Scholarships for talented students from abroad for full-time study (bachelor’s degree programme or joint bachelor’s and master’s study programme)

„Want to study abroad? Come to Slovakia – a safecountry with great potential to make a career!“

The Ministry ofEducation, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic will soonlaunch the application process for a scholarship scheme for internationalstudents. The scholarship is intended for talented students from abroad whowish to pursue full-time studies at a higher education institution based inSlovakia, in bachelor’s degree programs, combined bachelor’s andmaster’s programs, or master’s degree programs that fall withinthe Smart Specialisation Strategy of the Slovak Republic (SK RIS3 2021+). The scholarshipis open to applicants from all over the world. A successful applicant will beentitled to receive a scholarship up to €15,000. The scholarship is paid outmonthly over the first three continuing academic years of the bachelor’s degreeprogramme, combined bachelor’s and master’s degree study programme or twocontinuing academic years of master’s degree programme in Slovakia, with apayment of €500 per month. We recommend regularly checking our website,where the launch of the application process will be announced soon. Thecriterion for selection will be the results in the SAT test The latest possibledates for taking the SAT test are 2 May 2026 and 6 June 2026, whileregistration for the SAT test must be completed via the official website withinthe deadlines set by the test provider. This scholarship schemeis co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) andthe state budget. The website through which to apply for the scholarship andwhere you can get more information on the scholarships for talented studentsfrom abroad: https://scholarships.portalvs.sk/.

Benefits ofbeing a scholarship holder:

*Access to public healthinsurance upon request.

*Financialsupport through the scholarship to help you pursue your goals.

*The opportunity toparticipate in Erasmus+ or other academic mobility programs, ifinterested.

*Study programs availablein Slovak and foreign languages, some of them tuition-free.

Basic eligibility requirements

• citizenship of a country other than Slovakia, which must be confirmed by an acceptable form of identification (generally a passport; those from countries within the European Union, EEA and Switzerland can use a national ID card). Dual citizenship than includes Slovak and another citizenship is allowed. This does not apply to Slovaks living abroad with the Slovak citizenship, who submit a copy of the Certificate in accordance with § 7 of Act No. 474/2005 Coll. on Slovaks Living Abroad, along with their scholarship application.
• no permanent or temporary residence in Slovakia since January 1st, 2021 until the date of submitting the scholarship application (demonstrated by the applicant's solemn declaration, template is available for download during the application process), with the exception of temporary residence for attending a Slovak language or study preparation course (which must be confirmed by the applicant's HEI), or with the exception of temporary residence for participating in an activity or programme under the Erasmus+ programme or the European Solidarity Corps  programme (which must be confirmed by a Certificate of Participation), or other academic mobility. This does not apply to applicants for a scholarship at the master's level of study who have previously been supported by a scholarship scheme financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) during their bachelor's studies (demonstrated by the applicant's solemn declaration, template is available for download during the application process),
• no prior study at a secondary school or higher education institution (HEI) in Slovakia, except for academic mobilities. Studies completed outside of Slovakia are not a contradicting factor for applying for this scholarship. This condition does not apply to applicants for a scholarship at the master’s level who have already been supported by a scholarship scheme financed by the RRP during their bachelor’s studies. In the case of study at a secondary school, this condition does not apply to Slovaks living abroad with Slovak citizenship who submit a copy of the Certificate in accordance with § 7 of Act No. 474/2005 Coll. on Slovaks Living Abroad along with their scholarship application.
• for applicants for a scholarship at the bachelor's or combined bachelor's and master's level: admission to a public Slovak HEI for a supported bachelor's study programme or a supported combined bachelor's and master's study programme, with studies taking place in the territory of the Slovak Republic (at the time of submitting the scholarship application, it is sufficient to have applied to a public Slovak HEI). For applicants for a scholarship at the master's level: admission to a public Slovak HEI for a supported master's study programme, with studies taking place in the territory of the Slovak Republic (at the time of submitting the scholarship application, it is sufficient to have applied to a public Slovak HEI),
• full time, in-person study programme,
• the scholarship application must include a structured CV in English and a motivation letter in English (template will be available for download), in which the applicant has to specifically explain their motivation for studying in Slovakia, as well as simply demonstrate their talent characteristics,
• no upper age limit, applicants under the age of 18 will need a hand-signed approval from their legal guardian (template will be available for download).

Selection criteria: