Studying in Lithuania

What a year costs

Tuition. Study in Lithuania, the official national portal, gives fees from €1,300 a year for bachelor's, from €2,300 a year for master's and from €8,400 a year for doctoral studies. Those are floors; most English-taught programmes for non-EU students cost more. VILNIUS TECH's published 2026-2027 schedule for non-EU students is a useful benchmark:

• Bachelor's: €3,950-€9,000 a year, with business, economics and logistics at the bottom and a dual degree with Goldsmiths at the top
• Master's: €5,450-€6,450 a year
• Application fee: €100, non-refundable

Vilnius University also charges a €100 application fee per application.

Living costs. The European Commission's Study in Europe profile estimates €500-€800 a month for accommodation, food, study materials, transport and personal costs. Vilnius sits at the upper end; Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai lower.

The visa

This is a temporary residence permit, not a visa. Since 1 July 2023 all full-time degree students from outside the EU must hold a temporary residence permit (TRP) for studies. You apply after admission, through the Migration Department's MIGRIS system and, if you are abroad, a visa centre or Lithuanian mission. Your university's international office will tell you which documents it provides.

The fee. The Migration Department's state fee schedule sets the TRP fee at €160 in the general procedure and €320 urgent, with a reduced €80 for a foreigner admitted to study (general procedure). Vilnius University quotes the general process at up to two months and urgent at up to one month. Filing through VFS abroad adds a service fee that Vilnius University puts at €40-€160.

The money. You must show half the minimum monthly wage for each month, which is €577 with the 2026 minimum wage of €1,153, plus a one-off amount for the journey home. Vilnius University states the requirement as €577 x 12 months + €1,153 for the return, about €8,077 for a year. Mykolas Romeris University's page gives a lower travel amount (€924). Universities are reading the same rule differently, so show the higher figure unless the Migration Department confirms otherwise.

Health insurance is mandatory. Vilnius University states a minimum cover of €10,000 for the TRP. Only emergency care is free.

New from 1 November 2026: applications for work- or study-based residence permits filed from inside Lithuania will require a valid legal basis for your stay at the time you apply. Do not plan on entering visa-free and sorting the permit out later.

Working while you study

With a TRP for studies you can work without a separate work permit. The limit changed on 22 May 2026:

• First- and second-year bachelor's students: up to 20 hours a week, except during mandatory internships in the study programme and summer holidays
• Third- and fourth-year bachelor's, master's and doctoral students: up to 40 hours a week

This comes from amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens as summarised by the law firms TRINITI and ECOVIS; we could not load the Migration Department's own student page when we checked. The same amendments introduce stricter attendance and progress monitoring by universities, and caps study-based residence at a cumulative eight years. If your job starts to crowd out your studies, your permit is at risk.

After you graduate

Graduates can apply for a new temporary residence permit for 12 months to look for work or to become self-employed, and no work permit is needed during that time.

On cost, the Migration Department's fee schedule says no state fee is charged for this permit, as a one-time benefit for people who have completed studies in Lithuania. Vilnius University's page lists €160 in the general procedure and €320 urgent. Confirm with the Migration Department when you apply.

Vilnius University also states you must show at least €1,153 a month for the job-search permit, which is the full minimum wage, twice the student figure. Save before you graduate.

Language

Lithuania offers a large range of English-taught programmes, especially at master's level. English requirements are set by each university and programme; check the programme page for the accepted tests and scores.

No Lithuanian is needed for the permit. Day to day, English goes a long way with younger people in Vilnius and Kaunas, but part-time jobs outside international companies, dealings with landlords and most public services work better in Lithuanian. Proposals debated in 2025 would have linked family reunification for students to Lithuanian language skills; check the current position if you plan to bring family.

Master's applicants from outside the EU should note Vilnius University's condition that the gap since your bachelor's degree should not exceed five years.

When to apply

The main intake is September. Deadlines differ by university, and non-EU applicants usually have an earlier one because of permit timing:

• Vilnius University: 1 May for non-EU/EFTA nationals; 1 July for EU/EFTA nationals and non-EU nationals who can enter the Schengen area visa-free for 90 days
• Study in Europe notes that autumn deadlines elsewhere are often in June

Work backwards from the permit: up to two months in the general procedure, plus the time to get a visa centre appointment and to gather bank statements, insurance and a police clearance certificate (which may need legalisation). Apply by early spring.

What to watch out for

The rules are moving, and in one direction. Parliament debated tighter student rules through 2025 and 2026, and the May 2026 amendments halved work hours for first- and second-year bachelor's students. A government-approved list of institutions allowed to admit international students was also proposed in 2025. Before you commit, ask your university in writing whether it expects any change to its ability to host non-EU students.

Do not rely on work to fund your first two years. Under the new rules a first-year bachelor's student can work 20 hours a week in term. Plan to cover your living costs from savings or family support, as the permit requirement already assumes.

Proof-of-funds figures differ between universities. The monthly amount is consistent at €577, but the return-journey amount varies (€924 at one university, €1,153 at another). Show the higher amount, held in your own account and with a traceable history.

Keep your permit and your enrolment in step. Universities must now monitor attendance and progress more closely, and study-based residence is capped at eight years in total. Failing modules or pausing studies can lead to your permit being withdrawn.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it, and note that the May 2026 work-hour limits are taken from law firm summaries because the Migration Department's student page could not be loaded when we checked.