Study Medicine or Dentistry in Riga, taught in English
RSU is one of Northern Europe's most international medical universities — an EU-recognised degree in an EU capital, with no entrance exam and two intakes a year. Starts September and February.
Medicine & Dentistry, taught entirely in English
Take a look inside the campus
Founded in 1950 and named after the surgeon Pauls Stradiņš — today RSU teaches 9,000+ students from over 60 countries.
What you need — and what you don't
No entrance exam — your documents decide
RSU admits on the strength of your application file. Medently builds it with you, free.
- High-school diploma — your vitnemål or equivalent, with grade lists.
- One science subject — Biology or Chemistry from high school.
- Motivation & recommendation letters — on RSU's own forms, signed by hand. We help you write them.
- €100 application fee — paid directly to RSU. Medently costs nothing.
No entrance exam. No Latvian. No fees.
RSU keeps the application refreshingly simple:
- No entrance exam — there is nothing to sit; your application file decides.
- No Latvian required — the full degree is taught in English.
- No agency fees — Medently guides you through everything, 100% free.
- No year lost — with September and February intakes, the next start is never far away.
Transparent, affordable tuition
Medicine tuition per year
Dentistry tuition per year
Lånekassen support for Norwegian students
Living costs per month in Riga, rent included
No entrance exam — your application file decides
Medently builds your complete application file with you — documents, letters and submission. Free.
RSU has two intakes a year. For the February 2027 intake, EU/EEA and visa-free applicants apply between 1 September and 1 December 2026 — and RSU asks for files early, so any document issues can be fixed before the deadline.
Recognised across the EU — and eligible for USMLE
RSU's medical and dental degrees are recognised across the European Union and the EEA, and the university is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) — making graduates eligible to sit the USMLE and pursue licensure in the United States and Canada. Norwegian graduates follow the standard Helsedirektoratet authorisation route, and Nordic students have taken this path through Riga for decades.
Founded 1950, named after a legendary surgeon
Rīga Stradiņš University carries the name of Professor Pauls Stradiņš, the surgeon who shaped modern Latvian medicine. Founded in 1950, it has grown into one of the Baltics' leading health-sciences universities — with medicine and dentistry taught fully in English for international students.
More than 9,000 students study at RSU, and about one in four comes from abroad — over 60 nationalities on campus, including a large Nordic community. Clinical training runs through Riga's university hospitals, among them Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, one of Latvia's largest.
A university city inside an EU capital
Modern lecture halls, labs and a simulation centre on Dzirciema iela — with clinical years in Riga's university hospitals.
Somewhere to call home
Student Dormitories
University dormitories with a built-in international community — we help you secure a place.
Private Rental
Prefer independence? Medently helps you find safe, well-located housing near campus.
Per month including rent — far below Scandinavian or UK costs.
The Baltics' biggest capital
Riga is a young, international capital — a UNESCO-listed Old Town, a big student population and English that gets you through daily life. Budget airlines connect Riga to the whole of Europe, and Scandinavia is one short flight away.
The complete guide to studying at RSU
About Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU)
Rīga Stradiņš University is a state university in Riga, Latvia, founded in 1950 and named after Professor Pauls Stradiņš — the surgeon and oncologist who shaped modern Latvian medicine. What began as a medical faculty has grown into one of the Baltics' leading health-sciences universities, with medicine and dentistry at its core.
RSU is strikingly international: more than 9,000 students, with about one in four coming from abroad and over 60 nationalities on campus. The English-taught programmes have a long history, and the Nordic community in particular is large — Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish students have studied medicine in Riga for decades.
Clinical teaching is anchored in Riga's university hospitals, including Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, one of the largest in Latvia. Students move from pre-clinical sciences on the Dzirciema iela campus into real hospital wards in the clinical years.
Why study medicine or dentistry at RSU?
RSU offers a six-year Medicine programme and a five-year Dentistry programme, both taught entirely in English and both leading to EU-recognised degrees. The university uses the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), so credits are portable across Europe.
Two things set RSU apart from most of our partner universities. First, there is no entrance exam — admission is decided on your application file, so your school results and a well-prepared application carry the weight. Second, RSU runs two intakes a year, in September and February, which means a missed autumn start does not cost you a full year.
And then there is the city: you study in an EU capital, with everything that brings — international flights, a real student scene, and a cost of living far below Scandinavia.
Admission requirements & application process
RSU admits students based on their application file — there is no entrance exam to sit. The file includes your high-school diploma with grade lists (vitnemål, IB or the equivalent), at least one science subject (Biology or Chemistry), and motivation and recommendation letters written on RSU's own downloadable forms and signed by hand. The application fee is €100, paid directly to the university.
Applications are submitted online through RSU's e-Admissions portal, under your own personal email. RSU reviews files as they arrive and only sends a decision once a file is complete — so applying early in the window matters, because it leaves time to fix any document issues before the deadline. Medently builds the whole file with you, checks every document before submission, and tracks the application until the decision — completely free.
Accreditation & degree recognition
RSU is a state-accredited university and its medical and dental degrees are recognised across the European Union and the EEA. The university is listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS), which makes graduates eligible to sit the USMLE and pursue medical licensure in the United States and Canada.
Norwegian graduates follow the standard Helsedirektoratet authorisation route home, and UK graduates register with the GMC (medicine) or GDC (dentistry). The ECTS credit system keeps exchange semesters and transfers within Europe straightforward.
Student accommodation in Riga
RSU operates its own student hostels, which are a popular first-year choice for international students who want a ready-made community close to campus. Private rentals across Riga are affordable by Nordic standards, and Medently helps you find safe, well-located housing before you arrive.
Most students live well on roughly €700–1,000 per month including rent — covering utilities, food, transport and leisure in a city that is consistently cheaper than any Scandinavian capital.
Intakes, deadlines & next steps
RSU runs two intakes a year for Medicine and Dentistry: September and February. For the February 2027 intake, EU/EEA and visa-free applicants apply between 1 September and 1 December 2026; for the September intake, the window runs from March to July. RSU asks applicants to submit early within each window so incomplete files can be fixed in time.
RSU is a strong choice if you want an EU-recognised, English-taught degree in a real capital city without sitting an entrance exam — and the February intake makes it one of the few places where this year's applicants can still start this academic year. Book a free consultation with Medently and we will check your documents and build your RSU application together.
One step: hit Apply. We handle the rest.
Application is easy, free, and takes only 5 minutes.
Apply with Medently
Fill in the application and upload your documents on the apply page — it takes about 5 minutes and costs nothing.
You're automatically registered
The moment you apply, you're in our system — no extra forms.
We tell the university about you
Once your documents are complete on the apply page, we let the university know about your application.
We contact you on WhatsApp
We keep in touch personally with the right information at every step — exam prep, dates, documents, visa.
Medently support includes
- Full eligibility assessment
- Document preparation & translation guidance
- Entrance-exam prep materials & mock testing
- Interview & exam coaching
- Visa, accommodation & relocation support
Apply early
Earlier applicants have a significant advantage — places fill on a first-qualified basis.
Ready to study medicine in Riga?
Application is easy, free, and takes only 5 minutes. Or just message the Medently team on WhatsApp.
Common questions
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