

For example, a pupil considering a mathematically demanding degree should compare available mathematics, physics and computing courses before selecting a school or course package. Another pupil interested in languages or social research may reasonably choose a different package. The decision should reflect the intended programme’s preparation and admission criteria, rather than choosing subjects only because they appear easiest to pass.

11. Upper-secondary examinations and the final award

For 2026/27, the required centralized examinations cover Latvian, mathematics and a foreign language at least at optimal level, plus physics, chemistry or biology at least at optimal level, or integrated natural sciences at general level. The published minimum is 20%. An advanced examination can replace the corresponding optimal-level examination. Upper-secondary examination requirements.

Advanced examinations are optional for this cohort. Pupils who completed the specified earlier science monitoring assessment may also be exempt from the new science examination requirement. The October instructions name optimal-level physics, chemistry or biology monitoring, or general-level integrated science monitoring. Cohort-specific science exception.

The general award is the atestāts par vispārējo vidējo izglītību, with a transcript and examination evidence. Unlike the basic-school rule, an upper-secondary subject below four, a missing subject result, or a missing required state-assessment result without exemption prevents the full award. Upper-secondary completion, section 48.

Passing the minimum establishes completion, not competitiveness for a particular university place. Keep the final school award, subject transcript and centralized examination certificates together when applying.

12. Vocational education: several distinct routes

The National Database of Education Opportunities, Nacionālā izglītības iespēju datubāze (NIID), distinguishes several routes for 2026/27. After basic education, professional secondary programmes commonly last four years and lead to a level-four professional qualification. Three-year arodizglītība leads to a level-three qualification. After completed secondary education, professional programmes commonly last one-and-a-half to two years, with some music and arts routes longer. Vocational basic programmes can serve learners whose basic schooling is incomplete. Current vocational admission guide.

The terms matter. An occupational qualification, completion of full secondary education and a higher-education diploma are separate achievements. The Vocational Education Law defines these categories and relates professional qualification levels to the Latvian qualifications framework. Vocational qualification categories.

Before enrolment, ask for the final document’s exact name, the professional qualification level, prior schooling required and the route onward. A shorter programme for someone who already holds secondary education does not necessarily omit essential occupational competence; it can avoid repeating the general education that the learner has already completed. Conversely, a skills course advertised as “professional” is not automatically a full secondary programme.

13. A concrete technical-school example

Riga State Technical School, Rīgas Valsts tehnikums, publishes four-year computing routes after Grade 9 for computer-systems technicians and programming technicians. Its programming route includes algorithms, systems and database programming, web development, networks and information-security learning, alongside general-secondary subjects. It also identifies practice and work-based learning opportunities. Computing programme specifications.

This is a useful illustration of combined learning. A prospective programming technician should expect both occupational modules and broader subjects such as Latvian and mathematics. Choosing technical school does not mean abandoning general education, nor does it guarantee that every placement will use the same technologies.

Ask the institution how practical assignments are assessed, how a workplace is selected, who supervises the learner and how missed practice is completed. For a later university application, retain the secondary diploma and examination evidence as well as records of professional competence.

14. Vocational assessment and the qualification examination

A vocational qualification examination assesses competence for an identified occupation. The regulations cover its content, organisation and evaluation at vocational-basic and secondary levels; it is not simply the general-secondary mathematics or language examination renamed. NIID’s 2025/26 examination explanation states that the qualification examination requires at least five on the ten-point scale. Read the current occupational examination programme for the actual tasks and criteria. Qualification examination regulations; NIID explanation of the passing standard.

For a programme combining secondary education and a profession, track both sets of requirements. Success in practical work does not by itself demonstrate that all general-secondary requirements have been completed. Equally, passing the school examinations does not prove occupational competence.

A learner who leaves early should ask what has actually been certified: completed modules, part of a programme, an occupational qualification, or the full diploma. The answer affects whether the next provider can recognise previous learning. Preserve assessment records and module descriptions, rather than relying on a statement that the learner “studied there for two years”.

15. Higher education: cycles, levels and credits

The current NIID guide places short-cycle professional higher education at Latvian Qualifications Framework level 5, normally two to three years. Academic bachelor programmes are usually three to four years; professional bachelors usually four to five, at level 6. Master-level study is level 7. Some long-cycle professional programmes, including medicine and dentistry, begin after secondary school and take five to six years. Doctoral study follows second-cycle education. Current higher-education ladder.

Latvia uses the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS): sixty credits represent a full-time academic year, with twenty-five to thirty hours of study work per credit. Older Latvian credits used a different scale, with forty local credits corresponding to sixty ECTS. Credit-system explanation.

Check the unit before comparing transcripts. An older document listing eighty Latvian credits and a newer document listing 120 ECTS may represent the same nominal workload. Credits measure learning volume, while qualification level and programme content answer different questions. Neither a credit total nor an institution’s English translation of “college” is enough to establish equivalence to a bachelor’s degree.

16. University entry: institutional criteria now matter even more

Applicants normally need general or professional secondary completion. A significant current distinction is that centralized examination results are no longer a compulsory component of every institution’s admission ranking. Institutions can still use them, or adopt entrance tests, annual subject marks and other criteria. Early application or selection can occur before school results, but the study agreement requires the prescribed secondary-completion documents. 2026/27 admission guidance.

There is therefore no single national university entrance score that guarantees a place everywhere. Check the specific programme, applicant category and intake year. A rule written for a person who completed Latvian school recently may differ from the rule for an older graduate, an exempt applicant or someone educated abroad.

Separate three questions: am I eligible to apply, how will I be ranked, and what evidence must I submit before enrolment? A provisional offer answers only part of that sequence. For 2027 entry, use the newly published university rules when available; the 2026 examples below explain how the system works without promising unchanged future criteria.

17. Bachelor study: a University of Latvia example

The University of Latvia’s English-taught Business Administration programme lists six full-time semesters and 180 ECTS for 2026/27, leading to a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Management and Administration. The third year includes a bachelor’s thesis. This is an academic bachelor example, rather than a universal duration for all Latvian degrees. Business Administration programme.

The same page distinguishes admission backgrounds. For recent Latvian-school graduates it identifies centralized mathematics, Latvian and English results, with English at least B2, alongside the average examination score. Its foreign-educated applicant routes use different school-mark and language conditions, and relevant applicants educated outside the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland face an SAT requirement. Applicants must read their own category in full. Programme-specific admission categories.

A family comparing English and Latvian versions should also compare the actual study places and funding terms. English delivery does not establish that the programme is state-funded. Likewise, a bachelor’s thesis involves an assessed piece of work, not merely attendance until the final semester. Request the current study plan and completion regulations before assuming every bachelor in the country has the same project or placement requirements.

18. Short-cycle higher education and progression

Riga Technical College’s current Information Technologies programme is a concrete short-cycle example. It requires completed general or professional secondary education, is taught in Latvian, lasts two-and-a-half years and comprises 150 credits. Its award is a diploma in short-cycle professional higher education with the qualification of computer-systems and computer-network administrator. Information Technologies qualification.

The college’s 2026/27 admission information asks continuing students to submit an academic record showing earlier credits and grades for evaluation. This illustrates why progression is an assessment process. A previous qualification may provide a foundation for further study, but it does not establish automatic entry into a particular bachelor year. Admission and previous-study evaluation.

Compare the administrator qualification with the Grade 9-entry technician route described earlier. They differ in entry level, learning volume and final award, despite overlapping technical vocabulary. If the eventual goal is a bachelor, ask the receiving university which credits it will recognise and what remains to complete. Obtain that answer for the named programme rather than relying on an assumed nationwide “two-plus-two” arrangement.

19. Master’s study: prior learning changes the route

Master’s admission depends on the subject and previous qualification. University of Latvia Computer Science provides a particularly clear 2026/27 example. Its sixty-ECTS, one-year Advanced Programming route requires relevant first-cycle education totalling at least four full-time years and 240 ECTS. Its 120-ECTS, two-year route has a relevant computing-degree entry route and a separate route for specified other disciplines with at least three years’ computing experience. The latter normally includes mathematics and programming entrance assessments; the published conditions distinguish the Bioinformatics specialisation. Computer Science master requirements.

This is why “a bachelor is three years, then a master is one” is an unsafe universal formula. A shorter master can depend on a longer and specifically relevant first degree. Another applicant may need a longer programme or additional demonstrated preparation.

For example, an engineering graduate with substantial software work should assemble the transcript and evidence of experience, then check the relevant admission route. A general statement that they “know computers” will not establish eligibility. Completion also requires assessed work: the university’s 120-ECTS Computer Science catalogue lists a thirty-credit master’s thesis as the final state assessment. Master’s study plan.

20. Doctoral study: entry, research and defence

Doctoral entry builds on second-cycle education. The University of Latvia’s 2026/27 guidance specifies the master-level and total prior-study requirements, including at least five years and 300 ECTS after secondary education, alongside each programme’s subject conditions. Its admission process assesses the research proposal and academic preparation through document review, interview and discussion with the relevant doctoral council. Doctoral prerequisites; 2026 selection process.

The university’s Computer Science and Mathematics programme provides a four-year full-time example. Do not infer every doctoral programme’s length or credit volume from that one listing. Named doctoral programme.

The research itself must make an original contribution. The university describes doctoral promotion as the thesis-defence process leading to the degree. Being enrolled for the nominal duration is therefore not the same as earning the doctorate. Nature of the thesis; Defence and award.

A prospective researcher should discuss the question, methods, supervisor fit and feasible work plan before applying. Funding and employment arrangements also need their own confirmation: a programme’s existence does not imply that every admitted researcher receives the same funded position.

21. Programme status and foreign qualifications

For Latvian higher education, use the Higher Education Quality Agency, Augstākās izglītības kvalitātes aģentūra (AIKA), and its official e-platform to check the institution, study field and named programme. Verify the award, language, study location and current status rather than relying only on a provider’s advertising. AIKA and programme records.

The Academic Information Centre (AIC) evaluates foreign credentials. For continued higher study, the higher-education institution makes the recognition decision based on the applicable process; school-level continuation and unregulated employment have different decision-makers. AIC also identifies automatic-recognition arrangements for specified Baltic and Benelux qualifications. Recognition for a regulated profession is a separate procedure. Foreign credential recognition.

Keep the diploma and transcript together. A translation of an award title alone may omit the programme’s duration, entry level and academic rights. Academic recognition also does not guarantee selection for a competitive programme. For example, a recognised foreign bachelor can establish a qualification level while leaving a master’s subject prerequisites unresolved. Ask both what the credential is comparable to and whether its content meets the specific admission conditions.

22. Returning to learning and arranging support

Latvia’s adult-education provision includes formal study, non-formal courses and learning gained through work and daily life. These routes have different outputs. A course certificate may record participation or skills, while a formal programme leads to its specified qualification. Adult education overview.

Assessment of existing competence offers another route. In a 2026 notice, Riga State Technical School invited experienced digital-printing workers to a professional qualification examination. That particular application window has passed, but the example shows the principle: work experience can be assessed against an occupational standard rather than automatically treated as a diploma. Ask about the current authorised assessment opportunity and applicable support. 2026 occupational-assessment example.

For a school-age learner needing additional support, the basic standard requires an individual programme-learning plan for special educational needs. Individual learning-plan provision. The practical discussion should identify the learning goal, support person, classroom adjustments and review date. A plan is useful when it changes the learner’s access to teaching and assessment. Families should also confirm examination accommodations separately, early enough for the prescribed application process.

23. Three pathway examples to test a decision

A Grade 9 pupil choosing computing. Compare the technical-school programme’s secondary award and technician qualification with the general school’s mathematics and computing course package. Then look ahead to a named higher-education programme. The best fit depends on whether the pupil wants substantial occupational preparation now, a particular academic subject combination, or both over time.

A Grade 12 pupil deciding about an advanced examination. Start with the 2026/27 completion requirements, then inspect the intended university’s intake rules. An optional school-leaving examination may still be valuable for preparation or a particular selection formula. Do not decide solely from the word “optional”, and do not assume last year’s university formula will remain unchanged.

An adult with an older transcript. First establish whether the credits are older Latvian units or ECTS. Identify the actual completed award and retain module descriptions. Ask the receiving institution for a written evaluation of what can count toward the target programme. That is more reliable than adding years of attendance and assuming the total corresponds to a new degree.

These are illustrative planning situations, not accounts of actual applicants. Each uses the same discipline: identify the starting credential, the next programme’s requirements and the exact award at its end.

24. Frequently asked questions

Does compulsory education mean everyone must finish Grade 12? No. The compulsory basic-education rule, preschool preparation and the requirements for an upper-secondary qualification are different. Use the age-and-completion explanation above rather than treating the whole school ladder as one compulsory block.

Is STAP a four-letter version of a ten-point mark? It describes attainment against learning outcomes in early primary. Ask what skill was assessed and what the child can demonstrate independently, rather than converting the symbols mechanically into a class ranking.

Does every Latvian university require the same centralized examinations? No. Institutions determine their admission criteria within the current framework. Check the programme and applicant category, including any language, subject or entrance-test requirements.

Can a technical-school graduate enter university? A programme that provides the required secondary completion can support an application. The occupational label alone is insufficient; check the diploma and the university’s criteria.

Is a short-cycle diploma a bachelor? They are different qualifications. Ask the next institution to evaluate any credit transfer rather than assuming automatic progression.

Where should a family start when information conflicts? Identify the school year, programme, qualification and applicant category in each document. A current cohort notice may supersede an older general explanation. Ask the responsible school or institution to resolve the remaining discrepancy in writing.

Official sources and scope

Sources below are legislation, government and agency guidance, and the institutions responsible for the named programmes. Consult the latest intake or examination notice before acting. English translations and older overview pages can lag behind amendments; the current Latvian legal text governs the legal details described here.

• Ministry: general education — School stages and institutional forms; updated June 2026.
• Ministry: basic education — Compulsory education, starting age, awards and school workload.
• General Education Law, current Latvian text — School entry and completion provisions, including the September 2026 amendments.
• Ministry: preschool education — Play-based preparation, municipal admission and preschool provision.
• Ministry: the phased transition to a unified school — The 2023–2025 grade-by-grade language transition.
• State Education Quality Service: language-transition review — March 2026 report on implementation and continuing support needs.
• Basic education standard, Regulation 747 — Current assessment scales, individual plans and second-foreign-language transition clauses.
• VIAA: updated primary assessment guidance — August 2026 guidance following the 2025/26 trial.
• VIAA: revised 2026/27 examination schedule — September 2026 notice: Grade 9 science, thresholds and upper-secondary requirements.
• VIAA: current 2026/27 state assessment instructions — Updated 13 October 2026: registration, optional advanced examinations and science exceptions.
• Ministry: general upper-secondary education — Course levels, advanced-course selection and programme structure.
• Upper-secondary standard, Regulation 416 — Course structure and assessment; current consolidated text.
• Ministry: upper-secondary second-foreign-language changes — New September 2026 rule and the existing-cohort exception through 2027/28.
• Riga State Gymnasium No. 3: admission 2026/27 — A concrete selective-school example; future intakes require their own rules.
• NIID: vocational admission 2026/27 — Programme lengths, entry backgrounds and qualification levels.
• Vocational Education Law — Programme and qualification distinctions, including short-cycle higher education.
• Riga State Technical School: computing programmes — Four-year computer-systems and programming technician routes after basic school.
• Vocational qualification examination regulations — Qualification examination organisation and assessment at basic and secondary vocational levels.
• NIID: vocational examinations in 2025/26 — A dated explanation of the qualification examination and its passing standard.
• NIID: higher-education admission 2026/27 — Current qualification ladder and the changed discretion over admission criteria.
• Academic Information Centre: credit system — European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System and older Latvian credit conversions.
• University of Latvia: Business Administration in English — 2026/27 bachelor programme, thesis and applicant-specific entry requirements.
• Riga Technical College: Information Technologies — Current short-cycle qualification, duration, language and credits.
• Riga Technical College: admission 2026/27 — Documents, foreign credentials and evaluation of earlier study.
• University of Latvia: Computer Science study catalogue — The 120-ECTS programme’s assessed courses and thirty-credit master’s thesis.
• University of Latvia: Computer Science master admission — Different 60-credit and 120-credit routes and their 2026/27 prerequisites.
• University of Latvia: Computer Science and Mathematics doctorate — A four-year institutional example; use the university’s actual programme specification.
• University of Latvia: doctoral entry requirements 2026/27 — Prior second-cycle study and programme-specific requirements.
• University of Latvia: doctoral admission 2026 — Research proposal, interview and doctoral council assessment.
• University of Latvia: doctoral thesis — Original research and the purpose of the thesis.
• University of Latvia: doctoral promotion — Thesis defence and award procedure.
• Higher Education Quality Agency: official programme platform — Access to the current institution, study-field and programme records.
• Academic Information Centre: foreign credential recognition — Evaluation, final decision-makers and automatic-recognition exceptions.
• Ministry: adult education — Formal, non-formal and informal learning routes.
• Riga State Technical School: recognition through a qualification examination — A dated 2026 digital-printing example of assessing work-based learning.

Continue exploring education

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