Citizens of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) need only valid travel documents, i.e. passports or identity cards to come to Latvia.
Non-EU nationals have to check if they need a visa to enter Latvia. The list of countries whose citizens do not need visas is available here.
If students from outside EU come for a longer period than one semester (5 months), they must apply for a residence permit in a Latvian Embassy abroad. Please note that it may take up to several weeks and even months to obtain a visa or a residence permit. Therefore, application procedures should be started as early as possible.
Prospective full-degree students applying for a residence permit:
- will receive an admission letter and an agreement of studies from the university;
- have to sign and send back the agreement of studies and pay the tuition fee indicated in the agreement; the university will submit invitation to the Department of Citizenship and Migration;
- will receive an invitation reference number for obtaining residence permit;
- have to submit the following documents to the Latvian Embassy abroad (or Embassy of another country according to international agreements).
Updated information in English on requirements regarding immigration documents can be found at http://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en//
Please contact International Office at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding immigration procedures.
You can view application information under each degree programme within the website. This is where you'll also find information about tuition fees and expenses as well as an application form.
Our current exchange projects concentrate on Bachelor level studies and we haven't developed exchange partnerships for our degree programmes. If you want to study on one of our Master's or PhD programmes, you will only be eligible if you commit to studying at ViA for the full length of your study programme.
Application fee (non-refundable) must be paid before the application is submitted (confirmation of payment must be included in the application):
Citizenship | Application fee amount EUR |
|---|---|
EU*, EEA countries, Swiss Confederation, USA, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Japan, Canada, Kazakhstan, Russia, Macedonia, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam | 100 |
International applicants from other countries | 250 |
*discount 50 EUR for applicants from Estonia and Lithuania
Application fee must be paid to the following bank account:
The bank: Valsts Kase
Address: Smilsu iela 1, Riga LV-1050 Latvia
Bank code: TRELLV22
Bank account number: LV38TREL9150130000000
Bank payments should be marked: “Study application fee: your name”
Tuition fees may differ for each program.
Please see the tuition fees for academic year 2019/2020 for each program:
Business Administration Environment
International Tourism Events Management
Media and Information Literacy
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To apply for exchange studies at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, a student must fill in an online application form and attach the learning agreement listing the chosen courses from Courses for Exchange Students, ECTS and endorsed by the signature and stamp of home institution). In the new Erasmus+ programme, scanned learning agreement forms are officially recognised and can be circulated instead of original forms.
The application deadline for exchange (Erasmus+, Nordplus, other) or visiting students for autumn semester is May 1; for spring semester October 15.
If you have any questions about filling in the application form or preparing your learning agreement, please contact International Office at [email protected]
Exchange students must have a good command of English or Latvian in order to study in Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences: they must be able to follow lectures, communicate and write papers in one of these languages. Additional formal language certification may be required in certain circumstances during the application process.
Citizens of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) need only valid travel documents, i.e. passports or identity cards to come to Latvia.
Non-EU nationals have to check if they need a visa to enter and stay in Latvia (up to 5 months). The list of countries whose citizens do not need visas is available here.
If students from outside EU come for a longer period than one semester (5 months), they must apply for a residence permit in a Latvian Embassy abroad. Please note that it may take up to several weeks or months to obtain a visa or a residence permit. Therefore, application procedures should be started as early as possible.
Updated information in English on requirements regarding immigration documents can be found at https://www.pmlp.gov.lv/en
Please contact International Office at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding immigration procedures.
EU/ EEA citizens should obtain the European Health Card before coming to Latvia. However, this card will only provide emergency help and other medical care on the same terms as for local citizens.
Students from other countries should obtain a valid health insurance policy before they come to Latvia or once they arrive. In case you need a medical service, you will have to pay for it yourself, but you will get these expenses reimbursed from your insurance company. It is your own responsibility to make insurance arrangements for any accident, illness or injury during the study period in Latvia.
You can come to Latvia by plane, train, bus or ferry. In most cases, the first destination in Latvia will be its capital city Riga. The most convenient way of arriving in Latvia is by plane to Riga International Airport (RIX).
The national airline airBaltic and other airlines offer direct flights from many cities in Europe to Riga. You can come to Latvia also by bus to Riga International Bus Terminal or train to Central Train Station. For more detailed information on air traffic and schedules, see here.
International coach lines:
From airport to center/Central Bus Station
The airport is located in Riga and it is a short ride to the centre by taxi, bus or shuttle. By public transport Bus No.22, direct from airport (in Latvian – stop Lidosta) to Riga centre (stop Stockmann centrs or Central tirgus). Frequency 10 - 30 minutes, journey time about 30 minutes
By bus to Valmiera
ViA is located in the cosy town of Valmiera which is 100 km from the capital city Riga. You have to use a bus in order to get from Riga to Valmiera. The trip from Riga to Valmiera takes approximately 2 - 2,5 hours. Once you arrive in the city centre by public bus or taxi from the airport, you have to go to the Central Bus Station and get a ticket for the closest bus to Valmiera (buses run from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. – approx. once every hour). For inter-city bus schedules, see here.
You have to inform the International Office and your mentor about your arrival at least one week before. Student mentors will meet you upon arrival in Valmiera and guide you to the student hostel. The university does not provide airport transfers.
You should arrive on the designated arrival dates (stated in your acceptance letter), two or three days before the orientation week. During the orientation week you will have time to get acquainted with the city and university before the start of your classes.
Mentors are Latvian students who want to spend time with international students, introduce international students with a lot of practical things connected to living in Valmiera and who are the best advisors for international students. Each international student has been assigned a student mentor who will get in touch before arrival. Do not hesitate to ask any questions you have to your student mentor by email before your arrival.
To shortly summarize what you need to bring for your study period at ViA:
- European Health Card or health insurance;
- Passport or ID card;
- Clothes and footwear for cold weather (like jacket, sweater, etc.);
- Clothes and footwear for warm weather (starting from May/ June);
- Laptop for study work (wireless internet is provided in all university buildings including student hostel);
- Some special snacks from your country (for international night);
- Individual belongings – phone, camera, personal hygiene items etc.
Exchange and visiting students can also apply for a Latvian Government Scolarship for a study or research period in Latvia. More information can be found here. You may also be eligible for state scholarships, you can read more within our Study Guide.
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All IT issues can be reported by emailing [email protected] with a detailed description of the problem, its location (building, room, hostel) and your contact information. If you cannot access your e-mails, you can contact the IT team by calling:
+371 26603322 (Cēsu street 4)
+371 25443379 (Tērbatas street 10).
Most probably your account is blocked, because it has been hacked and started to send out spam. Write to [email protected] from another e-mail address, giving your personal information so we can identify the account and reset your password.
When changing your password, please create these as complex as possible, using special symbols and numbers. Don’t use one password for multiple accounts.
Before looking for help from IT group specialists, we recommend asking colleagues, fellow students, study specialists of your faculty, look in ViA home page to clarify the contact, use Google or attend appropriate additional training courses. Perhaps you will get the answers you are interested in by getting acquainted with the basic IT systems guide (here). The IT group takes care of the operation and availability of IT infrastructure, services.
Before turning to the IT, we suggest you ask your tutors, administration or other students for advice or explore attending IT courses to build on your knowledge.
No. The university doesn't install any software on its students or employees' personal computers. The only software that is available to all ViA students free of charge is MS Office365.
Send your information and the new photo (or arrange a photo being taken by the IT team) to [email protected], and this will be created to you according to the costs outlined in the paid for services section.
ViA has security cameras in place, therefore we urge people not to take or move anything without a permission. If something has been stolen, we ask for a written complaint to be submitted. We will then give this information to police. If you've lost university equipment whilst renting it, you will also be responsible for the expenses this may incur.
