More Than 420 International Students From 35 Countries Commence Studies at RSU This Year

This summer, the number of international students enrolling in Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) was one of the largest in the history of the University. In total, almost a thousand applications from 79 countries were sent in, out of which 421 international students were selected and will start their studies at RSU this autumn.

Most of the newly admitted students are from Sweden (36%), Germany (23%), Finland (11.5%), and Norway (9%), and the total number of countries that the freshmen represent this summer reached 35. Several students from Ukraine will also start their studies at RSU this autumn, for whom the University is offering a tuition fee discount and other forms of support.

A total of 2,523 international students from 65 countries are currently studying at RSU. ‘We have proven our ability to export education and a quarter of our students are now international students. In 2020, the Certus think tank estimated that RSU’s international students’ contribution to Latvia's GDP in the next three years will amount to EUR 438 million, which is a significant boost to the economy,’ emphasises RSU Rector, Professor Aigars Pētersons. The Rector also praises the excellent recruitment process this year, as both the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused concern among international students. ‘The team at the RSU International Department had to put in a lot of work to explain the current epidemiological situation and security in our region to both prospective students and their parents. To encourage students to leave their home countries under these circumstances, students and their parents need to feel that the University cares about them’, says the Rector, outlining the ambitious amount of work behind the positive enrolment results.

First-year students will start their studies in five study programmes. Traditionally, the most popular programmes are Medicine (363 students) and Dentistry (53 students), while other students have also enrolled in the programmes International Governance and Diplomacy, International Business and Start-up Entrepreneurship, and Russia and Eurasia Studies.

All this week, the new international students are participating in Orientation Week, during which they are getting to know both the university and their new city. Riga has ranked first in the list of the best student cities in the Baltics in the QS ranking this year. The week culminated in a picnic and Latvian dances in RSU's Inspiration Park on Thursday. ‘It is an immense pleasure to meet the new international students in person. This was not always possible over the last two years. It was fantastic seeing 421 students from 35 countries gathered in RSU Inspiration Park, which revealed the true heart of RSU. It is powered by the tremendous energy generated by young people with a strong motivation to study and explore the world. This enthusiasm and international openness are particularly needed at this moment when our societies are facing major health and security challenges. By getting to know RSU's new international students’ vision for the future, there is no doubt that they will seize every opportunity to improve, develop, and create something new,’ says Baiba Pētersone, Director of the International Department.