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.
 

2023

Development of the state higher education standard that meets the requirements of the labor market

Higher Education, Science and Innovation department of the Ministry of Education and Science has started work on the development of the state higher education standard, so that students can learn content that meets the changing requirements of the labor market. The standard is planned to include the basic, mandatory principles of creating the content and organizational forms of study programmes, content requirements, organization of practical training during the study process and other important considerations for adjusting the quality and accessibility of education to the needs of society. It is intended to be applied to bachelor's, master's, doctoral and short or college cycle study programmes. 

The development of the standard is a priority of the ministry in 2023, in order to develop the related regulation in accordance with the amendments made to the laws and approve it in the Cabinet of Ministers indicatively in the first quarter of 2024, as well as to create the preconditions so that higher education institutions can prepare in time for the transition to cyclical university accreditation, which is planned to be introduced starting in 2026 year. Work on the state higher education standard was also carried out in the Innovation Laboratory of the State Chancellery.

Support for innovation in education

56 representatives from higher education institutions as well as businesses, and government officials are approved to participate in the Leadership Programme, which consists of two sub-programmes aimed at education innovations. Also, six education innovation projects for further development, led by 18 representatives from Latvian universities, are approved for further implementation.

Both the Leadership Programme and the Education Innovation Projects Support Programme are aimed at creating contemporary education processes, governance, and effective changes in Latvia, with solutions developed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is among the world’s top universities.

Initiatives are administered by the Education Innovation Laboratory, established earlier by Riga Business School as a structural unit of Riga Technical University in collaboration with MIT J-WEL laboratory. The Ministry of Education and Science is the financier of this project.

The Leader Programme provides an opportunity for education leaders to learn about effective innovation structuring, governance, financing, and stakeholder interaction. As part of the program, participants will take online courses on EdX, participate in online seminars and workshops organized by MIT J-WEL on building innovation ecosystems and educational leadership, engage in internal discussions and forums of the program, exchange experiences, and visit MIT in Boston, USA. Before the visit, participants will set their work objectives and attend preparation sessions to make the most effective use of consultations with specifically selected MIT experts and get the most out of on-site workshops.

The leadership programme is divided into two separate sub-programmes. Participants of the Ecosystem Innovation Project Management Group will implement specific projects, while the Strategic Ecosystem Management Group will focus on the overall education ecosystem and strategy formation.

The Strategic Education Innovation Project Support Program is designed to support the implementation of large, ambitious education innovation projects in Latvian higher education institutions in one of three thematic areas: systematic improvements in student experience, improvements in collaboration between universities and organizations, and/or initiatives that promote the achievement of strategic goals of the university. As a part of the program, participants will receive consultations from MIT experts, mentoring support for innovation and change implementation, support in project planning, and content development according to the project plan. They will also participate in workshops as well as networking and experience exchange events. Team members will have the opportunity to go to individually tailored experience exchange and learning visit to MIT in Boston, USA.

The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the project No. 1.1.1.5/18/I/008 “Support for Riga Technical University International Cooperation Projects in Research and Innovation”.