Scholarships for talented students from abroad. Apply now to get a scholarship for your studies in Slovakia!

This scholarship programme is designed for international students who plan to pursue higher education in Slovakia in the academic year 2023/2024. The scholarship is exclusively designated for bachelor's  and combined bachelor's and master's studies at a Slovak university. It is not applicable to master's studies.

Applicants may choose from any public or private higher education institution, as well as any full-time study programme. To view the list of English-language study programmes offered in Slovakia, please visit the following website: https://www.portalvs.sk/en/studijne-odbory?from=menu1  

For more information about studying in Slovakia, please check out the following resources: https://www.studyinslovakia.saia.sk/ or the website of any higher education institution in Slovakia you are interested in.

Important information regarding the tuition fee, health insurance and VISA:

Scholarship recipients accepted into this scholarship scheme will have their tuition fees waived in accordance with Section 92, Para 11 of Act No. 131/2002 Coll. on Higher Education. 

According to Act No. 580/2004 Coll. on Health Insurance in the Slovak Republic, a person who does not have a permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic, is also publicly health-insured if he/she is not health-insured in another European Union member state or in a contracting state of the European Economic Area Agreement or in the Swiss Confederation, and is a scholarship holder under a program approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic. More information available here: https://www.minedu.sk/list-of-programs-public-health-insurance-in-slovak-republic/  

If necessary, scholarship recipients will also be eligible to apply for Slovak national visas through a simplified procedure (https://www.mzv.sk/en/web/en/visa-and-services/national-visa). A national visa may be granted in the interest of the Slovak Republic, which includes scholarship holders (https://www.minedu.sk/list-of-the-programmes-interests-of-slovak-republic/).

The recommended process involves submitting an application for a  national visa, after which the student can proceed as soon as possiblle to apply for temporary residence specifically for the purpose of pursuing his/her studies.

We recommend visiting the following website for further information: https://www.mic.iom.sk/en/ or https://www.mzv.sk/en/web/en.

We strongly advise individuals to personally verify all the necessary requirements related to a potential study-related stay in Slovakia.

Up to 300 applicants will be awarded the scholarship. Applicants will be categorized into five groups based on their geographical location. The five categories are:

• Europe
• USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania
• South America
• Central America and Africa
• Asia

Full country list for each category may be found at this link.

Each category will have 30 available slots, totaling to 150 slots for all five categories combined. This approach will ensure a more diverse group of successful applicants. The remaining 150 slots will be filled without regard to category. The selection criteria are outlined in a section below.

The scholarship programme grants up to €12,000 to the top 300 successful applicants. The scholarship is paid out monthly over the first three academic years of the bachelor’s degree programme or joint bachelor’s and master’s degree study programme in Slovakia, with a payment of €400 per month.  The academic year in Slovakia starts on September 1st and ends on August 31st of the following year. The scholarship is provided for a duration of ten months each year, from September through June.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• citizenship of a country other than Slovakia, which must be confirmed by an acceptable form of identification (generally a passport; those from countries within the European Union, EEA and Switzerland can use a national ID card). Dual citizenship than includes Slovak and another citizenship is allowed,
• no permanent or temporary residence in Slovakia since January 1st 2018 until the date of submitting the scholarship application (demonstrated by the applicant's solemn declaration, template is available for download during the application process), with the exception of temporary residence for attending a Slovak language or study preparation course (which must be confirmed by the applicant's university), or with the exception of temporary residence for participating in an activity or programme under the Erasmus+ programme or the European Solidarity Corps  programme (which must be confirmed by a Certificate of Participation), or other academic mobility
• no prior study at a high school or higher education institution in Slovakia, except for academic mobilities. Studies outside of Slovakia are not a contradicting factor for applying for this scholarship,
• completed secondary education (may be completed in the academic year 2022/2023),
• admission to a Slovak higher education institution for a bachelor’s degree programme or joint bachelor’s and master’s deegre study programme, with studies taking place within the Slovak Republic (at the time of applying for this scholarship an application to a Slovak higher education institution will suffice),
• enrolment into the first year of  a bachelor’s degree programme or in a joint bachelor’s and master’s degree study programme starting in the autumn of 2023,
• full time, in-person study programme,
• no specific language requirements for the programme of study,
• no upper age limit, applicants under the age of 18 will need a signed approval from their legal guardian.

The fulfilment of the conditions will be demonstrated by the applicant's solemn declarations (templates will be available for download) or by meeting the conditions for starting studies at a university, which fact will be confirmed by the university.

Please note, that exceptions cannot be granted for these conditions.

The order of applicants in the respective category will be determined on the basis of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT test) score results. To be considered for the scholarship, a minimum SAT score of 1050 is required. Applicants with the SAT score result lower than 1050 will not be considered. SAT scores will be the only criterion for the selection of successful applicants. We will accept results of SAT tests taken in the period from January 1st 2018, up to the deadline set for the applicant submission (September 30, 2023). The SAT test is a must for applying for this scholarship scheme and it has to be uploaded before the deadline.

Plase note, that SAT test is an essential requirement for this scholarship application and cannot be substituted with any other alternative or waived.

What is the SAT test? 

The SAT test, short for Scholastic Aptitude Test, is an internationally recognized standardized test that measures students' knowledge of math, reading, and writing, as well as their college readiness. The test is also available online. The test comprises of three sections: (1) the Reading Test, (2) the Writing and Language Test, and (3) the Math Test. The test is offered several times a year. For further information about fees, deadlines, and applications, please visit the official website.

The applicant must complete the online application along with the attachments and submit it no later than September 30, 2023. 

Please note that the application must be submitted exclusively online, and it is not possible to request the scholarship via email.

Don't forget that receiving a scholarship does not mean acceptance or enrollment at a college or university.

Thanks to everyone for the expressed interest in our scholarship programme.

The application deadline was September 30, 2023. The application process for 2023 is closed! A complete application must include all necessary attachments, SAT test results and solemn declarations.

The verification process of each applicant will be carried out by the Ministry od Education, Science, Research and Sport od the SLovak Republic or by the higher education institution to which the applicant has applied and enrolled.  To become a scholarship holder, the applicant must be officially enrolled in the first year of a study programme starting in the autumn of 2023!

• Please note that this website is to be used only for submitting scholarship applications and cannot be used for study applications. The applicants will need to submit a separate application for the studies directly to the university or higher education institution of their choice. 
• Please note that this scholarship is tied to a specific study, and a change of university will not be possible after the scholarship has been awarded. A change of the study programme within the same university is permitted only if the studies remain continuous and the applicant does not lose the status of a student. The studies must be continuous for the three years of bachelor’s degree studies, without re-enrolling into a new first year of a new study programme or without repeating any same year of study. 
• Please note that being awarded this scholarship does not automatically imply or ensure admission or enrolment to the higher education institution and does not automatically make the applicant a student of a Slovak university. Applicants must fulfil all admission criteria set by the higher education institutions for admission and complete the enrolment process. 
• Applicants coming from non-EU countries, please note that the scholarship does not affect visa policies (with the exception of national visas) or procedures for incoming international students. The information on the process of obtaining a visa can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic.