How to Apply to Universities in Lithuania: Requirements, Deadlines and Portals

Start with LAMA BPO, the joint admission portal

Most Lithuanian universities and colleges recruit bachelor's and short-cycle students through one shared platform, run by the Association of Lithuanian Higher Education Institutions for Joint Admissions (LAMA BPO) . You create one account, rank your preferred programs across participating institutions, and submit one application instead of applying to each university separately.

LAMA BPO also runs a competitive score calculator that shows how your results compare with recent admission thresholds before you apply.

2026 deadlines to track

For the 2026 intake, the main round for bachelor's and short-cycle programs closed on July 23. LAMA BPO then opens additional admission rounds to fill remaining places. The first additional round for 2026 runs from August 4 to August 7, with the application deadline at 12:00 noon, and offers go out on August 11 at 10:00, according to LAMA BPO .

Deadlines shift every year, so check the current LAMA BPO calendar before you plan around any date in this article. If you missed the main round, an additional round is often your best route in, since institutions rarely fill every place on the first pass.

Master's programs run on a separate timeline. You register directly with your chosen university, though LAMA BPO still processes the application. Kaunas University of Technology, for example, set its 2026 master's deadline at August 19, with doctoral applications due August 16, according to the university's admissions pages . Other universities set their own master's deadlines, generally later in summer than the bachelor's rounds.

Who applies

The 2026 admission cycle explicitly welcomes foreign citizens and applicants who completed secondary or prior higher education outside Lithuania, alongside domestic applicants, per LAMA BPO. If you are an EU or EEA citizen, you compete for state-funded and self-funded places under broadly similar terms to Lithuanian applicants. If you come from outside the EU/EEA, check each university's international admissions page, since some institutions run a separate track and fee structure for non-EU applicants.

Getting your diploma recognized

Before your foreign school-leaving or university diploma counts in the Lithuanian selection process, it usually needs academic recognition. Lithuania's ENIC-NARIC centre handles this recognition, comparing your qualification against the Lithuanian system. Start this process early, since recognition takes longer than the application window itself, and some programs require proof of recognition before they process your application.

Documents you typically need

• Secondary school diploma and transcript, or bachelor's diploma and transcript for master's applicants

• Passport or national ID

• Proof of language proficiency, English or Lithuanian depending on the program

• Motivation letter or personal statement, required by some programs and universities

• Proof of diploma recognition where required

Exact document lists vary by university and program, so confirm the checklist on your target program's page before you submit.

Application fees

Universities charge their own application fee on top of tuition, usually non-refundable regardless of the outcome. Vytautas Magnus University, for example, charges international applicants a 150 euro application fee, waived for Ukrainian citizens, according to the university's admissions page . Confirm the fee for your specific university and program before you apply, since amounts differ across institutions.

Selection and offers

Universities and colleges rank applicants using a competitive score built from school-leaving exam results or prior degree grades, sometimes combined with entrance tests or interviews for fields such as art, music or medicine. If you receive an offer, you generally confirm your place and pay any required fee within a set window, or the offer moves to the next applicant on the list.