8 Things to Know Before You Study in Valmiera

1. Valmiera is city where modern urban flair meets leisurely and beautiful nature

Despite the fact that number of workplaces in Valmiera exceeds its population and there are located such great companies as Wunder, Valpro, Valmiera Glass group, A/S Food Union and others, at any time you can find calm place where to get fresh air after hard study day or work. Visit tranquil park with enclosed pavilion, amusement park and many, many more.

2. European level studies at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Not only practical experience that is highly valued by employers, but also the opportunity to study in programs that responds to the challenges and needs of the modern world.

In English Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences offers bachelor level study program – Information Technologies and  5 master level study programs – Business Environment Administration, Media and Information Literacy, Strategic Communication and Governance, Cybersecurity Engineering, Virtual Reality and Smart Technologies and also PHd in Socio-technial System Modelling.

3. Student friendly city

Average student accommodation price: €90 to 200€

Nightlife: Lively nightlife due to the city’s student presence

Student discounts: Plenty, for example, in Valmiera Drama Theatre, Cinema "Gaisma", Vidzeme Olympic Center, Cafe "Jauna Saule" etc.  Find out more: here

Getting around: in the city Walkable distance to most places, Riga (2 hours by bus, €4,75), international bus connections to Estonia (from €5)

4. Prepare for a different kind of weather

If you’re planning to study in Latvia you should be prepared to live in colder weather for several months. 

Latvia is located in the temperate climate zone and therefore has four pronounced seasons. Travelers visiting Latvia can enjoy a real winter with subzero temperatures and snow, spring floods, warm summers, and colorful autumns.

The winter in Latvia usually lasts from mid-December to the beginning of March. Air temperature can vary from +5 degrees Celsius all the way down to -30 degrees. Now it is more typical to have warmer winters in Latvia. Anyway, you will need a good winter jacket, hat, scarf, gloves, water proof winter boots, etc.

In Latvia, the spring may begin already at the end of February or as late as in late April, and the spring season lasts until the beginning of June. The average air temperature in spring is 0 to +15 degrees.

The summer in Latvia starts in June and continues until September. The average air temperature in the summer is around +19 degrees, but on some days it may rise to +30 degrees. The latter half of the summer may bring sudden thunderstorms.

Autumn in Latvia lasts from September to December. The average air temperature decreases from +10 degrees in September to 0 degrees in November.

Sometime at the beginning of the autumn, there is an Indian summer when temperatures rise up to +20 degrees, whereas the first snow may fall already in October or November.

During the golden autumn period, foliage turns colorful red, orange, and golden across Latvia.

Find out more: https://www.latvia.travel/en/article/weather-latvia

5. Join a multilingual community 

Latvia is a multilingual state. Widely spoken languages include:

• Latvian, which is the state language.
• Russian, which is the language of integration with Latvia’s immediate neighbors, the language of interethnic communication.
• English, which is the international business language, providing opportunities for future development.

This multilingual environment is a great advantage, making it easier to communicate with people in Latvia.

6. Bring your sportswear 

If you like sports and a healthy lifestyle, Valmiera is a city for you. It’s fit-oriented, with various facilities available to everyone: sport centers, athletic stadium, football stadium, and beach with possibilities to play volleyball, many gyms and so much more. 

Several great athletes have spread the word of Valmiera everywhere: Jānis Daliņš, Aigars Fadejevs and the one and only two time Olympic champion in BMX riding Māris Štrombergs are just few of them to be named.

Furthermore, Valmiera has hosted several international sports events, e.g., EuroBasket Women, FIBA Under-19 World Championship and other prestigious sport events. The annual SEB MTB race, SportLat marathon, State President’s Prize in Athletics have become traditional sports events held in Valmiera, well known in Latvia and internationally.

7. Enjoy the amazing Latvian food

To understand Latvian culture and traditions better, you must get to know the cuisine with all the unique dishes, including kvass,and dark rye bread. At first, some of the dishes might seem odd, but if you are open to an unforgettable gastronomic journey in Latvia, you’ll want to take all the food back to your home.

In Valmiera You can find  restaurant “Rātes vārti” which is number one Eastern European Restaurant in Vidzeme Region.

Don’t be afraid to try some Vidzeme region dishes – rye bread, potato dumplings, bacon patties have always been highly respected. In general, it seems that people from Vidzeme were and still are such bread-eaters, because the wood-cooked waffles and pancakes cannot be ignored.

8. Entertainment possibilities

Culture and art enthusiasts can enjoy performances in the Valmiera Drama Theatre, and art exhibitions which are available both in Valmiera Museum and Valmiera Culture House. The art gallery known as ‘Gallery Laipa’, in its turn, provides an opportunity for everyone to express themselves in a creative way by engaging in various master classes. A popular place of recreation in Valmiera is also the ‘Gaisma’ cinema, which regularly offers the latest film premieres and the chance of watching 3D films. 

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For further information, get in touch with International Office at [email protected].

^{Since 2018, ViA has been implementing three new Master's degree programmes in English, which have been developed as part of the project "Development and Approbation of New Master's Programs for the Promotion of International Competitiveness of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences" (No.8.2.1.0 /18/A/011.) In total, five Master's degree programmes in English will be developed: "Media and Information Literacy", "Virtual Reality and Smart Technologies", "Cyber Security Engineering", "Strategic Communication and Governance" and a tourism study programme in cooperation with Satakunta University of Applied Sciences in Finland.}

^{The total budget of the project is EUR 500 000, of which 85% is financed from the European Social Fund and 15% from the state budget of Latvia. The project will be implemented from April 2019 till November 2023 and is supported by the European Social Fund (ESF).}