Latvia to review advanced-level exam costs after €4,500 test

The Latvian government will assess the cost and value of advanced-level exams after one French exam this year cost €4,500 for a single student, LSM reported. Per-student costs for these exams range from €1.47 to €4,500.

This spring, students could graduate from secondary school after taking one advanced-level exam, down from the two previously required. The change coincided with a fall in the number of students taking some exams. History exam candidates fell from 500 in 2025 to 150 this year. Social sciences candidates dropped from 1,319 to 591, while programming candidates fell from 217 to 77.

Inta Ozola, director of the State Education Development Agency, said it was difficult to predict how many students would sit the exams. She said students choose advanced-level exams not only because they are required, but also because they see them as relevant to their future plans. The agency expects students to continue taking them, she said.

Some students have voluntarily taken more exams than required. One applicant to the University of Latvia sat five advanced-level exams this year. Students in Year 12 at Riga State Gymnasium No. 3 told Latvian Radio they also planned to take advanced-level exams.

One student, Adrians, said he planned to take at least English and possibly mathematics. He said preparing for the exams would help him focus on his studies, improve his performance and build confidence. His classmate Katrīna said she planned to take mathematics and English.

Advanced-level exams are also increasingly required by universities abroad.