Admission Rules for Academic Year 2024/2025
APPROVED BY
the Senate of the National Defense Academy,
Decision No.4, Minutes No. 8/2023
Entered into force on 01.11.2023 by
Order No. 142 of the NDAL Rector
NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY OF LATVIA
Admission Rules for Academic Year 2024/2025
Issued in accordance with the Law on Higher Education
Section 46, second paragraph
I. General rules
1. The National Defense Academy of Latvia (hereinafter - NDAL) is a state higher education and scientific research institution of the Republic of Latvia, which achieves its objectives by implementing professional study programmes and conducting scientific research activities in the fields of military and national security and defense. NDAL professional studies are intended for the acquisition of professional qualification to prepare officers for service in the National Armed Forces (hereinafter - NAF).
2. The Regulations lay down the procedure for the admission of candidates to the NDAL study programmes for academic year 2024/2025.
3. The number of study places is determined in accordance with the Officer Training Plan approved by the NAF Commander.
4. Admission to studies at the NDAL is based on a selection procedure, in accordance with the requirements of the Law on Higher Education Institutions, the Law on Military Service and other binding normative acts.
5. Accreditation of the NDAL study field. The study field "Military Defense" is accredited until 31 December 2024, accreditation certificate No. 290.
6. Study programmes at the NDAL. Within the study field "Military Defense" NDAL implements:
6.1. First cycle professional higher education study programmes:
6.1.1. Bachelor study programme "Air Forces Military Leadership" (programme code: 42863), awarding the Bachelor's degree in the Land Forces Military Leadership and the qualification of a lieutenant;
6.1.2. Bachelor study programme "Naval Forces Military Leadership" (programme code: 42863), awarding the Bachelor’s degree in the Naval Forces Military Leadership and the qualification of a lieutenant;
6.1.3. Bachelor study programme "Land Forces Military Leadership" (programme code: 42863), awarding the Bachelor's degree in the Land Forces Military Leadership and the qualification of a lieutenant;
6.1.4. Professional study programme "Command Staff Officer" (programme code: 46862) with the qualification of a lieutenant;
6.2. Second cycle professional higher education study programme:
Professional master study programme "Military Leadership and Security" (programme code: 47863), awarding the Master's degree in Military Leadership and Security.
7. Number of credit points and duration of the study programme:
7.1. Professional bachelor study programme "Land Forces Military Leadership" - 242 CP; 4 years;
7.2. Professional bachelor study programme "Air Forces Military Leadership" - 278 CP; 4 years and 6 months;
7.3. Professional bachelor study programme "Naval Forces Military Leadership" - 273 CP; 4 years and 6 months;
7.4. Professional first cycle study programme "Command Staff Officer" - 101 CP; 1 year and 4 months;
7.5. Professional master study programme "Military Leadership and Security" - 113 CP; 1 year and 6 months.
8. Pre-study period. Before enrollment in the first cycle professional higher education study programmes, all candidates selected by the NDAL must complete a preparatory study course - the Cadet Candidate Course, which consists of:
8.1. Soldier's Basic Military Training Course (Level 1 and 2) at the NAF Infantry School from September 2024 to December 2024 (10 weeks);
8.2. Junior Leader’s Course from January 2025 to February 2025 (6 weeks).
9. Tuition fees. The tuition fees at the NDAL are paid from the state budget. During the period of training, the student shall receive remuneration - soldier's monthly salary and special allowances and social guarantees provided for a soldier - in the manner and to the extent established by the laws and regulations.
10. Enrollment at the NDAL:
10.1. 17 February 2025 for the first cycle professional higher education study programmes;
10.2. November 2024 for the second cycle professional higher education study programme.
11. At the commencement of studies at the NDAL, the Rector shall conclude with each student serviceman a contract for the acquisition of education at the NDAL, which shall form an integral part of the contract "On Professional Military Service".
II. Application for studies
12. Candidates applying for studies in the first cycle professional higher education study programmes of the NDAL must apply for studies by electronically filling in the form on the NDAL website www.naa.mil.lv or www.klustikaravirs.lv. Registration and selection is initiated in accordance with the applicable Cabinet of Minister Regulations and the deadline for the start of registration is set out therein.
13. Candidates applying for the NDAL second cycle professional higher education study programme must apply for studies by filling in the online application form on the NDAL website by 20 September 2024. For students of the Joint Command and General Staff Course (JCGSC) of the Baltic Defense College (hereinafter referred to as BALTDEFCOL), the submission of documents is organized separately, either in person or electronically.
14. Applicants willing to study at the NDAL first cycle professional higher education study programmes "Naval Forces Military Leadership", "Air Forces Military Leadership" and "Land Forces Military Leadership" must submit:
14.1. Passport or ID card details of a citizen of the Republic of Latvia;
14.2. Copies of the secondary education certificate and copy of the grade sheet, presenting the originals;
14.3. Copies of centralized examination certificates, presenting the original;
14.4. If the person has obtained the education document abroad, he/she shall attach to the application a certificate from the Academic Information Centre on the correspondence of the education document obtained abroad with the education document granted in Latvia.
14.5. a copy of the document certifying the highest level of proficiency in the national language, presenting the original, if the candidate has not graduated from a Latvian language school or a dual-language school in the Latvian stream, as well as if the secondary school was completed abroad.
14.6. medical certificates (valid for one month):
14.6.1. a certificate from a psychiatric institution;
14.6.2. a certificate from a narcological institution;
14.6.3. a certificate from a general practitioner (Form 027u) on past and present illnesses and the following information:
- blood type, Rh factor,
- for preventive vaccinations (Vaccination Passport),
15. Applicants wishing to study at the NDAL in the first cycle professional higher education programme "Command Staff Officer" must submit:
15.1. Passport or ID card details of a citizen of the Republic of Latvia;
15.2. If the person has obtained the educational document or degree abroad, he/she shall attach to the application a certificate from the Academic Information Centre on the educational document or degree awarded in Latvia that corresponds to the educational document or degree obtained abroad.
15.3. a copy of the document certifying higher education and a copy of the transcript of results, on presenting the original;
15.4. a copy of the document certifying the highest level of proficiency in the national language, with the original presented, if the candidate has not graduated from a Latvian language school or a dual-language school in the Latvian stream, as well as if the secondary school was completed abroad.
15.5 medical certificates (valid for one month):
15.3.1. a certificate from a psychiatric institution;
15.3.2. a certificate from a narcological institution;
15.3.3. a certificate from a general practitioner (Form 027u) on past and present illnesses and the following information:
- blood type, Rh factor,
- for preventive vaccinations (Vaccination Passport),
16. Applicants wishing to study at the NDAL in the second cycle master studies "Military Management and Security" are required to submit to the NDAL or BALTDEFCOL:
16.1. a copy of the identity document (passport or identity card), presenting the original;
16.2. an application to the NDAL for admission to the master study programme (in accordance with the prescribed form available on the NDAL website);
16.3. If the person has obtained the educational document or degree abroad, he/she shall attach to the application a certificate from the Academic Information Centre on the educational document or degree awarded in Latvia that corresponds to the educational document or degree obtained abroad. If the person has not enclosed the AIC certificate, the Academy sends the educational documents to the AIC, invoicing the referee according to the AIC pricelist.
16.4. A copy of the educational document (diploma and its annex) issued by an accredited higher education institution certifying professional higher education or Bachelor's degree, presenting the originals, and their translations in English or Latvian if the language of the original document is not Latvian or English;
16.5. A diploma with a Diploma Supplement issued by BALTDEFCOL on completion of the Joint Command and General Staff Course (JCGSC), presenting the original.
16.6. Letter of recommendation from an official of the Ministry of the Republic of Latvia (only for civilian employees of the Ministry);
16.7. a copy of the decision of the NAF Recognition Commission on the education acquired abroad, presenting the original (only for Latvian NAF officers who have completed the senior officer course at another foreign educational institution);
16.8. a Master's thesis topic in Latvian or English in accordance with the guidelines available on the NDAL website. The quality of the application is assessed during the evaluation process;
16.9. For foreign nationals, proof of the English language proficiency at least on B2 level issued by an international testing body within the last 5 years. It is not required if the person's secondary or tertiary education was completed in English, or if the secondary education was completed in a country of the EU and the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation and the secondary education document includes English language proficiency assessment equivalent to at least B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
17. Each document issued in a foreign language must be accompanied by a notarized translation into Latvian. This section does not apply to applicants for the second cycle of the professional higher education study programme.
III. Selection and admission to the studies at the NDAL
18. Selection of candidates for professional service and studies in the first cycle professional higher education study programmes of the NDAL is carried out by the NDAL Recruitment and Selection Board until 30 September 2024 in accordance with the Regulation of the Ministry of Defense No 37-NOT of 17 August 2023 "Regulations on Recruitment, Selection and Acceptance of Candidates for Professional Service, Conclusion of Contracts and Determination of Eligibility for the National Defense Service".
18.1. The centralized examinations and/or entrance examinations and/or the marks obtained in the previous education document are assessed to enable the candidate to compete for admission to the programme of studies of his/her choice.
18.2. The candidate will receive the decision of the Recruitment and Selection Board within 3 working days by e-mail which contains the decision of the Recruitment and Selection Board and information on the conclusion of the contract and information on the pre-study phase.
19. Admission of candidates to the NDAL
19.1. The admission to the first cycle professional higher education study programmes shall be made by the Admission Board by 14 February 2025 on the basis of the completed pre-study phase or, for soldiers in professional service, the previously completed Soldier's Basic Military Training Course and the Junior Leader Course or equivalent courses;
19.2. Admission to the second cycle professional higher education programme shall be conducted by the Admission Board, chaired by the master programme director, by 1 November 2024, assessing the documents submitted and, if necessary, interviewing the candidates.
19.3. The candidate will be informed of the decision of the Admission Board and the results will be communicated individually.
20. A candidate may appeal against the decisions of the Recruitment and Selection Board and the Admission Board within one month from the date of receipt of the decision by submitting a motivated application to the Rector. The decision of the Rector may be appealed against in court in accordance with the procedure established by the Administrative Procedure Law.
21. The Professional Service Contract and the Study Contract will be concluded by individual agreement.
IV. NDAL admission requirements
IV1. Requirements for the applicant
22. NDAL admits:
22.1. In the first cycle of professional higher education bachelor study programmes - citizens of the Republic of Latvia with secondary or higher education up to the age of 30 on the date of the enrollment at the NDAL, i.e. 17 February 2025;
22.2. In the first cycle professional higher education study programme - citizens of the Republic of Latvia with higher education (Bachelor's degree or professional higher education) aged up to the age of 35 years as of the date of enrollment at the NDAL, i.e. 17 February 2025;
22.3. Second cycle professional higher education study programme:
22.3.1. Citizens of the Republic of Latvia and foreign nationals who are students or graduates of BALTDEFCOL JCGSC and who have a vocational higher education or a Bachelor's degree;
22.3.2. Citizens of the Republic of Latvia and foreign nationals from NATO and EU countries who are not BALTDEFCOL students or BALTDEFCOL graduates may be admitted to the master programme on a case-by-case basis.
23. If an applicant does not fall within the age limits set out in paragraphs 22.1 or 22.2, his/her admission to the NDAL may be assessed on an individual basis.
IV2. Achievement requirements for candidates for the first cycle higher education bachelor programme in professional higher education
24. The following requirements are set out for a candidate to study in the first cycle of the bachelor programmes in professional higher education:
24.1. the general upper-secondary certificate or the diploma of upper-secondary vocational education must contain pass grades in all subjects;
24.2. the scores in the centralized state examination in Latvian, mathematics and a foreign language are taken into account;
If the education was obtained abroad, the grades in mathematics and a foreign language in the secondary education document are taken into account.
24.3. candidates are given an English proficiency test (ALCPT or ECL test) prior to the enrollment to ascertain their level of proficiency in English.
IV3. Additional requirements for applicants to the second cycle of the professional higher education programme
25. Pass the English language test STANAG 3232 or equivalent, or pass the English language entrance test–Oxford Placement Test– with a minimum score of 61 points (B2 level).
V. Mutual rights and obligations of the candidate and the NDAL in the admission process
26. Candidate's rights and obligations:
26.1. The candidate has the right to receive information about the study programmes implemented by the NDAL (accreditation, content and duration, etc.), timetable of classes, examination schedule and other matters directly related to the person's potential studies;
26.2. it is the candidate's responsibility to comply with the general ethical standards and the requirements of the Admission Rules during the admission process.
27. Rights and obligations of the NDAL:
27.1. The NDAL has the right to provide information about the study programmes implemented by the NDAL (accreditation, content and duration, etc.), timetable, sessions and other matters directly related to the person's potential studies;
27.2. The NDAL is responsible for assessing candidates' documents and deciding on their suitability for professional service and studies at the NDAL.
VI. Contact us
28. Information about studies at the Latvian National Defense Academy, Riga, Ezermalas iela 8b, LV-1014; tel.: 1835; e-mail: studijas@mil.lv; website: www.naa.mil.lv; www.klustikaravirs.lv
Ilona Ozoliņa (ilona.ozolina@mil.lv)