Raina blvd. 19
LV-1586 Riga
Latvia

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The hope about its foundation, cherished by companions of the First Latvian awakening time, came true only early in the 20th century when the Latvian self-confidence awoke once more. It was the time of a completely destroyed economy and a tense socio-political situation in Latvia. As soon as WW I ended the epoch of revolutions set in. Empires were crashing down; new national, independent states were being formed all over the world, and Latvia was among them.

The first public declaration about the foundation and consolidation of the Latvian higher school in Riga, its role in administration and consolidation of the newly formed State of Latvia was defined in the resolution “About Latvian Higher School” adopted by the Latvian Teachers’ Congress on 13th June 1917 in Dorpat (present - Tartu). The Congress set up the Higher School Committee that became one of the ideological sources for the would-be Universitas Litterarum Latviensis.

Latvia proclaimed its independence on 18th November 1918. On the 28th September 1919 when national liberation movements were still going on, the first Latvian higher school (University of Latvia since 1922/23) was solemnly opened in the former building of the Riga Politechnical Institute (in 1915 RPI was evacuated to Russia). The new higher education institution became one of the most essential freedom manifestos of the Latvian people, therefore, the University of Latvia is more closely connected with the history of its independent State than any other higher school in Latvia. Ups and downs of the Latvian State manifested the work at the University and vice versa. For that reason we have named our first university after the state rather than the city where the University is located. Its name “University of Latvia” bears a specific meaning because it makes responsible both the State and the University for ensuring a sufficient number of academically educated people and creating favorable conditions to secure the existence of the sovereign and independent State of Latvia.

Between 1919 and 1940 the University of Latvia was the greatest center of higher

The main building of the University of Latvia, Riga, 19 raina Blvd. Architectural and historical monument of the late 19thcentury.

education, science and culture where intelligentsia was forming and extending. The University had to implement the interests set forth by the Latvian State excluding any possibility of infiltration by private groups into the University. Higher education was in the focus of the state both morally and financially. In the pre-war years it was possible to gain higher academic education not only at the University of Latvia but also at the Conservatory of Latvia and the Academy of Arts. There were 12 other higher vocational schools and institutes, but they did not have the rights of a higher school.

The University of Latvia is the first of the classical type universities in the history of Latvia. Several times it has represented the whole State of Latvia. It is worth mentioning that the University of Latvia is the oldest national university in the Baltic ( Estonian National University in Tartu was established on 1st December 1919; Lithuanian University in Kaunas - 1922).

The University of Latvia was the first in the world to introduce Latvian as the language of tuition. students could study the humanities (including Theology), the sciences, technical and natural sciences. introduction of Latvian as the language of tuition did not mean that other nationalities were neglected.

The former Riga Polytechnical Institute (1862-1915), student’s prison, a unique and original witness to history (1875-1903) in the main building of the University, Riga, 19 Raina Blvd.

The scientists and the teaching staff had to do state - paid jobs in their specialities. they were not allowed to work only as the teaching staff at the University and be the so called “armchair” scientists. It proved close links of science and education with the national economics. Studies were connected with specified practical work.  Knowledge and manners of work were respected. The University of Latvia owned a few clinics, institutes and museums which were used as the basis for studies and science. The university of Latvia and the free State of Latvia provided students with a versatile promotion of their abilities.

University education was not only an education in a certain speciality, but it perfected and developed a personality, therefore the alumni with the University diploma could become and often became successful specialists in other walks of life quite alien to their academic education.

The above-mentioned statements prove that intelligentsia did not form a caste keeping aloof from the society.

With time going on, a new teaching staff and generation of scientists have grown up and been involved into international scientific life, considering human values superior to national ones.

The University followed the slogan “Scientie et Patriae” and was the Universitas Litterarum in the direct sense of the words. Over the first 20 years of its existance 31,639 applicants had applied for studies at the University, but only 23 438 of them were enrolled. In that period of time 6841 students had graduated from the Univarsity (4776 men; 2065 women). In 1939 the University graduates constituted 59% of all the people with an academic education in Latvia (according to Dunsdorf’s Archive data). On the 1st September of the academic year of 1939/40 from the University of Latvia graduated 200 students compared with 32 students - from the Academy of Agriculture located in the city of Jelgava.

In June 1940 the communist dictatorship deprived the University of Latvia the rights of its autonomy and abolished the Constitution. Then the newly appointed Rector issued the first order which declared uniformity of standards of the Curriculum of the University of Latvia with the Curriculum of other higher education of the Soviet Union.

The University of Latvia has existed since 28th September 1919. It has not been liquidated or officially closed during WW II or the years of the Soviet regime though its name has been changed six times.

Since 19th March 1990 its name was renewed and for ever will be the University of Latvia.

In the course of time three important academic and research centers of the University were transformed into independent higher education institutions: University of Agriculture (set up in 1939), Academy of Medicine (set up in 1950) and Riga Technical University (set up in 1958).

In the beginning of the academic year of 1996/97 there were 17 state-owned higher schools with the total number of students enrolled - 50.600 and 13 private higher schools ( total number of students enrolled - 4.800) which are not given powers of granting the officially recognized diploma. The University of Latvia, concerning the number of students enrolled (16.421 in 1996/97), has ranked in the first place among the other higher institutions of Latvia.

The University of Latvia is superior to the private higher schools: first, being a university of the classical type, second, with the number of students enrolled (e.g., Riga Higher School of Economics has enrolled only 198), moreover, it places a strong emphasis on the life of our State in general.

Prof., Dr. hab. phys. Juris Zakis, Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Rector of the University of Latvia since 1987

The Third national awakening has ushered in a new epoch in the history of the University of Latvia.

After Latvia had regained its independence, radical changes took place in the process of accession to academic education at the University to ensure that all students study and are appropriately versed in carrying out their scientific-research work here.

The mission of the University was and still remains the development and promotion of higher human values as well as their transfer to future generations, respecting the national language, culture, peculiarities and needs of the development of Latvia.