Dentistry (DDS)

About the course

A five-year (10-semester) Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) programme (equivalent to a master’s degree) taught in English in Riga, with clinical dental training. Selection is based on school results, two recommendation letters and a motivation letter.

Entry requirements for Irish students

• The university assesses the Irish Leaving Certificate individually and does not publish a fixed Irish requirement. Contact admissions to confirm. RSU’s general rule for Dentistry is at least 70% in English and at least 80% in both Chemistry and Biology (strongly preferred), with Mathematics compulsory and Physics preferred. Each subject must have been studied for at least two semesters in secondary school. RSU converts foreign grades to percentages using minimum grade levels set for each country in its admissions procedure.
• There is no entrance exam for Dentistry. RSU assesses applicants on their compulsory school subjects plus two letters of recommendation and a letter of motivation (on the RSU form). The online motivational interview is only required for non-EU/EEA applicants.
• English at B2 level or higher is required. Applicants whose secondary school taught through English do not need to prove it, and EU/EEA school leavers can use a very good or excellent English grade from their school transcript. Otherwise RSU accepts tests such as IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 80, taken within the last 5 years.

Working in Ireland afterwards

A dental degree from an EU member state that is listed in the EU Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EC, as amended) can be recognised automatically by the Dental Council of Ireland. To get this, you provide a certificate from your home country’s competent authority confirming the degree meets the Directive’s minimum training conditions, plus proof of English-language proficiency. EU dental degrees that do not qualify for automatic recognition may instead be assessed under the Directive.

How to apply

1. Check subjectsMake sure you are taking Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and English and are aiming for strong grades, since RSU strongly prefers at least 80% in Biology and Chemistry for Dentistry. Contact admissions@rsu.lv to confirm how your Leaving Cert grades will be converted.
2. Prepare documentsGet your passport or ID, two recommendation letters and a motivation letter on the official RSU forms, and your school transcript or results. Pay the EUR 100 application fee.
3. Apply onlineApply through the RSU e-Admissions portal. The September intake window is listed as 1 March to 1 July 2027, and the February 2027 intake runs from 4 September to 1 December 2026. There are only 32 places per intake, so apply early.
4. Accept and payIf you get an offer, pay the EUR 1,800 registration fee and the first semester’s tuition within two weeks.

Costs

• EUR 15,500 per year for 2026/27 (the same for EU and non-EU students, as English-taught places are fee-paying). There is also a one-off non-refundable application fee of EUR 100 and a one-off non-refundable registration administration fee of EUR 1,800, which applies to Medicine and Dentistry. Tuition is paid per semester, before each semester starts. The first payment is due within two weeks of your offer. The 2027/28 fee was not yet published when we checked, so confirm all amounts on the RSU tuition-fees page.

At a glance