AIEA urges the Ministry of Education and Science and the government not to rush into approving the amendments, as the project has not been adequately assessed and contains disproportionate requirements that could weaken the international competitiveness of Latvian universities, reduce the volume of education exports, and cause significant damage to the country's economy. One of the most significant drawbacks of the project, according to the association, is the intention to establish a mandatory SAT test for all applicants from countries outside the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, with a required score of at least 1200 points. AIEA points out that the SAT is not a universal criterion for selecting foreign students and is not equally accessible in all countries of the world, and the threshold of 1200 points is disproportionately high. The association refers to the practice of European countries, which shows that only six out of 500 leading European universities require the SAT. Furthermore, at these universities, the SAT is one of the alternative, rather than the primary, admission criteria. Establishing the SAT as the only mandatory exam will not take into account other internationally recognized qualifications and entrance exams of universities, thereby limiting the attraction of qualified foreign students and the competitiveness of higher education in Latvia, according to AIEA. AIEA's board chair Agnese Pilane emphasizes that the approach proposed by the Ministry of Education and Science, which establishes one mandatory test for a wide range of applicants, does not consider the differences in the education systems of countries, the accessibility of the test, and other internationally recognized assessment tools. Pilane notes that this could significantly limit the attraction of foreign students, hinder the development of academic programs, research, and international cooperation of universities, as well as weaken the competitiveness of higher education in Latvia. AIEA emphasizes that foreign students contribute not only to the development of universities but also to the economy of Latvia, utilizing services such as housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and others, paying taxes and contributing to the creation of new jobs. The association refers to a study by the analytical center "LaSER" in 2025 titled "Foreign Students in Latvia: A Source of Growth?", which estimates the total annual contribution of foreign students to the economy of Latvia at 385 million euros, or 0.92% of the gross domestic product. This includes about 58 million euros in direct tax revenues.