Slovakia doesn’t get talked about much in the study-abroad world, and that’s exactly why this scholarship deserves a closer look. The Slovak Ministry of Education is putting real money behind international students right now, and the numbers are hard to ignore: up to €15,000 over the course of a degree, paid out monthly, with tuition often waived on top. If you’re weighing your options for the 2026/2027 academic year, this one belongs on your shortlist.
Here’s the short version before we get into the details. This scholarship covers full-time bachelor’s degrees, combined bachelor’s-and-master’s programmes, and standalone master’s degrees at public universities in Slovakia. It’s open to students from every country in the world, including Slovaks who grew up abroad. There’s no tuition payment required from the scholarship itself since award decisions are handled through public HEIs, and the programme is designed to fund your living costs while you study. Selection comes down to one thing only: your score on either the SAT or the SCIO standardised tests. Registration for the 2026/2027 cycle hasn’t officially opened yet, but the Ministry has already confirmed that once it does, the window to apply will run until 8 September 2026 at 23:59 CEST. That’s the deadline everyone’s working toward, so it’s worth getting your documents ready now rather than later.
Doctoral applicants should note this one isn’t for you. This round is strictly for bachelor’s and master’s level study.
Fast Facts You Need to Know:
Before you read another word, here’s the snapshot most people are searching for.
- Degree levels covered: Full-time bachelor’s degree, full-time combined bachelor’s-and-master’s degree, and full-time master’s degree programmes
- Host country: Slovak Republic, at selected public and state higher education institutions
- Application deadline: Extended to 8 September 2026, 23:59 CEST (registration opening date still to be confirmed on the official portal)
- Nationality requirement: Open to applicants of any nationality other than Slovak citizenship, plus Slovaks living abroad under special provisions
- Funding type: Financial support paid monthly, not a full-ride package covering everything, though tuition waivers are possible depending on the HEI
- Application fee: No fee is mentioned for submitting the scholarship application itself, though the SAT or SCIO test you’ll need has its own separate registration cost
- Doctoral studies: Not eligible under this scheme
- Number of awards: 170 scholarships at bachelor’s level and 55 at master’s level, awarded annually
Why This Scholarship Is Worth Your Time:
It helps to think about this less as “what will I do” and more as “what will I walk away with.” Here’s what a successful applicant actually gains.
- A steady monthly income during your studies. You receive €500 per month for ten months each year, which adds up to €5,000 annually. Over a full bachelor’s degree, that’s €15,000 in your pocket.
- Support that lasts for your whole degree, not just one year. Bachelor’s and combined bachelor’s-master’s students get funding for three continuous academic years. Master’s students get two years, matching the standard length of the degree.
- A real shot at free tuition. Depending on your chosen HEI’s internal policy, tuition fees for programmes taught in a foreign language can be waived entirely under Slovak higher education law. It’s the university’s call, but many students do benefit from this.
- Access to public health insurance. As a scholarship holder under a government-approved programme, you become eligible for Slovakia’s public health insurance system, provided you’re not already insured elsewhere in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland.
- A pathway into the European job market. Slovakia sits at the center of Europe, and a degree from a public Slovak university opens doors across the EU for further study or early-career work.
- Support that follows you if you continue your studies. Bachelor’s graduates from a Slovak HEI who move directly into a master’s programme can now apply for master’s-level funding too, even without having received the earlier version of this scholarship.
Who Can Apply: Eligibility Explained Plainly
The eligibility rules sound complicated on the official page, so here they are broken into plain bullet points. You need to meet every single one of these.
- You hold citizenship of a country other than Slovakia. Non-EU applicants confirm this with a notarised passport copy; EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens can use a national ID card instead. Slovaks living abroad who hold dual citizenship submit a special certificate instead of the usual documents.
- You have not held permanent residence in Slovakia at any point between 1 January 2021 and your application submission date. You’ll confirm this with a signed declaration.
- You haven’t previously studied at a Slovak secondary school. Bachelor’s applicants also can’t have previously studied at a Slovak HEI (short academic exchanges don’t count against you). This restriction is relaxed for master’s applicants, who are allowed to have studied at a Slovak HEI before.
- You’ve applied to, or already secured admission at, a public Slovak HEI for a supported full-time bachelor’s, combined, or master’s programme. At application time, having simply submitted your university application is enough.
- Your intended study programme is full-time and in-person. Part-time or distance programmes don’t qualify.
- You submit a structured CV and a motivation letter, both written in English, explaining why you want to study in Slovakia and showing your talent.
- There’s no upper age limit for applicants. If you’re under 18, your legal guardian needs to sign an approval form.
One more thing worth repeating: the Ministry has stated clearly that no exceptions will be made to these conditions, so it’s worth double-checking every box before you submit anything.
Fields and Programmes You Can Study:
Not every university course in Slovakia qualifies. The scholarship only funds study programmes that fall under Slovakia’s Smart Specialisation Strategy (known locally as SK RIS3 2021+), which is essentially the government’s list of priority areas for national development. Here’s how the programme areas are generally grouped:
- Engineering and technical sciences
- Information and communication technologies
- Natural sciences
- Life sciences and biotechnology
- Materials science and advanced manufacturing
- Environmental and sustainability-related studies
- Agriculture and food sciences
- Health sciences and medicine-adjacent fields
- Economics, business, and innovation management
Because the exact eligible programme list changes by university and academic year, always cross-check the specific course you want against the official smart specialisation list before applying. Don’t assume a programme qualifies just because it sounds related.
How Many Scholarships Are Actually Given Out:
This is the part applicants often skip, but it matters for understanding your odds. At bachelor’s level, up to 170 scholarships are awarded each year:
- 110 funded through EU Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), reserved for public HEIs located outside the Bratislava region
- 60 funded through the state budget, reserved for public HEIs located in the Bratislava region
At master’s level, up to 55 scholarships are awarded each year:
- 35 funded through ESIF for HEIs outside Bratislava
- 20 funded through the state budget for HEIs in Bratislava
If needed, the Ministry also splits applicants into five geographic groups for evaluation purposes: Europe; USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Oceania; South America; Central America and Africa; and Asia. Where you’re from can factor into how your application is grouped and compared.
The Test That Decides Everything: SAT or SCIO
Here’s something that surprises a lot of applicants: grades, interviews, and reference letters don’t decide who wins this scholarship. Your ranking comes down entirely to a standardised test score.
You get to choose between two options:
- SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test): Run by the College Board, covering reading, writing and language, and math. You’ll need a total score of at least 1100, which lines up with the 63rd percentile. Scores from any SAT sitting between 1 January 2021 and your application deadline are accepted. The next test date listed is 6 June 2026, so plan ahead if you haven’t sat it yet.
- SCIO tests: Popular across Slovakia and the Czech Republic, these consist of two separate exams — Mathematics (MAT) and General Academic Prerequisites (VŠP). Your average percentile across both tests needs to reach at least 63. SCIO applicants must submit an official certificate directly from SCIO.
Whichever test you pick, there’s no way around it and no substitute accepted. Applicants scoring below the threshold are automatically out of the running, and you can only submit results from one of the two tests, not both.
Documents You’ll Need to Gather:
Save yourself a last-minute scramble by preparing these ahead of the registration opening.
- A certified copy of your passport or national ID
- A hand-signed declaration confirming you haven’t had permanent residence in Slovakia since January 2021
- A copy of the Slovaks-living-abroad certificate, if that applies to you
- Signed parental or guardian consent, if you’re under 18
- Your official SAT or SCIO certificate showing a qualifying score
- An acceptance letter from your chosen Slovak HEI, if you already have one
- A structured CV in English
- A motivation letter in English
The CV and motivation letter aren’t just formalities here, the Ministry specifically flags both as essential documents used in evaluating your application, so put real effort into them.
How to Apply, Step by Step:
- Watch the official portal, scholarships.portalvs.sk, for the registration opening announcement
- Create your account on the portal once registration opens
- Apply separately and directly to your chosen Slovak public HEI, this scholarship application does not replace your university application
- Sit the SAT or SCIO test if you haven’t already, and get your certificate ready to upload
- Upload every required document listed above before the deadline
- Submit your application entirely online, applications by email are not accepted
- Wait for the Ministry and your HEI to verify your documents and enrolment status, which happens after you’re officially accepted into your study programme
- Check the preliminary list, followed later by the final list, of successful applicants
- Once contracts are signed between the Ministry and your HEI, your university begins the payment process, which can include retroactive payments if there’s been a delay
Keep in mind that receiving the scholarship is not the same as being accepted into a university. Those are two separate processes running in parallel, and you need to succeed at both.
Settling In: Visa, Insurance, and Tuition
If you’re applying from outside Slovakia, you’ll need a national D visa from the Slovak embassy in your country, or through an accredited visa service provider. The recommended route is a 120-day D visa tied to your temporary residence application, since your course of study will last well over a year. Once you land in Slovakia, you have those 120 days to formally apply for temporary residence for study purposes at one of the Foreign Police offices, or get support from a Centre of Services for Foreigners in Bratislava, Žilina, or Košice.
On the financial side, tuition waivers are available for foreign-language programmes at public HEIs, though it’s ultimately the university’s decision to grant one. Health insurance is also built into this scheme: as long as you’re not already covered elsewhere in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland, you’ll be eligible for Slovakia’s public health insurance system as a scholarship holder.
How You Could Lose the Scholarship:
Nobody likes thinking about this part, but it matters. Your entitlement ends if:
- You stop your studies under the terms of Slovakia’s Higher Education Act, unless you immediately switch to another eligible full-time programme at the same HEI without any gap in your student status
- You switch from full-time to part-time study
- You interrupt your studies for more than 180 days in total, though the scholarship resumes automatically once you re-enrol within that window
- You transfer to a different HEI entirely, since the scholarship cannot move between institutions
It’s also worth knowing that changing your study programme within the same HEI is allowed, but only if your studies stay continuous and you don’t repeat a year or restart from year one.
Frequently Asked Questions?
Is this scholarship fully funded or partially funded?
It’s best described as a living-cost grant rather than a full-ride package. You receive €500 monthly for up to three years (bachelor’s) or two years (master’s). Tuition waivers are possible but depend entirely on your chosen university’s decision, so this isn’t guaranteed to cover everything.
Can I apply if I already have permanent residence in Slovakia?
No. You must not have held permanent residence in Slovakia at any point from 1 January 2021 up to your application date.
Do I need to already be accepted into a Slovak university before applying for the scholarship?
Not necessarily. At the time you submit your scholarship application, it’s enough to have applied to a public Slovak HEI. Full acceptance isn’t required yet, though you’ll eventually need to be officially enrolled to receive payments.
What happens if my SAT or SCIO score is below the minimum threshold?
Your application won’t be considered further. There are no exceptions or waivers for the standardised test requirement, so it’s worth taking the test early enough to retake it if needed.
Is there an age limit for applicants?
No upper age limit exists. The only age-related requirement is that applicants under 18 need signed consent from a legal guardian.
Can current bachelor’s students in Slovakia apply for the master’s-level scholarship?
Yes, this is new for this cycle. If you’re already studying your bachelor’s degree in Slovakia and continue straight into a master’s programme, you can apply for master’s funding even if you didn’t hold this scholarship before.
Where do I actually submit my application?
Everything goes through the official portal at scholarships.portalvs.sk. Applications sent by email are not accepted under any circumstance.
