Overview of the General Education System

Lithuanian education dates back to at least 1387, the year that Lithuania adopted Christianity as its official religion, when a school was funded at Vilnius Cathedral. Soon a network of similar schools would emerge throughout the country, providing the basis for religious education, while secular education was limited to home-schooled nobility. Religious education continued to remain dominant for most of the existence of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the subsequent Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Those pursuing further education generally travelled outside of Lithuania to study in German and Polish universities until the founding of the Vilnius University in 1579, which remains in operation to this day. Following the annexation of parts of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, including the majority of Lithuania, into the Tsardom of Russia, it took over the local educational institutions, promoting instruction in Polish and Russian. When Lithuania eventually regained independence in 1918, it prioritized development of public education, especially at primary level, making it free for all citizens, while requiring relatively affordable fees for secondary education. Despite these efforts, education access remained relatively poor due to economic struggles the republic faced. Following the annexation of Lithuania into the Soviet Union, which was determined to spread its free compulsory education system to Lithuania, though it would take until 1946 to meet this goal due to the many schools destroyed during World War II. By 1960s Lithuania was fully integrated into the Soviet education system along with the compulsory teaching of Russian as a lingua franca, though Lithuanian remained the primary language of instruction. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Lithuania has reformed its education system, integrating it into the European standards by joining the Bologna process.

Education in Lithuania is overseen by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, which is responsible for setting national standards, curricula, and policies for all levels of education. The Ministry coordinates with local education authorities across various municipalities to implement policies and reforms. Higher education institutions, including universities, must meet standards set by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport to receive accreditation, ensuring that they meet national academic and professional benchmarks. In addition to the national ministry, local departments of education under the municipal governments have some oversight over educational institutions in their respective localities, especially in terms of managing resources and maintaining school operations.

Lithuania operates a compulsory education system. The compulsory section of the education includes pre-primary education for children 5 years or older, followed by four years of primary education and six years of junior secondary, for a total of at least eleven years (including a year of pre-primary education). Students in Lithuania generally start education on September 1st and continue until May for primary and secondary education or until June for higher education, split into two semesters. The academic year includes the summer break, fall break, winter break, and spring break.

Non-compulsory education in Lithuania refers to the stages of education that are not mandated by the constitution but are still widely pursued by students. These include senior secondary education (2 years beyond the compulsory schooling for a total of 13 years), vocational education, and higher education (colleges and universities). To be eligible for admission to the first cycle studies of higher education institutions, a person must have attained at least upper secondary education and have passed at least three state Matura examinations, standardized tests available in a number of subjects, one of which has to be in Lithuanian language.

Besides regular academic education, vocational education is very common in Lithuania and provides access to training in the skills required to quickly enter the workforce. Vocational education may begin as early as secondary level, replacing senior secondary school and allowing students to obtain vocational skills early before continuing to either complete vocational education or to university studies.

Lithuania Grading System