Universities of Slovakia

Full-time study in Slovak at public (verejná) universities is free for all students, including Ukrainians with temporary protection status. This is guaranteed by the Higher Education Act (zákon 131/2002): within the standard program duration, there is no tuition fee.

You will only have to pay for studies in a foreign language (English-language programs), part-time studies, studies exceeding the standard duration, and parallel studies in a second program. There is a separate application fee — approximately €15–50 depending on the university; it is higher for English-language programs (€60–90).

Therefore, the main expenses for a student are not tuition, but accommodation, food, and transportation. The University of Žilina (UNIZA) has completely waived the application fee for applicants from Ukraine.

Sources: Higher Education Portal — AdmissionUNIZA Solidarity Application

For programs taught in Slovak, language knowledge is required — a comfortable level for learning B1–B2. A certificate is not always formally required for admission, but some universities ask for language proof: for example, the Technical University of Košice (TUKE) requires at least level A1.

Universities help with preparation: TUKE offers a free 180-hour online Slovak course with a final test, and Comenius University offers language and professional preparation courses ('nultý ročník', jazyková a odborná príprava) for foreigners before admission.

If you don't know Slovak — you can apply for accredited English-language programs (for example, general medicine in English). Slovak is not needed for them, but this type of study is paid.

Sources: Admission requirements at TUKE (Slovak course)Admission to UK

The application (prihláška) is submitted online through the specific university's electronic system — e-prihláška: for example, e-prihlaska.uniba.sk (Comenius), is.stuba.sk (STU), eprihlaska.tuke.sk (TUKE). There is also a central portal portalvs.sk with Centrálna elektronická prihláška.

The application specifies the chosen program (some faculties allow several by priority), adds the required documents (grades/diploma, sometimes a short CV), and pays the fee by bank transfer using the details from the prihláška.

Deadlines are set by each faculty individually, so apply in advance — especially if you are still arranging diploma recognition.

Sources: Centrálna elektronická prihláškaUK e-application

Nostrification (recognition of an education document) is the official recognition of a foreign education document. A Ukrainian certificate must be recognized to enroll in a Slovak university. The decision is issued by the Regional School Office (RÚŠS) at your place of residence.

The certificate usually needs an apostille and an official translation into Slovak. From March 1, 2025, the procedure has been simplified through the portal uznavanie.minedu.sk; under the intergovernmental agreement Ukraine–Slovakia, the fee is €7.

Start the recognition process early – enrollment is not possible without a recognized document. Persons with temporary protection status at some faculties (TUKE, University of Prešov) can confirm their secondary education with a declaration (čestné vyhlásenie) and a test, and submit the documents later.

Sources: Recognition of Education Documents (MŠVVaM)

A place in a student dormitory (internát) costs approximately from €44 to €160 per month depending on the university, city, and room standard. The most affordable are at P. J. Šafárik University in Košice (from ~€44) and the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (~€60–€65); more expensive are the renovated buildings of the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava (up to ~€160).

A place is not automatically guaranteed: it is allocated based on criteria (distance from home, year of study, social situation), so apply for accommodation immediately after enrollment.

Add meals (student cafeterias are subsidized) and transport to the dormitory fee – in total, a student can live for approximately from €350 per month.

Sources: UPJŠ Dormitories

The deadlines depend on the faculty. Medical students apply earliest: for medical faculties (e.g., general and dental medicine at UPJŠ), applications are accepted from January to February 28, 2026.

For most technical and classical programs, the first round lasts until March 31 – April 30, 2026 (FIIT STU — 31.03, FEI TUKE — 30.04, UNIZA 1st round — 31.03). Many universities have a second round in the summer — until July–August 2026.

Exact dates are listed on the page of each university and faculty in the catalog above. Apply in the first round: there are more spots, and enough time to get documents recognized and find a dormitory.

Sources: University Portal — list of universities

Yes, at some universities. Persons with temporary protection status (dočasné útočisko), who cannot provide a secondary education document, can confirm it with a written declaration (čestné vyhlásenie) and take a general educational aptitude test.

For example, the Technical University of Košice (TUKE) and the University of Prešov do this: they accept the declaration and test during the application process, and the apostilled documents and diploma recognition can be submitted later — upon enrollment.

The conditions vary from university to university, so check the admission rules of the specific faculty.

Sources: Admission conditions of the University of Prešov

Yes. State universities have a national scholarship system, the same for all students: social scholarship — based on family's financial status; motivational — for academic achievement (prospechové) or for studying in priority fields (odborové); doctoral — for full-time PhD students.

Additionally, there are scholarships from the National Scholarship Program through SAIA, the 'Study in Slovakia. Good Idea' initiative, and Erasmus+ exchange.

Scholarships do not cancel free full-time study in Slovak — this is separate support.

Sources: SAIA Scholarships