Lithuania is a highly developed European country found in the Baltics with nothing but so much to offer–iconic sights, globally competitive academics, one-of-a-kind street architecture, thriving music scene, abundant marshes and forests, the list only goes on. All these, combined with its universities’ contribution to the progress of man in the fields of science and technology, justify the thousands of international students Lithuania attracts to its lands every year.
In this article, we will be listing down Lithuania’s best scholarship offers to help you through your academic pursuits in this beautiful land of the storks.
Related Scholarships
Living Costs in Lithuania for International students
The cost of living in Lithuania is relatively inexpensive compared to most of its fellow western countries. A budget ranging from €350 to €900 per month should be ample enough to cover most living expenses, including accommodation and utilities, for most international students.
For reference, dormitories charge around €70 to €200 including utilities. On the other hand, private one-bedroom apartments usually start from €285 to €415, with utilities costing an additional €80 – €140 monthly. Transportation passes cost ~€30/month while restaurants generally charge €7 per meal.
It’s also worthwhile to note that Lithuania offers a wide variety of student discounts that can greatly offset these estimated costs. Home-cooking also helps cut down these costs by a lot seeing as groceries tend to cost the average Lithuanian only €150 – €350 per month.
Can international students work in Lithuania?
International students can work in Lithuania after obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit. Non-EU students are allowed a maximum of 20 work hours per week during the term. These time restrictions do not apply to EU nationals and Ph.D. students, who may work full-time. Lithuania is one of the more lax countries; the only real difference between domestic and international student work laws being time restrictions.
Top Universities in Lithuania:
Part of Lithuania’s charm is the accessibility it enables students both local and foreign towards quality education due to its affordability. As part of the European Union, Lithuania is subject to the same standards the Bologna system sets to ensure high-caliber education across the nation.
The universities that headline Lithuania’s academic performance on the world stage are Vilnius University, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), and Vytautas Magnus University. These four are among the top universities in the Emerging Europe and Central Asia region, all finding themselves among the top 100 of the EECA Rankings.
Best Scholarships in Lithuania
1. Education Exchanges Support Foundation Full-time Master’s Studies Scholarship
The Lithuanian Government sponsors multiple scholarships for both inbound international students and its own citizens each year. Many of these projects are enacted through the Education Exchanges Support Foundation, which also handles Lithuania’s Erasmus+ and Nordplus partner programs. One of these scholarships is the Full-time Master Degree Studies program. This program is open to applicants who are citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Georgia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Moldova Ukraine, and foreigners of Lithuanian descent from non-EU or EFTA countries. Among them, roughly 70 lucky scholars are awarded these fully funded Lithuania scholarships each year.
All successful candidates of this scholarship are set to receive a monthly stipend amounting to around €400. Save for scholars hailing from China, Israel, Japan, or South Korea, scholars under this program will also be receiving study grants to help subsidize study-related costs. The monetary amount of these grants are limited to the national standard study cost.
2. State Studies Foundation Support for Foreigners of Lithuania Scholarship
The State Studies Foundation is another subsidiary of the Lithuanian Government that administers state-supported student loans and scholarships. Started as a budgetary institution for scientists, the foundation’s functions have since expanded, operating as Lithuania’s main leg of educational financial support it is today. Under one undertaking is the Support for Foreigners of Lithuania Scholarship.
This scholarship at Lithuania is offered in two types–a scholarship and a social disbursement. In order to qualify for these scholarships, one must be an international student of Lithuanian heritage enrolled in a higher education institution based in Lithuania. The amount of support varies per context. Generally speaking, social disbursement amounts range from €203 to €319 per month in addition to a monthly stipend of 3.25 BSB (Basic Social Benefits). A one-time grant worth €12,350 is also awarded to scholars, intended for one semester.
3. KUT Scholarship
The Kaunas University of Technology (KUT) prides itself on being one of the largest technical universities in the Baltics and one of Lithuania’s best top-performing research universities. With a long list of world-class partner institutions such as Stanford and Aalto, KUT seeks to globalize and expand its reach in the academic world. This is evident in its efforts in enticing some of the best students all over the world into its classrooms–one of which is demonstrated in the scholarships the school provides.
All international students, especially those with strong academic records, are encouraged to apply for KUT’s international scholarship program. In this scholarship, the most outstanding applicants will be granted a partial to full tuition waiver throughout their studies.
Aside from the general scholarships for international applicants, KTU also provides Talent Scholarships. These are awarded to the most active and achieving members of the school community. This Lithuania scholarship amounts to €250/month.
4. EHU Scholarship
The European Humanities University (EHU) is a Belarusian university stationed in Vilnius, Lithuania that has made itself known for being one of the best private universities found in the country. A university with a long and interesting story to tell, EHU may be considered the home in an outland for many international students, specifically for those studying remotely from Belarus.
With this comes a wide variety of internationally available scholarships ranging from stipends worth €123/month to one-time grants worth €2,000, all awarded based on each applicant’s academic merit.
Another thing of note is that EHU has an emergency fund set aside for students unable to study in Belarusian universities due to political reasons, and may give scholarships/serve as an asylum on a case-to-case basis.
5. Vilnius University Scholarship
Vilnius University is Lithuania’s oldest and premier university with an established history of academic prestige that often finds itself among the top 500 universities in the world. Ringing true to its mission of creating an authentic diverse, free-flowing academic community, the university offers an exhaustive list of Lithaunia scholarship opportunities available to its students and prospects. Such scholarships range from sizable one-time grants and partial discounts to full school fee waivers, with some even including BSBs.
These scholarships are usually available to the most academic of the general student body with some exceptions such as the Foreign Student Scholarship, reserved for international students. The scholarship amount for this program varies, with recipients eligible for either a 1.5 or 2.5 BSB (with 1 BSB estimated to be currently equivalent to €40/month).
