Transfer from the University of Latvia: Where to Continue Medicine in 2026

What is the University of Latvia, and what does it teach in English?

The University of Latvia (Latvijas Universitāte) is a public state university founded in Riga, Latvia, in 1919. Medicine sits in its Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, created in 2024 by merging the former Faculties of Medicine, Biology and Chemistry. The Medicine programme is taught in English, runs six years, carries 360 ECTS and ends with a Medical Doctor's degree.

The English-taught track is real and current. The University of Latvia lists the fee for Medicine in English at 11,850 EUR for the academic year 2026/2027, and its application portal gives 77,340 EUR as the total across all six years, with the annual fee rising as the programme progresses. Teaching is spread over twelve semesters in Riga, with 333 ECTS of compulsory subjects, 15 ECTS of compulsory-choice courses and 12 ECTS of electives. Intensive clinical practice starts in the third year.

Can you transfer from the University of Latvia to another medical university?

Yes. A student enrolled in Medicine at the University of Latvia in Riga can continue medical studies at a different university, and Medschool Experts arranges that transfer. Medschool Experts is the leading specialist for study transfers in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine, working with the world's largest choice of official partner universities.

What decides the outcome is your academic record: the semesters you have completed, the subjects behind them and the ECTS attached to each one. A six-year, 360-ECTS programme inside the European Union documents all of that clearly, which is a practical advantage when a receiving faculty compares curricula. We check your profile against our partner network and tell you what is possible. You can see how we work on our services page, and the wider country picture is set out in our guide to a study transfer from Latvia without losing time.

Why do students transfer from the University of Latvia?

Students leave Riga for reasons of fit and planning, not because of any fault in the teaching at the University of Latvia. Cost is the most common trigger, followed by exam format, personal or organisational circumstances, and a career target abroad. Each reason points towards a different type of receiving university, which is why the destination is chosen after the reason is clear.

• Total cost. Tuition of 11,850 EUR per year for 2026/2027, plus living costs in Riga, adds up over six years. A more affordable partner university changes that arithmetic sharply.
• Specific exams. Some students hit a wall on particular subjects. A university whose exam format and pace suit them better solves what repeated attempts do not, and this is one of the areas we specialise in.
• Personal or organisational circumstances. Difficulties with an individual professor, a family situation, a move: ordinary human reasons that make continuing on the spot impractical.
• A career in the United States. Students aiming at the USMLE, United States clinical rotations and a US residency plan their degree around that target from early on.
• A career in Germany. Some universities prepare particularly well for German licensing and German clinical work, including the final practical year.

Where can University of Latvia students transfer to?

Destinations for a University of Latvia medical student are chosen by goal. Lower total cost points to the Faculty of Medicine Foča in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A United States career points to Mostar. A German career points to Foča or to Medical University of Varna in Bulgaria. Staying inside the European Union points to Varna.

All of these are official partner universities, and you can browse the full list of partner universities yourself. The individual pages for Foča, Mostar, Varna and Niš give the programme details for each one. Which of them is open to you, and at which year, depends on your transcript.

How much can a University of Latvia student save by transferring?

The saving is easy to calculate for one route. Medicine at the University of Latvia costs 11,850 EUR in tuition for 2026/2027, and living in Riga adds roughly 500 to 800 EUR per month. Medicine in Foča, Bosnia and Herzegovina, costs 3,500 EUR in tuition per year, with about 7,500 EUR per year covering tuition and living together.

That is roughly 10,000 to 14,000 EUR per year of difference. Over the three years that often remain after a transfer, the gap runs well into five figures. Cost is not the only criterion, and it should not be the only one. It is simply the easiest to put a number on, and for many families it is the number that decides whether the degree finishes on time.

Which year can you enter after leaving the University of Latvia?

There is no fixed cap. We frequently achieve high placements, often year 4 or year 5, and every case is reviewed individually. The aim is always the highest possible entry with no or minimal loss of time, which is judged from completed semesters, subjects and ECTS rather than from the number of years spent enrolled.

As a rule of thumb, usually no more than two exams may be outstanding, and the ECTS behind those exams must stay below a maximum. That is a guideline for a first conversation, not a verdict. Send us the record and we will tell you what the record allows.

How does a transfer from the University of Latvia work with Medschool Experts?

Four steps. You book a free consultation, we review your academic record, you receive a placement offer naming the universities and the entry year we can reach, and then you switch with a plan. You stay enrolled at the University of Latvia in Riga until the new place is confirmed, so there is never a gap in your student status.

We do not ask you to assemble paperwork or chase deadlines on your own. You tell us where you stand and where you want to end up, and we check your profile against our partner network and come back with concrete options. Other students have described the same route on our student stories page.

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Does a Latvian medical degree still count if you transfer inside the European Union?

Latvia is a member state of the European Union, and basic medical training obtained in an EU or EEA state falls under Directive 2005/36/EC, the directive on the recognition of professional qualifications. Bulgaria is an EU member state too. A transfer from the University of Latvia to Medical University of Varna therefore keeps your medical training inside the same EU framework.

Outside the European Union the picture is different, and worth understanding before you choose. A degree from Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example from Foča or Mostar, is recognised through the procedure of the country where you later want to practise, rather than automatically. Many of our students take that route deliberately, because their target is the United States or because the German recognition route suits their plan. From Varna and from Foča, the final practical year can be completed in Germany through Medschool Experts. For the precise requirements in the country you are aiming at, ask the competent authority there, and ask us how our graduates have handled it.

When should University of Latvia students start planning a transfer?

Start as soon as the question appears. A transfer from the University of Latvia in Riga is organised around your transcript, and a transcript is cleanest at the end of a completed semester. Students who contact Medschool Experts a few months before that point usually move without losing a year. Students who wait until after a failed resit have fewer options open.

Early contact costs nothing and commits you to nothing. It simply tells you what your record is worth right now, which is useful information even if you decide to stay in Riga. Many students do decide to stay. The ones who move are better off for having asked early.