Universities of Latvia and LBTU Positive on Early Admission; Plan to Continue

The University of Latvia (LU) and Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) implemented early admission for the first time this year in certain study programs, and both universities overall view the process positively.

LU's early admission was conducted in five bachelor's level programs. In the LU Banking School programs "Business Process Management," "Finance," and "International Finance," 91 applicants applied, of whom 75 successfully passed the entrance exam and received conditional admission offers. In the LU Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences program "Industrial Engineering and Management," 30 applicants applied, 16 participated in entrance exams, and all received study place offers. Three of them were offered state-funded places.

The university notes that early admission allows prospective students to learn about study opportunities earlier, while the university itself can begin working with motivated applicants sooner and better plan resources. However, the process requires additional organizational work as it runs parallel to the active semester. LU indicates it is useful to continue the early admission model in the coming years.

LBTU's early admission this year took place in the academic bachelor's program "Landscape Architecture and Planning." There were 46 applicants competing for 20 state-funded and 10 fee-paying places. Six applicants failed the drawing entrance exam, while 32 received provisional conditional admission offers.

LBTU acknowledges that one of the main challenges was adapting the unified admission system for early admissions, which required additional human and financial resources. The university plans to continue early admission in this program next year, as it already has a mandatory drawing entrance exam, allowing selection based on professional skills without waiting for centralized exam results. However, LBTU does not currently plan to expand it to other programs because introducing new entrance exams requires coordination of study program changes. It also notes that early admission does not guarantee that applicants will sign a study contract after completing secondary education – this year several candidates declined their provisional offers.

As reported, the Saeima adopted amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions in spring 2025, allowing universities to conduct admissions before the announcement of centralized exam results. The changes will apply starting with the 2026/2027 academic year. At the same time, centralized exam results remain an important criterion in student admissions. Universities that hold competitions before receiving centralized exam results may only sign study contracts after the applicant submits proof of completing secondary education.