Government of Slovakia - National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (Foreign Applicants)

Benefit

You will receive a monthly grant of 1 to 12 months to cover your living costs whilst studying, conducting research or teaching in Slovakia. The amount depends on your category: 620 EUR per month for Master’s students and 1,025.50 EUR for PhD students. University lecturers, researchers and artists will receive between 1,025.50 EUR and 1,470 EUR, depending on their academic qualification and professional experience. Students and PhD candidates may also apply for a flat-rate travel allowance, which is paid at the end of the stay and ranges from 50 to 1,500 EUR, depending on the distance to Slovakia. If you are from a country outside the EU and require a residence permit for a stay of more than 90 days, you will be reimbursed for the cost of the medical examination up to a maximum of 250 EUR. The programme is funded by the Slovak Ministry of Education and administered by SAIA, the Slovak Academic Information Agency.

Eligibility

• Nationality: Any country except Slovakia.
• Where you go: You are undertaking a period of study or research at a Slovak higher education institution or research organisation whilst remaining enrolled or employed at your home university abroad. If you are already enrolled on a full-time degree programme in Slovakia, you are not eligible to apply.
• Field of study: Any subject.
• Level: You are a Master’s student (in the second cycle of study or have completed at least 2.5 academic years), a PhD student, or a lecturer, researcher or artist at a higher education institution.
• Invitation: A Slovak organisation has authorised or invited you to stay.
• Experience limit (staff only): Lecturers, researchers and artists without a PhD must have no more than 4 years’ professional experience (up to 7 in exceptional cases).
• Time already in Slovakia: You did not stay in Slovakia for 15 months or longer during the 36 months prior to the expiry of the deadline.
• No double funding: You will not receive any other publicly funded grant for the same period, such as Erasmus+, CEEPUS or the Visegrad Fund.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online at www.scholarships.sk. There are two application deadlines each year: 30 April for stays during the next academic year and 31 October for stays during the summer semester of the current year. Both deadlines close at 16:00 CET. You must submit a CV, a personal statement outlining your study or research plan, letters of recommendation and proof of enrolment. Your Slovak host institution will send your letter of acceptance directly to SAIA. A selection committee will make its decision based on your application documents; there will be no interview.

How realistic are your chances?

The programme is open to almost all nationalities and fields of study, meaning that the pool of applicants is very diverse. However, it is aimed at individuals who already have a specific host institution in Slovakia lined up. Obtaining this confirmation of admission is the real hurdle and also serves to filter out casual applicants. If you can provide a binding invitation, a clear study or research plan and convincing references, your chances are good.