On July 19, based on the identified violations, the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, Anda Čakša, has issued an order on the extraordinary accreditation of the private university "Baltic International Academy" (BIA). The inspection of the quality of work organization and resources of the higher education institution will be carried out until February 1, 2025.
In the 2023/2024 academic year, BIA was the sixth largest private higher education institution in Latvia with 1,252 students. Currently, seven out of 11, i.e., more than half, of the implemented study fields at BSA are not accredited. Thus, the academy does not have the right to issue a state-recognized diploma for obtaining higher education to students in these study fields. Additionally, it has been found that the requirements of the Law on Higher Education Institutions of the Republic of Latvia regarding student self-government and the inclusion of student representation in the academy's decision-making bodies are not fully met, therefore the activities of the BIA Senate are also subject to evaluation.
During the inspection by the State Education Quality Service, it was found that the Academy has not respected the rights of students to receive information in all matters directly related to their studies and potential careers, as stipulated in the Law on Higher Education Institutions. If the higher education institution does not ensure the quality of studies and the information base specified in the accreditation, in accordance with the Law on Higher Education Institutions, the Minister of Education and Science has the right to issue an order on the extraordinary accreditation of the higher education institution. The expenses of the extraordinary accreditation will be covered by the Ministry of Education and Science.
The study accreditation process consists of two stages - assessment and decision-making. One of the BIA study field's is accredited until the end of 2024, but the Higher Education Quality Agency has not received an application regarding the need for it's accreditation. Regarding the closure of the programs, BIA has informed that they will not advance three study fields for re-accreditation (Translation, Information and Communication Sciences, and Information Technology).
To obtain a state-recognized diploma, BIA students have the opportunity to continue and complete their studies in another study program in a study field that is accredited at the BIA, graduate from another higher education institution, including those with which BIA had concluded cooperation agreements at the time of accreditation of the study fields for students to complete their studies if the implementation of the study field is discontinued, or take an academic leave. According to the information provided by the BIA, many students of the academy in non-accredited study fields have already taken an academic leave awaiting the results of accreditation.