Applications are invited for National Scholarship Programme for foreign applicants. The scholarship supports study/research/teaching/artistic mobility of foreign students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers, and artists at higher education institutions and research organizations in Slovakia.

The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP) supports also mobility of students and PhD students studying at Slovak higher education institutions.

In 2005, the National Scholarship Programme for the Support of Mobility of University Students, PhD Students, University Teachers, Researchers and Artists was established by the approval of the Government of the Slovak Republic.

Scholarship Description:

• Application Deadline: October 30, 2018
• Course Level: Scholarship supports study/research/teaching/artistic mobility of foreign students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists at universities and research organisations in Slovakia.
• Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded in all subjects offered by the universities and research organisations in Slovakia.
• Scholarship Award: The scholarship is intended to cover international scholarship holders’ living costs, i.e. the costs related to staying in Slovakia (food, accommodation, etc.), during their study, research/artistic or teaching stay at universities and in research organisations3 in Slovakia. The scholarship holder can ask for assistance concerning accommodation and formalities related to entering and staying in the territory of the Slovak Republic either his/her host institution, or he/she can handle all the necessities him-/herself.

  a) University student	350 €
  b) PhD student	580 €
  c)  University teacher/researcher/artist:
  without PhD degree (or its equivalent) and less than 4 years of work experience as a university teacher/researcher/artist	580 €
  with PhD degree (or its equivalent) and less than 10 years of work experience as a university teacher/researcher/artist	850 €
  with PhD degree (or its equivalent) and more than 10 years of work experience as a university teacher/researcher/artist	1,000 €

  Note:

  • • To determine the monthly scholarship amount (in case of university teachers, researchers and artists) with regard to their work experience, only work experience until the day of the application deadline is taken into consideration.
    • PhD studies are considered as work experience (max. 6 years of PhD studies can be considered as work experience).
• Number of Scholarships: Not given
• Nationality: International students
• Scholarship can be taken in the Slovak Republic

Eligibility for the Scholarship:

• Eligible Countries: Citizens of any country in the world (except the citizens of Slovakia) can apply for a scholarship stay in Slovakia in the framework of the NSP.
• Entrance Requirements: Eligible applicants for a scholarship in the framework of the NSP:A) Students who:
  • Are university students at universities outside Slovakia;
  • Are students of the second level of higher education (master’s students), or are students who at the time of application deadline have already completed at least 2.5 years of their university studies in the same study programme;
  • Will be on a study stay in Slovakia during their higher education outside Slovakia and who will be accepted by a public, private or state university in Slovakia for an academic mobility1 to study in Slovakia.

  All 3 conditions must be met. This category does not apply to doctoral (PhD) studies (or their equivalent).

  • Duration of a scholarship stay (students): 1 – 2 semesters (i.e. 4 – 5 or 9 – 10 months) or 1 – 3 trimesters, in case the academic year is divided into trimesters (i.e. 3 – 4 or 6 – 7 or 9 – 10 months).

   B) PhD students whose higher education or scientific training takes place outside Slovakia and who are accepted by a public, private or state university or a research institution in Slovakia eligible to carry out a doctoral study programme2 (e.g. the Slovak Academy of Sciences) for an academic mobility1 to study/conduct research in Slovakia.

  • Duration of a scholarship stay (PhD students): 1 – 10 months.

   C) International university teachers, researchers and artists who are invited to a teaching/research/artistic stay in Slovakia by an institution with a valid certificate of eligibility to carry out research and development, which is not a business company3 and it has its headquarters in Slovakia.

  • Duration of a scholarship stay (university teachers, researchers or artists): 1 – 10 months.
• English Language Requirements: Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements in order to be able to study there.

Application Procedure:

How to Apply: Online application system is opened at least 6 weeks prior to the application deadline. Applications can be filled in only in case that the online application system has already been opened.

Note: Applicants are recommended not to submit their applications at the last moment. Number of operations executed within the last minutes prior to the application deadline may have an influence on the reaction time of the application system. Please, keep that in mind, in order not to miss the application deadline.

Applicants must fill in their online applications and upload all the required attachments in required format to their online application.

Students (eligible applicants under the category A) are allowed to submit (fill in) applications and the required attachments in Slovak or English language only (documents written in other languages must be officially translated into Slovak or English language – translation can be certified by the same institution that issued the respective document).

Other applicants (eligible applicants under the categories B) and C) are allowed to submit (fill in) applications in the following languages:

• Slovak language – in this case, all attached documents must be in Slovak or English language only;
• English language – in this case, all attached documents must be in Slovak or English language only;
• Russian language – in this case, all attached documents must be in Slovak, English or Russian language only.

If the documents are issued in other than aforementioned languages, these documents must be officially translated into one of the aforementioned languages (translation can be certified by the same institution that issued the respective document).

Once the application is filled in and all the required documents are attached to the application, the applicant must submit the application by clicking the “SEND” button. It is also necessary to deliver original of the admission/invitation letter to SAIA, n. o., in Bratislava (SAIA, n. o., Sasinkova 10, 812 20 Bratislava 1). This document must be delivered5 at latest on the 3rd working day after the application deadline until 12 p.m. (when determining the working days, legal status in Slovakia is taken into consideration).

[5] Please, note that the original of the document must be physically delivered to SAIA within the set deadline; it is not enough just to send the document within the respective time period.

Note: Applicant must receive at least a scan or a copy of his/her admission/invitation letter issued by his/her host institution in Slovakia, since he/she must attach it to his/her online application. Without attached scan to the online application, the applicant cannot submit his/her online application, i.e. his/her application will not be further reviewed.

Required documents that must be attached to online application for a study stay in case of international students (eligible applicants under the category A):

• Curriculum vitae;
• Motivation letter;
• Detailed study programme (it is necessary to state the date of the beginning of the stay, duration of the stay, list of subjects that the applicant would like to study during his/her stay and number of credits that the applicant will gain for the respective subjects);
• Two recommendation letters issued by applicant’s university teachers (the document must be issued on headed paper of the respective university, it must be signed by the person who issued the document, and it must contain position and contact details of the person who issued the document); recommendation letters cannot be older than 3 months on the day of the application deadline;
• Confirmation issued by the applicant’s home university confirming that the applicant is a regular student of the respective university – the confirmation must contain information on the expected date of the completion of applicant’s studies; confirmation cannot be older than 3 months on the day of the application deadline;
• Scan of applicant’s bachelor’s diploma, diploma supplement and state examination certificate (if applicable);
• Admission letter issued by applicant’s host university in Slovakia. In this document, the university commits itself to accept the scholarship holder for a study stay (exact period of stay must be stated in the document).  Admission letter must be issued on headed paper of the respective university, it must be signed by the person who issued the document, and it must contain position and contact details of the person who issued the document. Admission letter must be issued for the same period as the period stated by the applicant in his/her online application and it cannot be older than 3 months on the day of the application deadline.

Required documents that must be attached to online application for a study and/or research/artistic stay in case of international PhD students (eligible applicants under the category B):

• Curriculum vitae;
• Motivation letter;
• Detailed study and/or research/artistic programme (it is necessary to state the date of the beginning of the stay, duration of the stay and a detailed time plan of the stay);
• Recommendation letter issued by applicant’s dissertation supervisor (the document must be issued on headed paper of the respective university/research organisation, it must be signed by the person who issued the document, and it must contain position and contact details of the person who issued the document); recommendation letter cannot be older than 3 months on the day of the application deadline;
• Confirmation issued by the applicant’s home university/research organisation confirming that the applicant is a regular PhD student of the respective university/research organisation – the confirmation must contain information on the expected date of the completion of applicant’s PhD studies; confirmation cannot be older than 3 months on the day of the application deadline;
• Scan of applicant’s master’s diploma, diploma supplement and state examination certificate (if applicable);
• List of publications/artistic activities in required form;
• Admission/invitation letter issued by applicant’s host university/research organisation in Slovakia. In this document, the university/research organisation commits itself to accept the scholarship holder for a study and/or research/artistic stay (exact period of stay must be stated in the document).  Admission/invitation letter must be issued on headed paper of the respective university/research organisation, it must be signed by the person who issued the document, and it must contain position and contact details of the person who issued the document. In case of PhD students, the admission/invitation letter should not be just a formal admission for a scholarship stay, but it should reflect a certain level of host institution’s interest in applicant’s study and/or research/artistic stay in the framework of the NSP. Admission/invitation letter must be issued for the same period as the period stated by the applicant in his/her online application and it cannot be older than 3 months on the day of the application deadline.

Required documents that must be attached to online application for a teaching and/or research/artistic stay in case of international university teachers/researchers/artists (eligible applicants under the category C):

• Curriculum vitae;
• Detailed teaching and/or research/artistic programme (it is necessary to state the date of the beginning of the stay, duration of the stay and a detailed time plan of the stay);
• Scan of applicant’s diploma of the highest academic degree achieved;
• List of publications/artistic activities in required form;
• Invitation letter issued by applicant’s host university/research organisation3 in Slovakia. In this document, the university/research organisation commits itself to accept the scholarship holder for a teaching and/or research/artistic stay (exact period of stay must be stated in the document).  Invitation letter must be issued on headed paper of the respective university/research organisation, it must be signed by the person who issued the document, and it must contain position and contact details of the person who issued the document. In case of university teachers/researchers/artists, the invitation letter should not be just a formal admission for a scholarship stay, but it should reflect a certain level of host institution’s interest in applicant’s teaching and/or research/artistic stay in the framework of the NSP. Invitation letter must be issued for the same period as the period stated by the applicant in his/her online application and it cannot be older than 3 months on the day of the application deadline.

Online Application

Scholarship Link