Exploring the Top 10 Universities in Vilnius

As a modern and vibrant city, Vilnius is becoming an attractive place to study either full-time or with an exchange programme. Great architecture or rich cultural life are not the only things that the capital can boast about—Vilnius is also Lithuania’s main centre of higher education, as it houses almost 20 different universities and colleges.

And it wouldn’t be a very unexpected idea to think about studying in Lithuania—the country offers accessible and high-quality education, with a system that’s very keen to welcome more and more international students each year. 

So, in the spirit of that, let‘s take a quick look at the bouquet of higher education choices offered right here in Vilnius.

Vilnius University

The oldest in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Central Europe, Vilnius University is a place where you can find something for everybody. It‘s friendly to foreign students, has a wide selection of study programmes, affordable student housing located in a more modern campus in Sunrise Valley (Saulėtekis) and an impressive looking old town campus right in the heart of Vilnius.

It‘s the largest higher education institution in Lithuania, currently occupying 1st spot in national rankings and according to QS World University ranking is among the top 1.5 per cent universities in the world.

No. of international study programmes: 50+

No. of international students: 1500+

Website: https://www.vu.lt/en/

Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU)

If you’re techy and like exact sciences, this might be the perfect place for you. Why? Well, it’s a university that is mainly focused on technologies and engineering—subjects in similar fields make up almost two-thirds of all available study programmes.

VGTU also has an extensive research programme, offering over 20 different research laboratories. It’s ranking among the top 2,1% of universities globally and is a leading tech science higher education institution in Lithuania.

No. of international study programmes: 30+

No. of international students: 1000+

Website: https://www.vgtu.lt/

European Humanities University (EHU)

EHU is a university focused specifically on students from Eastern Europe and neighbouring regions. It was founded in Minsk in 1992 and since 2005 has been operating from Vilnius.

Most of the courses are taught in Russian or Belarussian and the majority of students are from Belarus. Nevertheless, the university is accepting students of all nationalities and offers some courses in other languages as well.

No. of international study programmes: 10

No. of international students: 500+

Website: https://en.ehu.lt/

University of Management and Economics (ISM)

One of the youngest and most modern universities in Vilnius, that‘s focused mainly on business-related subjects. It doesn’t have a lot of programmes to choose from, but it has other perks, like a dual bachelors degrees, a lot of international opportunities and scholarships.

Their campus is located right next to the town hall, which might be a big plus if you love the vibes of Vilnius’ old town.

No. of international study programmes: 9

No. of international students: n/a

Website: https://www.ism.lt/en

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA)

It‘s time for some arts! LMTA is an academy that paved the way for many of Lithuania‘s current musicians, dancers and actors. It’s known for being competitive, difficult to get into and pretty hard on its students—definitely not for the faint-hearted.

But it might be worth it, as it is no secret that some of the biggest names in the Lithuanian cultural space are working and teaching in the academy.

 No. of international study programmes: 2

No. of international students: n/a

Website: https://lmta.lt/en

Mykolas Romeris University (MRU)

MRU is a quite a popular university, focusing on social studies, more specifically—law, public justice and security. Though, if that is not your cup of tea, there is also communication, marketing, social work, tourism and a bunch of other different programmes to choose from.

And if you’re looking for a place to study law—according to QS University Rankings, in law studies MRU is ranked #1 among all Lithuanian universities.

No. of international study programmes: 20+

No. of international students: 600+

Website: https://www.mruni.eu/en/

Vilnius Academy of Arts (VDA)

A hub of art and creativity for future Picassos’ and Rembrandts’, this academy offers a range of programmes for everyone’s taste. You’ll find a place here whether you want to study animation or architecture, ceramics or costume design, scenography or sculpture.

And studying here could lead to greatness—in the past 30 years over 50 alumni of the academy have been awarded National Cultural and Art awards.

No. of international study programmes: 20+

No. of international students: 50+

Website: https://www.vda.lt/en

University of Applied Social Sciences (SMK)

The biggest private higher education institution in Lithuania has campuses in Vilnius, Klaipėda and Kaunas. SMK has a large and active community of international students and a lot of study programmes tailored to suit their needs. It’s a young and modern college, offering quite a few subjects focused on digital space and new technologies.

No. of international study programmes: 16

No. of international students: 120

Website: https://www.smk.lt/en

Vilnius College of Technologies and Design (VTDK)

With its roots dating from almost 100 years ago, Vilnius College of Technologies and Design has gained a reputation of a trustworthy and respectable school. Studying here involves a lot of practical work, so it‘s great for people who like to experience things hands-on. VTDK also offers quite a few different study programmes, from graphic design to electrical engineering.

No. of international study programmes: 4

No. of international students: 30+

Website: https://en.vtdko.lt/

Vilniaus Kolegija / University of Applied Sciences (VIKO)

This is the biggest and most diverse public, applied sciences university in Vilnius. There are over 40 study programmes to choose from, though sadly, not all of them are available in English. The campus is big and spread out all over the city, with different hostels, canteens, libraries and sports centres available for students to use.

No. of international study programmes: 8

No. of international students: 50+

Website: https://en.viko.lt

This post was written by our contributing writer Rusne.