Study Medicine or Dentistry in Riga, taught in English
One of Northern Europe's most international medical universities — an EU-recognised degree in an EU capital, with no entrance exam. Applications for the February 2027 intake open on 1 September 2026.
Programs at a glance
A leading university with a global impact
Founded in 1950 and named after the surgeon Pauls Stradiņš, RSU is one of the Baltics' leading health-sciences universities.
More than 9,000 students from over 60 countries study here, and clinical training runs through Riga's university hospitals.
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.
No entrance exam. You get in with your grades.
There is nothing to sit and nothing to revise for. RSU looks at your school results and your documents — and Medently puts the whole file together with you, free.
We keep it simple
No exam. No stress. Just a clear process and a team that is with you from start to finish.
For the February 2027 intake, EU/EEA and visa-free applicants apply between 1 September and 1 December 2026, and studies begin on 2 February 2027. RSU asks for files early, so any document issues can be fixed before the deadline.
What you need — and what you don't
RSU makes your path to studying medicine in Riga clear, fair and stress-free. Here is exactly what is asked of you — and what is not.
Your grades decide — here is the bar, by country
RSU reads your school results instead of running an exam. Here is what that means in each school system — and we build the file with you, free.
- The requirement — Biology or Chemistry from school. One science is enough for Medicine and for Dentistry alike; on Dentistry, RSU gives priority to applicants who have both. English and Mathematics count too, and no subject on the diploma may be failed.
- 🇳🇴 Norwegian students — Biologi 1 and/or Kjemi 2 with at least a 4 (a 5 puts you safely over RSU's published level), Matematikk 2P or higher, and Engelsk at 5 or 6 means no English test.
- 🇬🇧 UK students — at least 3 A-Levels and 3 GCSEs, minimum grade C, including Biology and/or Chemistry. The percentage marks on your Statement of Results count, and RSU accepts Physics in place of A-Level Maths.
- 🌍 International students — RSU publishes a minimum grade for more than 90 school systems; send us your transcript and we tell you yours. Outside the EU/EEA you need apostilled documents, and an English test (IELTS 6.0 / TOEFL iBT 80) unless you finished high school in English, for example A-Levels, the IB or an American or Australian curriculum; then a school letter confirming English was the language of teaching is enough.
- Letters & the fees — a motivation letter and two recommendation letters on RSU's own signed forms (we help you write them), plus a €100 application fee paid to RSU. If you are offered a place, RSU also charges a one-off €1,800 registration fee, due with your first tuition payment.
No entrance exam. No Latvian. No agency fee.
Everything below is something you will not have to do:
- No entrance exam — there is nothing to sit and nothing to revise for.
- No Latvian — the full degree is taught in English, start to finish.
- No agency fees — Medently guides you through everything, 100% free.
- No waiting a year — the February intake means you start in months, not next autumn.
From applying to accepted, step by step
Applying with Medently does not register you at the university on its own. Here is what actually happens — and what we do for you at every stage.
Apply with Medently
Fill in the free application here on the site. It takes about five minutes, there is no fee and no commitment.
Sign in to your student portal and follow the steps
This is where your application actually happens. Your portal gives you every step you need, one at a time — which documents to get, which letters to write, and what to do next. You are not registered anywhere until those steps are done.
We tell RSU about you and speak on your behalf
Once your file is ready we contact the university directly, present your application and confirm that you want a place. You never have to chase them yourself.
We let you know the moment you are accepted
Because there is no entrance exam, the decision comes straight from your file. We follow it up with RSU and tell you as soon as we hear — usually the same day.
Medently support includes
- Full eligibility check on your grades
- Document preparation & translation guidance
- Motivation & recommendation letters on RSU's own forms
- Submission through RSU e-Admissions, checked before it goes
- Visa, accommodation & relocation support
Apply early in the window
RSU only decides once a file is complete. Applying early leaves time to fix any document issue before the deadline.
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
RSU runs its own student hostels — a ready-made international community close to campus. We help you secure a place.
Private rental
Prefer your own place? Medently helps you find safe, well-located housing in Riga before you arrive.
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 has a February intake, 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 (A-Levels, 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
The current intake is the February 2027 intake for Medicine and Dentistry. EU/EEA and visa-free applicants apply between 1 September and 1 December 2026, and studies begin on 2 February 2027. RSU asks applicants to submit early within the 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.
Ready to study medicine in Riga?
The application is free and takes about five minutes. Or just message the Medently team on WhatsApp.
Common questions
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