Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic - Scholarships for Foreign Students and Researchers for the Slovak Republic

What you get

For a study or research stay in Slovakia, you will receive monthly scholarship of 620 to 1,470 EUR as well as a one-off travel allowance of up to 1,500 EUR, depending on the distance. The amount depends on your status: Master’s students receive 620 EUR per month, PhD students 1,025.50 EUR, and university lecturers, researchers and artists receive 1,025.50 EUR without a PhD, 1,370 EUR if they hold a PhD and have up to 10 years’ professional experience, or 1,470 EUR if they hold a PhD and have more than 10 years’ professional experience. The funding covers your living costs, such as accommodation and meals, during your stay.

Master’s students receive funding for 1 to 2 full semesters (approximately 4 to 10 months). Doctoral students, teachers, researchers and artists receive funding for 1 to 10 months. If you are from a country outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland and are staying here for longer than 90 days, you may also be reimbursed up to 250 EUR for a medical examination. The programme is funded by the Slovak Ministry of Education and administered by SAIA, n. o. in Bratislava.

Who can apply

• Level: You are a Master’s student, a PhD student, a university lecturer, a researcher or an artist. Applicants for a Master’s programme must either currently be studying for a Master’s degree or have already completed at least 2.5 years of the same programme.
• Type of stay: This applies to a temporary exchange or research stay, not to a full degree programme in Slovakia.
• Where you study now: You are studying or working at a university or institution outside Slovakia.
• Admission: You have been accepted onto an exchange programme or invited by a Slovak institution with a valid research and development certificate.
• Field of study: Open to all topics and areas of research.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply, with the exception of Slovak nationals.
• Experience limit (teachers, researchers, artists): If you do not hold a PhD, you may have a maximum of 4 years’ professional experience (exceptions up to 7 years).
• Time in Slovakia: In the 36 months prior to the expiry of the deadline, you must have spent a total of less than 15 months in Slovakia.
• No double funding: You may not receive another publicly funded scholarship at the same time, such as an Erasmus+, CEEPUS or Visegrad scholarship.
• Repeat applicants: If you already received an NSP scholarship, at least 2 years must have passed since that deadline before you apply again.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the programme’s website during one of the two application rounds held each year. The deadline for applications is 30 April at 16:00 CET for a placement in the next academic year, or 31 October at 16:00 CET for a placement in the summer semester of the current academic year. A selection panel will make the decision based on your application documents; there will be no interview.