Scholarships in Slovakia for the 2024-2025 batch started entertaining online applications from all students in a variety of degree courses offerings by Slovakian Colleges and Universities whereas i think this would not be wrong to say that Slovakia is a very underrated European country when it comes to its higher education system therefore i can say that Slovakia is sort of a hidden gem among the myriad of those European countries where international students usually prefer to go.
Local Slovakian students and students from European Union are not charged any tuition fee to study in Slovakian Universities. Educational tuition fees is very low for other international students. With that being said; Slovakian Universities offer scholarship fundings as well.
A number of the best Slovakian universities are in its capital Bratislava. Student life is considered to be lively as the universities have many extra-curricular programs in place. In this article, we have put together a list of scholarships that are available in Slovakia as well as some useful things to know about being in Slovakia as a student.
Language of Instruction and the Requirement of IELTS in Slovakian Universities:
The universities teach mostly in Slovak and English. Some universities have programs in German, Hungarian and Ukrainian languages as well. Students whose native language is not English have to submit proof of their language proficiency through IELTS, TOEFL, etc.
Living Expenses in Slovakia: Low
Ex-pats and students consider the living cost of Slovakia as cheap, so you can live comfortably off 1100 EUR a month and in capital of Slovakia, Bratislava is pretty expensive especially when it comes to paying off rent and utility prices are high while the dining out and internet are fairly cheap in the whole of Slovakia.
Can we Work on Study VISA in Slovakia?
Students have the liberty to take up part time work without applying for a work permit separately and this part-time work should not exceed 20 hours a week whereas students caught in violation of this rule can be stripped of their student visas and can be sent back to their home countries.
Top Educational Institutions of Slovakia in 2024
There are many higher educational institutions in Slovakia, of which 32 have been named in different kinds of university rankings and some of the top universities in Slovakia are, Technical University of Kosice (TUKE), the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Pavol Jozef Safárik University in Kosice, and Comenius University in Bratislava.
Slovak Scholarships 2024:
The Universities in Slovakia are mostly state-owned which are subsidized for students from the EU and EEA and international students have to pay a tuition fee which ranges between 2000 USD to 7000 USD a year which is why i bring you this article so you can get an idea of how you can find Slovakian scholarships to study there for free in 2024:
1- Slovakian Government Scholarships:
Slovakian Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of Slovakia has come up with National Scholarship Program that is offering scholarships to foreign students, teachers, researchers, and artists and this scholarship recipients can get a chance to study or research in Slovakian universities and research centers. Recipients can stay in Slovakia for three to ten months depending upon the nature of their research and grant. This grant is sort of an exchange program for international students and a research trip for international professors and researchers.
This Slovakian scholarship program offers a stipend that is meant to set off the living expenses of its recipients. The worth of the scholarship for each level of study/research is as follows:
- University students who are doing postgraduation or bachelor’s (but not Ph.D.) will be entitled to 350 EUR per month.
- The doctoral students get a stipend of 580 EUR.
- An artist, or university teacher/professor, who does not have a Ph.D. qualification or the equivalent of it will get a monthly stipend of 580 EUR per month. They should have at least three years of experience on hand.
- Those university teachers or researchers who have doctoral degrees and have less than 10 years of experience in their fields will get a monthly stipend of 850 EUR a month.
- Those university teachers or professors with more than 10 years of experience in their fields and with doctoral degrees will get a monthly stipend of 1000 EUR a month.
The scholarship holders will get these stipends for the whole course of their programs/researches. Students/researchers who are in receipt of the scholarship can re-apply for it after three years.
2- Comenius University in Bratislava Videgrad Scholarship Fund
Students and researchers who would like to study at Comenius University in Bratislava, teach, or conduct research at our faculty may apply for scholarships and support from several Slovak and international organizations active in the field of academic exchanges.
Central European Studies study program is offered for free, without any tuition fees for Slovak students and also for foreigners if the student is a full-time student of the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the studies are completed in 3 academic years.
Visegrad scholarships support Master and post-Master students in all disciplines and in any language for up to four semesters at more than 190 higher education institutions across Central and Eastern Europe. Master and post-Master scholars and researchers who are citizens of the Visegrad countries can apply for scholarship to study at any accredited university/institute within V4 and in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo*, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine.
3- Slovak University of Technology (STU) Scholarships
STU awards incentive scholarships to students in selected fields of study (Incentive Specialization Scholarships) if the student meets the conditions stipulated in the Scholarship Regulations of STU. Incentive Specialization Scholarship shall not be awarded to more than 50% of students in selected fields of study as a single payment in the corresponding academic year.
The Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava grants its regular students financial support in a form of scholarships. Granting the following kinds of financial support is not available for the mobility students.
Few notable scholarships by STU Slovakia:
- Maternity scholarship
- Social scholarships
- Incentive scholarships from the state budget
- Doctoral Candidate (PhD Student) Scholarship
- Scholarships from STU own resources
4- Slovak National Scholarships Program
The establishment of the National Scholarship Programme for the Support of Mobility of Students, Ph.D. students, University Teachers, and Researchers was approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic in 2005. The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic is funded by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research, and Sport of the Slovak Republic.
The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic is intended to support the mobility of foreign students, Ph.D. students, university teachers, and researchers to stay at Slovak universities and research institutions.
- Scholarships for foreign university students (enrolled at least in the 6th semester) to take part in a Master’s study over a period of 1 semester at Slovak universities.
- Scholarships for foreign Ph.D. students to take a part of a Ph.D. study over a period of 1 to 7 months at Slovak universities or research institutes.
- Scholarships for foreign university teachers and researchers over a period of 1 to 7 months to carry out teaching or research at Slovak universities, research institutes, or nongovernmental organizations conducting research.
Optional & Mandatory Documents for Scholarship Application Submission
This section jots down and explains the list of documents needed to be submitted along with a scholarship application. Some of these documents are the same ones that the universities or colleges asked you for while you were applying for admission.
Make sure to prepare the following listed Scholarship Application Documents in order to maximize your chances of selection for any scholarship program:
Optional & Mandatory Documents for Scholarship Application:
- Scholarship Application Form
- Research Proposal for doctoral degree candidates (plagiarism-free, and freshly written)
- Study plan essay for Master degree candidates (plagiarism-free, and freshly written)
- Attested copies of degree & transcripts for schools, colleges, and universities attended.
- Letter of Motivation
- Statement of purpose (SOP)
- Letter of intent (LOI)
- Letter of Recommendation from professors of the previous college attended. (2 original)
- Health Certificate (1 original, 1 copy)
- Abstract of theses or portfolio (if applicable) (1 original, 1 copy)
- English proficiency certificate or English language test record (IELTS, TOEFL, TELC, etc)
- GRE, GMAT, or other qualifying test records (Optional)
- Scholarship Resume (CV) and a cover letter (Optional)