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 €.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.