Financing your Studies in Slovakia | EFG

Because the government guarantees free education for its citizens and for student members of the EU, university education is free. International students however have to offset their expenses by applying for scholarships and by finding part-time jobs during their studies.

Find a way to support your studies in Slovakia

Cost of your studies

Tuition fees

Tuition fees apply to international students who take External Studies of evening and weekend classes or study at private colleges and institutions. The tuition fees are entirely fixed at the discretion of the Rector of each institution, who can either waive the payments or postpone them. The only exception to the rule are day-students in PhD programmes who are exempt from paying tuition fees.

The fees set by private institutions of higher learning are generally similar and may be applied for examination fees, dissertations, resources, language courses or the endorsement of foreign academic documents. The fees form part of the income earnings for the institution.

The level of tuition fees can range from 15 € for language checking after a test to 3.750 € for a 10 months course in preparation before entry into university studies. The highest tuition fee of 4.250 € is levied for a 10 months preparatory course prior to entering a full course in Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacology. An intensive 10 months Slovak language course costs 3.650 €.

Cost of living

Generally speaking, the cost of living in Slovakia differs from region to region due to price fluctuations. Typically, the monthly cost of living for 2 adults and a child is about 409 €. This figure doesn’t include rented accommodation which hovers between 400 and 700 € per month. Shared renting for houses and flats can offer attractive deals.

Financing your studies

Public Support

In Slovakia, the main contributor to the support of students in institutions of higher learning is the government. It provides scholarships to both local and international students and also provides scholarship assistance to its disabled citizens. It also facilitates the taking out of loans by its own students who are studying abroad.

Scholarships

In Slovakia, two types of scholarships are awarded – scholarships for local students and for overseas students. In the case of local students, scholarships are awarded to the best students to pursue studies in any of the institutions for higher learning. The second is offered to disabled citizens to enable them to undertake study in the higher education institutions of their own choosing and being integrated among their healthier peers.

Scholarships are awarded to international students through the Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic according to the following criteria:

Students undertaking a Master’s degree course in a foreign university who have been invited by a public, state or private university in the Slovak Republic to avail themselves to an academic mobility initiative, for the sole purpose of undertaking studies in the republic.
PhD students who are undertaking preparatory research at a foreign based university or a research organization that is permitted to carry out PhD study programmes in the Slovak Republic and has been invited to an academic mobility initiative for the sole purpose of study or research in the Slovak Republic.
Practicing university teachers at foreign universities who have been invited by a public state or private university in the Slovak Republic are invited by a public, private, or state university in the Slovak Republic to stay in the country to conduct lectures, perform research or artistic studies in the Slovak Republic.
Any Researchers or artists who have been invited by a public, state or state university, research organization that are eligible to carry out PhD study programmes or non-government organizations in the Slovak Republic to conduct lectures, perform research or conduct artistic studies in the Slovak Republic.
Both local and international students are allowed to apply for scholarships offered by the country’s scholarship programme or private institutions.

Student loans

A government law of 1997 established a Study Loan Fund to provide loans to national students and foreigners possessing Slovak nationality. A Slovak student studying abroad can also apply for a loan from the loan fund. Loans are given to cover students’ costs for accommodation, board, travel costs, resources and study stays.

Student jobs

It is not always easy for students to find jobs in Slovakia especially for international students in view of language barriers. However, it is not uncommon to find students working in bars, restaurants and workplaces needing special foreign language skills.