Studying in Lithuania as a student from the diaspora

Every September young people with Lithuanian grandparents, or Lithuanian parents who left, arrive in Vilnius and Kaunas to study. Some come for a four-week summer language course. Some come for a full degree in medicine, engineering or the humanities. A few come for a semester and end up staying for years.

I have helped several younger relatives and family friends through the paperwork, from Dublin and elsewhere, and the same questions come up every time. Can I get a free place? Do I need perfect Lithuanian? Do I need a residence permit if I am a citizen? This is a general guide. The rules, deadlines and amounts change from year to year, so treat every detail here as something to confirm with the institution named, and for your own case ask a Lithuanian embassy or the university's admissions office.

Three ways to study in Lithuania

Most diaspora students fall into one of three groups.

There is also a fourth, quieter route: a semester or year of exchange through your home university, usually under the EU's Erasmus+ programme if you study in Europe. That route is arranged by your own university's international office, and it costs you nothing extra in Lithuania.

Degrees taught in Lithuanian and the joint admission system

Bachelor's and integrated degrees taught in Lithuanian are filled through a national joint admission system, bendrasis priėmimas, run by an association of Lithuanian universities and colleges known by its initials, LAMA BPO. Applicants list their preferred programmes in order on a single online application, and places are allocated by a competitive score built mostly from final school exam results.

Two kinds of place exist:

• State-funded places, valstybės finansuojamos vietos, where tuition is paid by the state. These go to the highest-scoring applicants who meet the minimum requirements.
• Places that are not state-funded, where the student pays tuition, sometimes with a reduced fee or a scholarship from the university.

Diaspora applicants who are Lithuanian citizens, or citizens of another EU country, compete on the same terms as everyone else. The difficulty is usually the paperwork for a foreign school-leaving certificate, which has to be recognised and converted into the Lithuanian scoring system. Leave plenty of time for that.

In some admission rounds, applicants who proved Lithuanian origin, and graduates of certain Lithuanian schools abroad, have received additional points. Whether such points exist in a given year, and which places they count for, is set in that year's admission rules. Check the current requirements published by LAMA BPO and the university before you build a plan around them.

Degrees taught in English

Most larger Lithuanian universities now offer degrees taught in English, especially at master's level. Medicine and dentistry in English are well known in Kaunas and Vilnius and attract students from many countries. Business, computer science, engineering, international relations and the creative arts are also common.

English-taught programmes are often applied for directly through the university rather than through the joint system, with their own deadlines, entry requirements and tuition fees. Fees for students from outside the EU are usually higher than for EU citizens. If you hold Lithuanian citizenship, or citizenship of another EU country, ask the admissions office which fee applies to you, since that can make a large difference.

Studying in English does not mean you can ignore Lithuanian. You will need it in shops, at the clinic, at the migration office and in any part-time job. Many universities run free or cheap Lithuanian classes for their international students. Take them.

State support for Lithuanians abroad

Lithuania has for many years supported young people of Lithuanian origin who come to study. The details change, but the main pieces have been these.

Support during a degree

Students who count as foreign Lithuanians, užsienio lietuviai, studying at a Lithuanian university or college have been able to apply for state support administered by the State Studies Foundation, Valstybinis studijų fondas. Support has taken the form of a monthly scholarship, a one-off social allowance per semester, or both, awarded through an annual competition with set deadlines. The procedure is laid down by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.

Who counts as a foreign Lithuanian is defined in the rules. In broad terms it covers Lithuanian citizens who have lived abroad for some years and people of Lithuanian origin, such as the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Lithuanians who emigrated. You will need documents proving that origin, usually the same kind of records used for restoring citizenship by descent: birth, marriage and baptism records, old passports, or archive certificates.

The amounts are modest and are reviewed regularly, so look up the current call on the State Studies Foundation's website rather than relying on a figure from a forum.

Scholarships for Lithuanian language and culture courses

The Education Exchanges Support Foundation, Švietimo mainų paramos fondas, administers state scholarships for Lithuanian studies. These have covered summer language and culture courses and longer Lithuanian studies programmes at several Lithuanian universities, and calls have been open to people of Lithuanian descent as well as to foreigners. A scholarship has typically covered tuition and paid an allowance towards living costs, while travel was paid by the student.

Calls usually open in winter or early spring for courses in the following summer or academic year. The eligibility rules spell out who counts as being of Lithuanian descent, and a separate track has existed for teachers at Lithuanian schools abroad.

Summer language courses

For many diaspora students, a summer course is the right first step. It shows you whether you could live in Lithuania, and it improves your Lithuanian faster than a year of weekly lessons at home.

Vilnius University runs a Lithuanian language and culture summer course through its Faculty of Philology. It has been offered in two-week and four-week formats in July, with groups from complete beginner to advanced, and the 2025 course ran from early July to the beginning of August. Courses like this usually combine daily language classes with lectures on history and culture and weekend excursions.

Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas has also long taught Lithuanian to foreigners and diaspora learners, including intensive summer courses. Other universities, including Klaipėda University, have run their own. Check each university's current offer, since formats, dates and fees change.

A few practical points:

• Apply early. Popular levels fill, and scholarship applicants must usually choose one institution.
• Be honest about your level. Heritage speakers often understand far more than they can write, and a good placement test will put you in the right group.
• Arrange accommodation with the course if possible. Student halls are cheap and full of other course participants, which helps more than any textbook.

Residence, insurance and housing

If you are a Lithuanian citizen

You do not need a residence permit. You should declare your place of residence, gyvenamosios vietos deklaravimas, once you have an address, which can be done online or at the local municipality. It matters for health insurance, tax and access to some services. A Lithuanian passport or ID card makes everything simpler, which is one more reason to sort out citizenship before you go. Check that your name is spelled the same way on every document; the surname endings of women in particular can differ between a Lithuanian and a foreign record.

If you are a citizen of another EU country

You can enter freely and study. For stays longer than three months you should register your residence with the Migration Department and receive a document confirming your right of residence.

If you are not an EU citizen

You will usually need a national visa and then a temporary residence permit for studies, applied for through the Migration Department's online system, MIGRIS. People who can document Lithuanian origin may have a separate route to a residence permit on that basis. The requirements and fees change, so follow the instructions on the Migration Department's website and your university's international office.

Health insurance

Lithuanian health insurance rules depend on your status. Citizens and permanent residents studying full time are generally covered by compulsory health insurance paid by the state, once their residence is declared. EU citizens on a temporary stay can use their European Health Insurance Card, but it is not designed for someone living in Lithuania for years. Non-EU students are normally required to hold private health insurance for the residence permit. Ask the university which applies to you before you arrive, not after your first visit to a doctor.

Housing

Universities have student halls, bendrabučiai, which are the cheapest option and often old but serviceable. Places are allocated by the university and may be limited for students who apply late. Private rentals in Vilnius are noticeably more expensive than in Kaunas or Klaipėda. Look at listings well before term starts, never pay a deposit for a flat you have not seen through a person you can verify, and get a written lease.

Common questions

Do I need to speak Lithuanian to study in Lithuania?

Not for a degree taught in English. For a degree taught in Lithuanian you need to manage lectures, exams and written work in it, which in practice means near-fluent Lithuanian. Summer courses accept complete beginners.

Does it matter if my Lithuanian school certificate is from a Saturday school?

A weekend school certificate does not replace a school-leaving certificate. It can still help show your language level when you choose a course or a placement group, so keep the documents.

Can I work while studying?

Lithuanian and other EU citizens can work freely. Non-EU students on a study permit have usually been allowed to work within set limits. Check the current conditions with the Migration Department.

Will a degree from Lithuania be recognised at home?

Degrees from accredited Lithuanian institutions are recognised across the EU through the usual procedures, and elsewhere case by case. If you plan to practise a regulated profession, such as medicine, at home, check with the professional body in your own country before you enrol.

Where to start

If you are still at school abroad, start two years ahead. Find out how your school-leaving qualifications are recognised, gather the documents that prove your Lithuanian origin, and look at one summer course as a trial run. More on visiting, studying in and moving back to Lithuania is in our travel and return circle.