NSP — Open Worldwide, Short Mobility Only
The NSP at scholarships.sk is the most accessible Slovak scholarship for international students. Any citizen of any country except Slovakia can apply, provided they meet the programme category criteria. The NSP does not fund full degree programmes — it funds stays of one semester (students) or one to ten months (researchers and teachers).
- Enrolled in a Master's programme at a foreign university
- Completed at least 2.5 years of university studies outside Slovakia
- Stay duration: 1 semester (exceptional cases: 2 semesters)
- Bachelor's students are NOT eligible
- Enrolled in a PhD programme outside Slovakia
- Conducting research that requires time at a Slovak institution
- Stay duration: 1 to 10 months
- Post-doctoral researchers also eligible
- Employed at a foreign university or research institution
- Stay duration: 1 to 10 months
- Artists from universities of arts also eligible
- Spent more than 12 months in Slovakia in the prior 36 months
- Currently receiving Erasmus+, Visegrad, CEEPUS, or another Slovak public scholarship
- Slovak citizen or permanent resident
- Bachelor's-level student (not yet in Master's)
ODA Programme — 32 Countries, Full Degrees in Slovak
The ODA Government Scholarship covers full Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD degrees at Slovak public universities. Eligibility is strict: you must be a citizen of one of the 32 ODA-eligible countries, you must fall within the age limits, and your desired field of study must have slots allocated to your country in the current cycle.
This last point — field allocation — is the one most applicants miss. The Ministry of Education publishes a spreadsheet each year showing exactly how many places each country has in each field. A student from Ethiopia may be eligible for the programme generally but have zero slots available in their chosen field that year. You must check the official allocation table before investing time in an application.
Age Requirements (measured on September 1 of intake year)
These limits are strictly enforced. No exceptions are made. If you turn 27 before September 1 of the year you would begin your studies, you are ineligible for a Bachelor's or Master's programme under this grant.
ODA Eligible Countries (32 total — 2025/2026 cycle)
This list may change annually. Verify with the official eligibility wizard before applying.
Talented Students — SAT Required, STEM Focus
The Scholarships for Talented International Students programme is open to applicants from all countries worldwide and funds full Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Slovak public universities. The fields supported are limited to those aligned with Slovakia's Smart Specialisation Strategy — primarily engineering, natural sciences, IT, agriculture, and selected social sciences.
A minimum SAT score of 1100 is mandatory and cannot be substituted. The test must have been taken on or after January 1, 2021. Applicants who do not have an SAT score or scored below 1100 are ineligible regardless of their academic record. This requirement is stated in the official programme terms but is frequently overlooked by applicants who discover it only after spending time preparing documents.
Bilateral Grants — Nominated by Your Government
Slovakia maintains bilateral scholarship agreements with more than 22 countries including Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and others. These scholarships are administered through the academic exchange authority of your home country, not through a Slovak portal.
You cannot apply to bilateral scholarships directly. You must be nominated by your home country's Ministry of Education or equivalent authority. If you believe your country has a bilateral agreement with Slovakia, contact your national academic exchange organisation for nomination procedures and deadlines — the Slovak government's deadline for bilateral nominations is typically April 1 each year.