National Scholarship Programme Slovakia for International Applicants
Country: Slovakia
Category: Scholarship
Programme: National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic
Funded by: Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic
Eligible Applicants: Students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers, and artists
Deadlines: 30 April and 31 October at 16:00 CET
The National Scholarship Programme Slovakia supports international applicants who want to study, research, teach, or create in Slovakia. The programme helps students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers, and artists complete a scholarship stay at a higher education institution or research organisation in Slovakia. Moreover, the programme is financed from the state budget of the Slovak Republic.
National Scholarship Programme Slovakia Overview
The Government of the Slovak Republic established the programme in 2005. Its goal is to support international mobility in Slovakia. Therefore, the programme covers study, research, artistic, and teaching stays.
Applicants from almost any country may apply. However, citizens of Slovakia cannot apply. The programme is open to international applicants who plan a scholarship stay at an eligible Slovak institution.
Eligible Applicants
The programme accepts three main groups of applicants.
• University students studying outside Slovakia
• PhD students whose higher education or scientific training takes place outside Slovakia
• University teachers, researchers, and artists invited by an eligible Slovak institution
Student applicants must be second-level higher education students. Alternatively, they must have completed at least 2.5 years of university study in the same or a similar programme by the application deadline. In addition, they must be accepted by a public, private, or state higher education institution in Slovakia for academic mobility.
PhD students must be accepted by a Slovak higher education institution or an eligible research institution. Likewise, university teachers, researchers, and artists must have an invitation from an eligible institution based in Slovakia.
Duration of Stay
The duration depends on the applicant category.
• Students: 1–2 full semesters or 1–3 full trimesters
• PhD students: 1–10 months
• University teachers, researchers, and artists: 1–10 months
If the stay must last at least one month, it should cover one full calendar month.
What Is Included
The scholarship helps cover living costs in Slovakia. These include food, accommodation, and similar stay-related expenses.
✓ University students of the second level of higher education: 620 EUR per month
✓ PhD students: 1,025.50 EUR per month
✓ University teachers, researchers, and artists without a PhD degree and with less than 4 years of experience: 1,025.50 EUR per month
✓ University teachers, researchers, and artists with a PhD degree and less than 10 years of experience: 1,370 EUR per month
✓ University teachers, researchers, and artists with a PhD degree and more than 10 years of experience: 1,470 EUR per month
Travel Grant
Students and PhD students may also request a travel allowance. However, they must request it together with the scholarship application.
The amount depends on the direct distance between the applicant’s place of residence or home institution and the host institution in Slovakia. The official scale starts at 0 EUR for distances up to 200 km. It goes up to 1,500 EUR for distances over 7,000 km. In addition, the programme pays this allowance as a lump sum at the end of the stay with the last scholarship payment.
Who Cannot Apply
The programme does not support every applicant type.
• International students and PhD students accepted for full-degree study in Slovakia
• Students already studying full-degree higher education in Slovakia who want support for those studies
• International applicants who spent 15 or more months in Slovakia during the 36 months before the deadline
• Applicants already accepted for a scholarship stay in Slovakia under another scholarship programme funded from public resources
• Some university teachers, researchers, and artists without a PhD degree and with more than 4 years of experience, subject to the stated exception rules
Required Documents
Required documents differ by applicant category. Still, the source lists the main documents clearly.
For students, the application requires:
• Curriculum vitae
• Motivation letter
• Detailed study programme
• Two recommendation letters from university teachers
• Confirmation from the home higher education institution
• Bachelor’s diploma, diploma supplement, and state examination certificate, if applicable
• Acceptance or invitation letter from the host higher education institution in Slovakia
For PhD students, the required documents include a CV, motivation letter, detailed study, research, or artistic programme, recommendation from the dissertation supervisor, confirmation of PhD status, Master’s diploma, a list of publications or artistic activities, and an acceptance or invitation letter.
For university teachers, researchers, and artists, the required documents include a CV, detailed teaching, research, or artistic programme, diploma of the highest academic degree achieved, a list of publications or artistic activities, and an acceptance or invitation letter.
Application Process
Applicants must submit the application online through the programme website. The online system opens at least six weeks before the deadline.
Applications and attachments may be submitted only in Slovak or English. If a document is in another language, the applicant must attach the original document and an official translation into Slovak or English. However, Czech-language documents do not need translation.
Applicants must complete all required fields, upload all required attachments, and submit the form by clicking the “SEND” button. In addition, the original acceptance or invitation letter must be delivered to SAIA in Bratislava no later than the third working day after the deadline by 12:00 p.m.
Selection Process
SAIA, n. o. administers the selection process. First, the administrator checks whether the application meets the formal requirements.
Then, applications that pass the formal review go to the Selection Committee. The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic appoints this committee. The committee considers the reason for the stay, the study or research plan, the applicant’s qualities and achievements, the benefit for the host institution, and the overall quality of the application.
Deadline
• 30 April at 16:00 CET for scholarship stays during the next academic year
• 31 October at 16:00 CET for scholarship stays during the summer semester of the current academic year
• Only one application may be submitted per application call
• SAIA usually informs each applicant of the result within 8 weeks from the application deadline
