Join Riga Graduate School of Law (RGSL) Bachelor programmes Open House online on 1 June at 16:00, meet our students and faculty and get to know more about study opportunities in law, business and diplomacy.
Register for the event here
and hear from our students, faculty and alumni and find out more about our two Bachelor programmes - Law and Business and Law and Diplomacy, scholarships, Erasmus exchange and internship opportunities.
LL.B OPEN HOUSE PROGRAMME
1 June 2021, 16:00 – 17:30
To join the event, click here
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/942422829
16:00 Welcome from the Open House host, Paula Kellija, Law&Business bachelor programme 2nd year student
16:05 Opening speech and all about RGSL: Ieva Rācenāja, RGSL Director
16:20 Bachelor programmes presentation: Dr. Laura Ratniece, RGSL Bachelor programmes Director, RGSL Assistant Professor
16:40 RGSL Alumni perspective: Edgars Poga, Law&Diplomacy programme graduate (2020), Consultant, PWC Latvija
16:50 RGSL Student perspective: Arta Latiša, Law&Business Bachelor programme 1st year student, Co-founder and Managing Director at Anybelly, Paula Paidere, Law&Diplomacy Bachelor programme 2nd year student, Legal assistant at LEADELL Law Offices
17:05 RGSL Student perspective: Reinis Aņiskovičs, Law &Business 1st year student, President of the RGSL Student Association.
17:15 Conclusion remarks: Paula Kellija, Law&Business bachelor programme 2nd year student
Studies
Careers in law, business or diplomacy is in the core of what we offer. Studies in English, strong international environment and interdisciplinarity are the main reasons our students choose us.
According to the recent survey by the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science, the annual income of the university graduates is 30% higher than the national average in Latvia, and we are happy to share that SSE Riga and Riga Graduate School of Law share the top spot among private universities.
“Whatever field you choose, it means a decent pay is guaranteed,” said Rihards Blese, education expert at the Latvian Employers' Confederation (LDDK).
We are in constant dialogue with our students and employers to improve our interdisciplinary approach and create new courses and teaching modules. Our ambition is to form permanent learners and promote the idea that, although sometimes challenging, learning is essentially pleasure. More about our programmes can be found here: https://www.rgsl.edu.lv/programmes
We have a strong international environment with students and faculty coming from more than 30 countries.
“RGSL gives you plenty of opportunities, everything is there, the library, all faculty are professionals in the field and you can ask them anything. You can connect all things you learn at RGSL both with your experience and real life issues. Size of the school also matters – all students I started with are my friends now, really smart people practicing law. We are like family,” says Aksels Zingulis, RGSL Law and Business bachelor programme graduate (2020), currently studying at Tax Law and Digitalization masters programme at Vienna University of Economics and Business. “This school is one of the best tax institutions worldwide, among world’s top 100 in ranking. It means degree I had at RGSL is internationally recognized. My coursemates in Vienna are top managers from Siemens, Nokia, startup people in high positions.” Aksels himself is a CEO of Rocketgrip, a company he founded in high school to manufacture customized grips for hockey players. “I understood there is no business without law, and this programme gave me the chance to study both.”
“I realized I want to be a diplomat after internships at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies abroad, and joined Foreign service right after graduation,” says Sarma Gintere, RGSL Law&Diplomacy graduate (2014), RGSL LLM in International and European Law (2016), Third Secretary at the Embassy of Latvia to the United States. “Loved the environment at RGSL, it was easy to study there - international setting, professors, seminars, very practical aspects. When I started my work and was going to Brussels and begin to talk in meetings, I understood that it was exactly as we did at school. Law knowledge has been very important in my work. Now I’m in my second year at the embassy in Washington D.C., and I’m very happy. RGSL definitely prepared me well for the career I have now.”
Erasmus+ network
We are active also on the Erasmus network, with more than 40 partner universities to host our students.
"Erasmus experience is a necessity for young people, it opens doors for new opportunities," says Anna Surkova, Y3 Law and Diplomacy student, who studied at the University of Versailles in France in 2020.
“In my opinion, Erasmus experience’s benefits could not be fully influenced by COVID-19 virus. I believe that if you surround yourself with positive moments, negative moments can’t affect you. In my case - enjoying fresh air walks in Versailles, communicating with international classmates, learning French and investigating French culture.”
Aleksandra Aleksejeva Y2 Law and Diplomacy student, spent her exchange term at the University of Graz, the second largest university in Austria. “Although students had an opportunity to enjoy lectures on-site, it did not last for long – in November, a second lockdown came into force in Austria. Accordingly, all lectures had to be switched online. Due to the fact that I had more seminars than lectures, online study process was also very enjoyable. I truly believe that the Erasmus exchange is a great opportunity to improve your knowledge in your study area even during a global pandemic."
Student life
As RGSL is a small law school, students and faculty know each other by name, and more often than not, the students enter the professional world via the contacts they obtained during studies.
We value the sense of community and support our students in their activities. In 2019, RGSL Debate Society was founded by two of our first year students, and it has already gathered considerable number of enthusiasts, also from other unis and high schools.
Our very active Student Association (SA) engages students in various events we do on our own, like sports games, barbecue party or game and movie nights and underground moot courts, or together with our neighbor Stockholm School of Economics, like new student baptizing, Valentines’ day ball and other events – all ready to restart as soon as restrictions are lifted. Our SA also provides assistance to foreign students in form of student buddies – local students who help to get around and know local environment.
Life after graduation
Our Alumni surveys show that 92% of our graduates are employed, and 58% of them have started study-related, professional job already during their studies. Erasmus and other internship opportunities offered by our industry partners – various law firms, businesses and startups as well as Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia and various embassies in Riga and abroad, certainly help.
Graduates have indicated that they work as lawyers, project managers, business analysts, researchers, civil servants, consultants, data protection specialists. Many graduates have indicated that they also hold senior positions such as running their own companies, being heads of departments, and working in international organizations. About a third of graduates are employed in the service sector, a fifth work in public administration, 15% in a research organization, just as much in the ICT sector. 20% of graduates have started their own business, while about 15% are planning to start their own business in the near future.
Our graduates who decide to continue their Masters studies, get accepted in prestigious universities all over the world, including University of Leuven (Belgium), University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands), and others.
Apply for studies now
If you have not yet already started your application, we strongly encourage you to set aside some time and start to do so now!
Go to https://apply.rgsl.edu.lv
• Choose your Bachelor study programme,
• Fill in the form in the link,
• Attach an academic transcript from I Semester (average grade 7 and up),
• Write a motivation letter,
• Attach a copy of your ID/Passport
When you receive your secondary education certificate, all you have to do is to attach it to your application until 18 July.
We are looking forward to seeing you at the Open House on 1 June at 16:00 – register here to receive a link to the event!