Access qualifications to HE

In Latvia, the access to higher education is granted by two qualifications: Certificate of general secondary education and Diploma of vocational secondary education.

General secondary education programme lasts three years (grades 10 – 12) upon completion of which the following credential is issued:

• 1992-1999-Atestāts par vidējo izglītību (Certificate of secondary education)
• After 2000- Atestāts par vispārējo vidējo izglītību (Certificate of general secondary education)

Key requirements to obtain Certificate of general secondary education:

• minimum passing grade in all subjects is 4 (“almost satisfactory”) on a 10-point scale;
• pass state examinations:
• up to 2008-two exams — Latvian language and foreign language ​​— are mandatory, one exam is chosen by the educational institution, and two are chosen by the student. Grading scale- (A) is the highest and (F) is the lowest;
• from 2008-2009 three exams-mathematics, Latvian language and foreign language are mandatory, one exam is chosen by the educational institution, and one is chosen by the student;
• from 2010-three exams-mathematics, Latvian language and foreign language are mandatory, one exam is chosen by the student;
• since the academic year 2012/2013 student achievements in centralized exams are expressed in percentages;
• in the academic years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic three mandatory exams- mathematics, Latvian language and foreign language, the fourth exam is not mandatory, but can be taken optionally if it is required for admission to a higher education institution;
• starting from the academic year 2022/2023 – Latvian language, foreign language and mathematics – at least at the optimal level, two advanced courses-at the highest level;
• the first graduates of the competency-based education in Latvia are-the 9th grade graduates in the 2023/2024 academic year and the 12th grade graduates in the 2025/2026 academic year;
• in the academic year 2024/2025 exams in Latvian, math, and a foreign language at the optimal level, plus two advanced/highest-level exams;
• starting from academic year 2025/2026 students have to pass at least 4 compulsory exams which include Latvian, mathematics, a foreign language and one of the STEM subjects (biology, physics or chemistry at the optimal level) and at least one subject at the highest level.

Those who have received a Atestāts par vispārējo vidējo izglītību (Certificate of general secondary education) have fulfilled all the requirements of the secondary education program.

Vocational secondary education

• Until 1999:
  • Diploms par profesionālo vidējo izglītību (Diploma of vocational secondary education) includes both vocational qualification and secondary education.
  • Atestāts par vidējo izglītību + Profesionālās kvalifikācijas apliecība (Certificate of secondary education + Certificate of vocational qualification) sometimes two separate documents were issued (especially if the training took place in a vocational school, not a technical school).
  • Diploms par vidējo speciālo izglītību (Diploma of secondary specialized education) typical of the Soviet period (technical schools, colleges).

• Since 1999:
  • Diploms par profesionālo vidējo izglītību (Diploma of vocational secondary education) is issued after completing the vocational secondary education program which lasts four years and includes both general and vocational subjects.

Key requirements to obtain Diploma of vocational secondary education:

• minimum passing grade in general subjects is 4 (“almost satisfactory”) and minimum passing grade in vocational subjects is 5 (“satisfactory”) on a 10-point scale;
• pass three State examinations- in Latvian language, mathematics, foreign language;
• pass a qualification exam and a qualification practice.

Those who have received a Diploms par profesionālo vidējo izglītību (Diploma of vocational secondary education) have fulfilled all the requirements of the vocational secondary education program.