General Principles
Admission of International Students
Tuition Fees
The principal requirement for entering a bachelor’s degree programme (3 – 4 years of full-time study) or a programme combining 1st and 2nd level (5 – 6 years of full-time study) is the completion of a full secondary general education or vocational education with a "maturita" – school-leaving examination. Admission to a follow-up master's degree programme (1 – 3 years of full-time study) depends on the completion of a relevant bachelor's degree programme or its equivalent. Admission to doctoral (PhD) studies depends on the successful completion of a 2nd level degree study programme.
Students, who would like to study a full study programme, should apply directly at the respective HEI. Students may apply for several study programmes at various HEIs and faculties. The deadline for submitting applications is set by each HEI; usually, it is the end of February or March. The date, content and form (oral or written examination, aptitude test) of the admission process are decided upon by the respective faculty or HEI. Entrance examinations are usually held between June and September. Examinations at art HEIs take place earlier (in January) and the deadline for submitting applications is usually the end of November.
Admission requirements for international students are, in general, the same as for Slovak nationals. In justified cases, the academic senate of the respective faculty/HEI may appropriately adapt them upon the proposal given by the dean/rector. International Baccalaureate holders meet general requirements for admission to HEIs in Slovakia. For the admission process, documents of your previous education must be recognised by the Slovak Republic – for more information see Recognition of Previous Education.
International applicants, who do not meet all the requirements for admission, may be required to attend preparatory courses, including Slovak language courses (if they wish to study a programme offered in the Slovak language). Such courses are offered by the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies of the Centre for Continuing Education at the Comenius University in Bratislava (www.cdv.uniba.sk/en). Courses of Slovak language are also organised by other universities in Slovakia or private language schools (e.g. iCan Language School in Bratislava, www.icanschool.eu).
If you want to know more about learning Slovak language, go to section Daily life in Slovakia - Languages.
Every faculty/HEI determines its own criteria for students’ admission. Students should ask for information and apply for admission at the faculty of their choice. Updated information on Slovak and English study programmes is available on the websites or at the international offices of the respective HEIs/faculties. Publication Study in Slovakia – Study programmes offered in foreign languages with a list of study programmes offered in English and other languages by Slovak HEIs can be downloaded at the SAIA website www.saia.sk/en.
For the administration of admission proceedings fees apply – the amount is set by the respective HEI/faculty and the information can change each year, therefore, please, consult the website of the HEI/faculty of your choice.
Tuition fees for study programmes offered in foreign languages are set by each HEI/faculty separately. Fees vary from 500 € to 12,200 € per one academic year. Updated information on tuition fees can be obtained from international relations offices of the respective
HEIs/faculties.
However, students studying full-time in Slovakia without exceeding the standard length of study do not pay tuition fees, if they study a programme offered in the Slovak language (more information about study programmes offered in the Slovak language can be found at www.portalvs.sk – in Slovak language only).
Tuition fees and study-related fees for students studying under international agreements shall comply with the provisions of these agreements. The provisions do not apply to international students with permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic.