Failing Medical School at LSMU Kaunas? Exams, Dismissal and Transfer (2026)

Failing medical school at LSMU Kaunas: the rules

Key facts

• Two free retakes of a failed exam until the end of the academic debt liquidation week (Regulation of Studies, clause 20.20).
• Repeating a subject is paid; you may repeat the same subject no more than twice.
• Up to 12 credits of debt in subjects not needed for the higher year are allowed on an individual schedule.
• More than 25% of missed contact hours in a subject means you must repeat that subject.
• Appeal deadlines: 3 business days (assessment results), 2 business days (final exams or theses).
• Studies can end by Rector's order when a student does not execute the study plan or pass the required exams.

The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) regulates exams, debts and progression in its Regulation of Studies. The University works within the Law on Higher Education and Research of the Republic of Lithuania. Everything below follows the current Regulation of Studies.

Read this section as a map. Your faculty and your Dean apply the rules to your own case, so check your personal study record on the student system.

LSMU exam retakes and academic debt

An academic debt is a negative final assessment in a subject during the assessment period. It is not a verdict on you. It is a task with a deadline.

The Regulation of Studies lets you repeat a failed exam or credit assessment twice free of charge until the end of the academic debt liquidation week of the year. The schedule for clearing debts is published on the student information system no later than two months before the semester ends (Art. 94).

Missing an exam counts differently from failing it. Illness, a family emergency or a clash with a hospital placement should be reported to your faculty at once, with documents. Late explanations are hard to accept.

For the final examination or final thesis, the rules are separate. A student who fails it may retake it for a fixed fee. A student who did not attend may retake it once free of charge (Art. 157).

Exam rules at a glance

Repeating a year at LSMU

After the annual debt liquidation week, the Dean issues an order within five business days after the last grade is entered. The order does one of three things: it confirms your transfer to the higher course, it registers you temporarily for higher-level studies and sets deadlines for repeating the subject, or it leaves you to repeat the course.

The decisive rule is the 12-credit limit. A student with a maximum of 12 credits of debt in subjects that are not needed for higher-level studies may continue on an individual schedule. If the subject is needed for further studies, you stay in the course.

Debts you carry must be passed within one year. If they are not, the Dean's order will not advance you.

Repetition is paid. The cost follows the current study cost of the programme, in proportion to the scope of the subject when only a subject is repeated. Ask the faculty for the exact amount before you decide.

Dismissal and loss of study right at LSMU

Article 146 of the Regulation of Studies lists the ways studies end. They include your own request, not returning from academic leave, changing programme, objective impossibility to continue, failing to execute the study plan or to pass final exams, and a disciplinary penalty.

For academic failure the key rule is the repetition limit. You may repeat the same subject no more than twice. If you still do not pass, the Rector may terminate the study agreement. The decision is made on the Dean's recommendation, and the order states the reasons.

Article 110 covers silence. A student who does not take part in studies or respond to the University for 30 days is removed from the student lists. Answer every official message, even when you are struggling.

A student whose studies ended because of a penalty may resume no earlier than the next year of studies, and only in a state-funded place (Art. 152). Academic misconduct is treated as a penalty matter, so never risk it in an exam.

Appeals at LSMU

The appeal deadlines are short, so act the same day. Appeals of assessment results, interim evaluations and evaluation procedures must be filed within three business days. Appeals of final examination or final thesis results must be filed within two business days.

The Dean decides ordinary appeals. The Rector decides final-exam appeals. An Appeal Committee is set up within two business days of receiving the appeal, with student representatives among its members, and it holds an oral hearing.

Write down what went wrong, attach evidence and ask for the exam paper to be shown. Stay factual. The Committee looks at the procedure and the grading.

Illness, academic leave and accommodations

Academic leave is the right tool when health or family matters overwhelm your studies. Illness leave is one year, extendable, but not more than three consecutive years. Pregnancy, childcare or paternity leave follows Lithuanian law, up to three years. Leave for personal reasons is one year, once in your whole studies.

Apply to renew your leave at least 10 business days before it ends. If you do not, a warning is sent by registered mail, and you are removed from the list if no application follows within 30 days. During leave you may repeat subjects with academic debts.

Students with a disability that prevents standard assessment may use an alternative assessment method that still reaches the learning results. Ask your faculty early.

Why students get stuck in medical school

Failing an exam says little about talent. It usually says something about fit, pace or timing.

• The pace of an English-taught programme with a heavy anatomy or biochemistry block.
• Studying in a second language while living in a new country.
• Personal reasons: health, money, family, loneliness.
• A study method that worked at school but not for 40 exams a year.
• Missing contact hours, which can trigger the 25% rule.

A different university, a different language of instruction or a different year of entry often solves what a third retake cannot. That is a question of fit, not of ability.

Switch early: a checklist

• List every passed subject with credits and grades.
• Request an up-to-date transcript and course descriptions.
• Note which retakes you have used and which dates remain.
• Do not let a study agreement be terminated while you are deciding.
• Keep your secondary school documents ready.
• Talk to Medschool Experts before you withdraw.

Your next four weeks

• Week 1: Check the debt schedule and your deadlines. Decide whether to appeal, and file within 3 business days if you do.
• Week 2: Collect your transcript, course descriptions and documents. Book a free consultation.
• Week 3: Compare two paths: retake and repeat at LSMU, or transfer to a partner university.
• Week 4: Decide, apply and, if transferring, start the credit recognition.

Transfer from LSMU to another medical school

A study transfer is a complicated undertaking. Documents, credit recognition, deadlines and visas must fit together. Our experts have almost ten years of experience with study transfers worldwide, so we plan and carry it out confidently.

For exactly this case we have several partner universities in Europe, 25+ in total. Medschool Experts handles the whole application process abroad. Every case is checked individually, so we cannot promise a year before we have seen your transcript.

For more about changing university in Lithuania, read study transfer in Lithuania.

Returning home with your degree

If you plan to practise in your home country, the route matters. Within the EU and EEA, a medical degree from a Member State is recognised under Directive 2005/36/EC. The national licensing body of your country then issues the licence.

This is one more reason to choose a European programme. A transfer inside Europe keeps your degree recognised.

What it costs to continue Medicine abroad

Compare this with paid repetition of a year at LSMU, plus the extra year of living costs. Medschool Experts shows you the full calculation in the free consultation.

How Medschool Experts helps

Medschool Experts supports you from the first call to the first lecture. We review your transcript, choose suitable partner universities, prepare the application, organise credit recognition and guide you through enrolment.

Our aim is no loss of time. Where your profile allows, we aim for entry into a higher year. Every case is checked individually, and the first consultation is free.