Best Universities in Riga for International Students (2026)

The best universities in Riga for international students are the University of Latvia for the broadest choice, Riga Technical University (RTU) for engineering and IT, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) for medicine and dentistry, and RISEBA for business and arts, all with degrees taught in English. Riga doesn't have Budapest's sheer number of universities, but what it does have covers a surprising amount of ground, from a large comprehensive university to a specialised medical school to Latvia's biggest technical institution. Nearly all of it comes with English-taught options built for exactly the international student researching this page. Here's what each university is actually known for.

University of Latvia: The Big, Comprehensive Option

The University of Latvia (LU) is one of the country's largest universities, and the closest thing Riga has to an ELTE-style catch-all. Faculties span humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, law and economics, with a range of English-taught bachelor's and master's programs. If you're not locked into a specific specialism yet, LU's breadth makes it a sensible starting point.

RTU: Latvia's Engineering and Tech Centre

Riga Technical University (RTU), founded in 1862, is Latvia's largest technical university and the clear choice if your subject is engineering, IT, architecture or the applied sciences. RTU runs more than 50 programmes taught in English, and more than 4,000 of its 13,000+ students are international, from nearly 100 countries. That international cohort is large enough that you won't be the only non-Latvian speaker in the room on day one.

RSU: Medicine, Dentistry and Latvia's Top Reputation

Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) is widely recognised as the university with the strongest overall reputation in Latvia, and it's the clear choice for medicine (MD) and dentistry (DDS), both taught fully in English. Beyond the medical school, RSU also runs English-taught bachelor's programs in international business and start-up entrepreneurship, plus master's programs in health management, international relations and diplomacy, digital strategy and AI management, and biostatistics, a genuinely distinctive spread for a university best known for medicine.

RISEBA: Business, Arts and a Private-University Pace

RISEBA University of Applied Sciences, founded in 1992, is one of the oldest private universities in Latvia and a regional leader in business, arts and technology education. It runs a range of programmes taught in English, and as a private institution the pace and structure tend to feel closer to the university experience many international students already expect, smaller class sizes, more flexible scheduling, an emphasis on practical and creative programs alongside the academic ones.

At a Glance

• University of Latvia: the broadest range (humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, law, economics), bachelor's to PhD.
• RTU: engineering, IT, architecture and applied sciences, bachelor's to PhD, with more than 50 programmes in English.
• RSU: medicine (€13,500 a year) and dentistry (€15,500 a year) in English, plus bachelor's and master's programmes from €3,300 to €5,000 a year (2026/27 fees).
• RISEBA: business, arts and technology at a private university, with smaller classes and more flexible scheduling.

University Best known for LevelRough tuition (English programs)

University of LatviaBroadest range: humanities, Bachelor's, Master's, PhDRoughly €1,800–5,500/year social sciences, law, economics

RTUEngineering, IT, architecture, Bachelor's, Master'sRoughly €1,800–5,500/year applied sciences

RSUMedicine, dentistry, healthBachelor's, Master'sMedicine/dentistry up to roughly €16,500/year management, diplomacy

RISEBABusiness, arts, technology, Bachelor's, Master'sRoughly €1,800–5,500/year private-university pace

Fees change every year, and the University of Latvia, RTU and RISEBA set fees per programme, so check the exact figure on each programme page. Confirm current fees directly with the university's own admissions office before applying.

One Advantage Riga Has Over Bigger Study Cities

With a handful of big universities rather than dozens, Riga's international student community tends to overlap more, you'll run into people from other universities constantly, at events, in shared housing, around Centrs generally. It's a smaller pond, but that tends to make it easier to actually build a social circle rather than getting lost in a much larger city's university scene.

Browse available rooms in Riga at Fuse's listings page.

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