Lithuania invites 21,700 students to higher education institutions

Lithuania's universities and colleges are extending invitations to 21,700 prospective students for the upcoming academic year, marking a 3.8% rise compared to the 20,900 invited last year. The Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport (ŠMSM) reported that the number of state-funded places remains consistent at 12,700. Education Minister Raminta Popovienė highlighted that admission trends mirror recent years, with students increasingly motivated to pursue state-critical specializations such as nursing and pedagogy, which continue to be among the most popular programs in colleges. Nursing and defense studies at universities also rank among the top ten programs for state-funded places this year. Overall, universities are inviting 13,000 students, up from 12,500 last year, with 8,700 of these places state-funded, a slight decrease from 8,800. Popular university programs include medicine, law, economics, finance, psychology, civil engineering, and political science. Notably, nursing studies at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and defense studies at the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania have each attracted around 110 applicants for state-funded spots. Several engineering fields are also gaining traction, with bioengineering seeing double the applicants and mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering experiencing about a 15% increase in state-funded admissions compared to last year. Colleges are inviting 8,700 students, an increase from 8,400 last year, with 4,000 state-funded places, up from 3,900. Nursing and pedagogy remain the most sought-after programs in colleges, with nearly 1,600 applicants for pedagogy studies this year, a figure expected to exceed 2,000 with the addition of secondary pedagogy studies and ongoing admissions to professional pedagogy programs. Additionally, the second admission round saw a significant surge, with 800 students invited compared to 391 last year. This round is designated for applicants from socially vulnerable backgrounds or those with practical work experience. Students have until August 1 to sign contracts with higher education institutions.

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Admission trends to higher education institutions remain similar to recent years. It is gratifying that applicants continue to be motivated to choose specialties important for the state – nursing, pedagogy, which continue to be among the most popular study programs in colleges. In universities, nursing and defense studies this year also ranked among the top ten programs attracting the most applicants for state-funded places.