The Republic of Lithuania is a European country on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania borders on the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Poland. Lithuania is the largest and most populous of the three Baltic States. Located in the heart of Europe, Lithuania is enjoying a rapid economic growth and development, making it an ideal location for studies abroad.
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and also the country's largest city. The city possesses a rich cultural and historical heritage; the Old Town of Vilnius was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. However, the city has also developed into a modern international city. The New City Center holds the business district and impressive modern buildings such as the 129-metre tall Europa Tower.
Lithuanians speak Lithuanian, which belongs to the group of Indo-European languages.
Higher education in Lithuania is available at Universities or Colleges. The higher education institutions follow the guidelines of the Bologna declaration. The Bologna process was initiated in 1999 when the Ministers of Education from 29 European countries signed the Bologna declaration in the Italian city of Bologna. The purpose of the process is to create educational standards for academic degrees and quality assurance, in order to make it easier for students to move from one European country to another and to improve the overall quality of European higher education. The system also incorporates aspects of the American higher education system and thus simplifies comparison. The Bologna System uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to measure the amount of higher education credits.
