2026

Government approves implementation of institutional financing model in all public higher education institutions and colleges from 2027 

On Tuesday, March 31, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a package of amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions, the Law on Education and the Law on Vocational Education, promoted by the Ministry of Education and Science (MES), for the full implementation of the institutional financing model in all public higher education institutions (HEIs) and colleges by 2027. The model will ensure a unified and transparent approach to financing public HEIs and colleges, thereby ensuring greater autonomy of higher education institutions and reducing the administrative burden. 

Gradually, by transitioning the higher education system into a new and result-oriented financing model, the quality of higher education is being strengthened and the accountability of institutions for the results to be achieved is promoted. The aim of the implemented transition is not only to ensure the connection of study places with the needs of the labor market, but also to specifically assess the employment of graduates in qualified positions in Latvia, thus ensuring the compliance of higher education with labor market requirements and state priorities. 

A pilot project in this area was launched at the end of 2024. It applied only to some public HEIs (University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, Riga Stradiņš University, Latvian University of Biosciences and Technology, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvian Academy of Culture). It is planned that from 2027, all public higher education institutions will be granted funding based on results, not processes or the number of state-determined budget places, as has been the case so far. 

The results to be achieved by universities will be: 

• the number of trained specialists in accordance with the strategic specialization of the university (for example, teachers, STEAM specialists, healthcare specialists), 
• master's students, doctoral students and doctoral degree holders employed in research, 
• enrollment rates in areas in demand for the national economy, etc. 

With the introduction of the new financing model for the public higher education institutions, several benefits are expected for both students and HEIS, as well as society, including a reduction in the number of dropouts and provision of more specialists in critical sectors, strengthening research and innovation, which will increase Latvia's competitiveness in the long term.

Legal framework for admission of foreign students and supervision of the study process is being improved 

The Ministry of Education and Science is implementing a wide range of measures to improve:

•  the legal framework for admission of foreign students, 
• residence procedures in Latvia and 
• supervision of the study process. 

The aim of these measures is:

•  to improve the provision of the process, 
• clarify the responsibilities of the institutions involved and mitigate potential risks, 
• while maintaining and promoting the competitiveness of Latvian higher education in the international environment. 

In cooperation with universities and state administrative institutions, the ministry has prepared changes to the regulatory framework to strengthen supervision of the study process and ensure responsible fulfillment of study obligations. Including: 

• The ministry has already developed and submitted a proposal to the Immigration Law, establishing the obligation for a foreign student who has been exmatriculated from a Latvian university and reapplies for studies in Latvia to return to his or her country of residence before requesting a new temporary residence permit. If the obligation is not fulfilled, a temporary residence permit will not be issued. 
• The Ministry of Education and Science has submitted a proposal to the Immigration Law that a higher education institution will be prohibited from inviting new students if more than 30% of the students invited in the previous year have received visa refusals. Such a percentage of visa refusals means that the higher education institution is selecting students with too low knowledge in the selection process. 
• A proposal has also been prepared to the Higher Education Law that to admit a foreign student, his average grade in profile subjects must be at least 60%, 
• The Ministry of Education and Science plans to determine in the Cabinet of Ministers' regulations which internationally recognized certificates can certify the applicant's English language skills, 
• Similarly, in order to strengthen the use of the state language, the Cabinet of Ministers' regulations will stipulate that foreign students must learn Latvian at least at the A2 level, 
• The accreditation process of higher education institutions will assess whether the institution has established an appropriate system for monitoring and supporting foreign students, both for their well-being and the quality of studies. 
   

In addition to the work on the aforementioned amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions, the Immigration Law, and several Cabinet regulations, the Ministry of Education and Science is working on a higher education internationalization strategy to attract foreign students, which will define the target countries for attracting students and strengthen a data-based approach to assess the international quality of education and research, including being able to track the labor market trends of foreign graduates.

Parliament approves new accreditation model to support the higher education institutions 

In March, the Parliament (Saeima) approved amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions and the Law on Education, initiated by the Ministry of Education and Science. This means a transition from accreditation of study fields to cyclical accreditation of higher education institutions and colleges. These changes will mean that in the future, the ability of each higher education institution to provide quality education will be assessed as a whole, rather than by assessing each study field of each higher education institution and college separately. 

One of the most significant advantages of the new system is the reduction of the administrative and financial burden on higher education institutions and colleges. Until now, each study field had to be accredited separately, which required significant resources for the preparation of documentation and expert visits. In the new system, a higher education institution or college will be assessed as a whole – its management, strategic development, resources, internal quality processes and support mechanisms for students. This means one accreditation procedure for the entire institution, rather than several separate assessments for each study field. As a result, higher education institutions will be able to use their resources more effectively to improve the quality of education, rather than to handle administrative procedures. 

Higher education institutions will take greater responsibility for ensuring the quality of education and will be able to choose the most effective ways to do so, taking into account the standards for quality assurance in the European Higher Education Area. This approach is in line with the principles of the European Higher Education Area, where the autonomy and responsibility of higher education institutions are fundamental elements.  

An accreditation pilot project will be carried out until 31 December 2027, in which three higher education institutions will participate. The amendments to the laws provide that higher education institutions and colleges will have to receive decision on accreditation by 30 June 2032, while the process for the next accreditation will have to be initiated no later than 12 months before the expiration of the accreditation period.  

Higher education institutions and colleges that meet all accreditation requirements will be able to receive accreditation for seven years, while those that need improvements will be granted accreditation for three years. If a university or college receives only three-year accreditation twice in a row, it will either receive a full seven-year accreditation or not be accredited at the next inspection. This approach will motivate universities and colleges to independently improve the quality and governance of their education.
 

2025

Digitalisation of higher education – modernised study process, less bureaucratic burden, and wider accessibility for students

By the end of 2029, large-scale digitization of the study process will be implemented in higher education institutions of Latvia, it was decided at the government meeting on 27 May 2025. The aim of the project promoted by the Ministry of Education and Science is to ensure a modern, flexible and student-centered study environment by introducing shared digital solutions. The project will be implemented with financial support from the European Social Fund Plus.

The modernization will cover four study support systems: 

• integrated digital resource and library management with extensive artificial intelligence support for search and content processing,
• modern management of student internships,
• evaluation of the study process and
• management of the use of personal data in student research work.

The implementation of this project will significantly improve the study experience and accessibility, offering students the opportunity to choose study courses from different higher education institutions in Latvia and elsewhere in Europe, obtain microqualifications and create an individually tailored study plan. Digitalisation will introduce e-diplomas, student e-files, as well as unified internship management and digital library systems, ensuring the introduction of "paperless" procedures. This will reduce the administrative burden for both students and academic staff, while allowing for the automatic exchange of data between public authorities. 

The resumption of studies will also become more convenient for adults, promoting lifelong learning and improvement of professional qualifications. It is expected that the implementation of sharing systems will ensure a more efficient use of public resources, reducing costs by 10-15% compared to individually developed solutions.

In the first round, the development and implementation will be carried out by the Unified Service Centre (VPC), which consists of four science universities. The VPC aims to develop innovative, shareable digital solutions that contribute to the growth of the entire higher education system. The students represented by these four higher education institutions account for more than 66% of the total number of students in Latvia or 49 200 students.

In the second round, a grant programme will be announced, which is intended for the introduction of new digital solutions in all public and private higher education institutions and colleges in Latvia. Both individual and collaborative projects will be eligible for funding, thus ensuring the smooth integration of digital innovations throughout the higher education system. 

The project will be implemented from now until the end of 2029, when digital systems will be implemented in all higher education institutions, where at least 80% of Latvia’s students study.

From now on, the government will decide on the procedure for licensing study programmes 

During the licensing process of a study programme, each study programme is evaluated in accordance with the licensing requirements for study programmes stipulated by the Cabinet, including the requirements for the assessment of programmes. Previously, the assessment requirements were specified in the Law on Higher Education Institutions, but as of 1 January 2025, the licensing requirements for study programmes, including assessment requirements, have been removed from the Law on Higher Education Institutions. 

In order to ensure that the licensing process of study programmes is transparent and meets modern requirements, from January 2025 they will now be included in cabinet regulations. The specific assessment criteria allow for a more detailed assessment of the quality and relevance of the study programme:  

1. Conformity of the study programme with the requirements of the Law on Higher Education Institutions and other laws and regulations.
2. Conformity of qualification of academic staff and visiting professors, associate visiting professors, visiting docents, visiting lecturers and visiting assistants.
3. Conformity of the study base, informative base (including library), financial base and material technical base with the conditions for the implementation of the study programme.
4. Content and implementation mechanism of the study programme to be licensed.
5. Consistency of the factual circumstances with the information provided.
6. Elimination of previously identified violations.
7. Conformity of the study programme with the planned study field.

These changes will promote the maintenance of the quality of higher education in Latvia.

2024

Implementation of the institutional funding model is planned in all public higher education institutions 

In the form of a pilot project, the new model of institutional financing of higher education institutions is introduced at the Riga Technical University (RTU) from January 1, 2024. 

The current higher education financing arrangement stimulated higher education institutions to fill state-subsidised study places, which resulted in reduced admission requirements, which in turn contributed to student dropout. The pilot project envisages that the Ministry of Education and Science concludes an agreement with RTU on the training of a certain number of specialists and other achievable indicators, and will allocate the relevant state funding. RTU will be granted the right to determine the number of study places and financing principles. Thus, the RTU Council will be able to make more rational decisions within the framework of the overall funding.  

The main goal of the amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions is to improve and modernize the existing financing model of state higher education institutions, strengthening compliance with the demand of the national economy. The biggest challenges in the field of higher education are currently related to the high dropout rate of students and insufficient number of STEM graduates. 

Riga Technical University starts the pilot project from January 2024, ensuring greater efficiency and better results, which objectively confirms the ongoing reforms at the university. Other universities are expected to join in implementing the institutional funding model within one to two years.