New Rankings: the Second Best Public University in Lithuania

The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) has been ranked second after Vilnius University in the 2024 ranking of public universities by “Ratings” magazine. This is the second year that LSMU has retained this position.

The country’s public universities were evaluated according to five criteria, with the maximum possible score of 100 points. The highest scores for LSMU were achieved under the following criteria: alumni added value and employer assessment (32.8 out of 35 possible points), students and studies (20.3 out of 25 possible points), current and future academic staff (3 out of 5 possible points).

The results are all the more important because LSMU is a specialised university and successfully competes with larger, broader-profile national higher education institutions.

According to Prof. Kęstutis Petrikonis, LSMU Vice-Rector for Studies, the stable results of LSMU in the national rankings demonstrate that the university has chosen the right strategic direction.

“The demographic situation prompts higher education to explore opportunities to join efforts, and LSMU is constantly evolving, looking for forms of cooperation with other universities, and in the future, probably with non-university schools of higher education as well,” said Prof. K. Petrikonis.

Although the evaluation of the value created by LSMU graduates is among the highest, the Vice-Rector for Studies believes this indicator reflects not only the high value added brought by the health professionals, but also the great demand for them in Lithuania today.

“Five years ago, we were already talking about the expected severe shortage of medical doctors. Nonetheless, the Ministry of Health had different estimations. In the end, the situation has demonstrated that the voice of the university is worth taking into account,” said Prof. Petrikonis.

According to the Vice-Rector, the efforts to secure the value created by the alumni has been underfunded by the state for many years: students of pharmacy, physiotherapy, a large part of medicine and odontology pay full tuition fees.

“For years, young people have been supporting the health system by paying for their own education, which is a huge investment by themselves and their families. It might be worth considering the redistribution of funding according to the needs of the state”, said the Vice-Rector.

This is particularly true considering the international position of the LSMU, since it is no longer competing on a national or just European, but also on the global scale. Starting this year, LSMU’s study programme Medicine has gained global recognition and has been accredited according to the standards of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).

In recent years, the University has achieved other solid results: it has been accredited for the maximum period, leading in the field of medicine and health sciences in Lithuania, and it maintains a high position in international rankings.