Applying for Slovak Government Scholarships

Applying to the National Scholarship Programme (NSP)

Seven steps, in order. The first one takes the longest, so start there.

1. 1
   Contact a Slovak university well before the deadline

   The NSP requires a formal acceptance or invitation letter from a Slovak host institution. This is not optional and cannot be substituted. You need this letter before you start the online application, and obtaining it takes time.

   Students should contact the International Relations Office of the target university or the faculty’s vice-dean for international relations, as SAIA advises. PhD students, researchers and artists usually contact the department or researcher who will host them; their letter must show real interest in your stay, not just a formal acceptance. Be clear in your message: introduce yourself, describe your study or research plans, state the exact period you want to visit, and ask specifically for an NSP acceptance letter. Allow several weeks for a response.

2. 2
   Verify your eligibility at scholarships.sk

   Read the programme terms and conditions for foreign applicants on the official portal. Confirm your category (master's student, PhD, researcher), your dates of stay, and that your current scholarship situation does not conflict with the programme rules. If you are on Erasmus+ or any other publicly funded scheme, your NSP stay cannot overlap with it.

3. 3
   Create an account and complete the online application form

   Register at scholarships.sk. The online form opens at least 6 weeks before each deadline. If you do not receive an account activation email, check your spam folder and then contact the NSP administrator for your category: nsp-foreign2@saia.sk (students), nsp-sk@saia.sk (PhD students) or nsp-foreign@saia.sk (teachers, researchers and artists). Complete all fields carefully. Facts that conflict between your form and your documents are grounds for rejection.

4. 4
   Write your motivation letter and programme of stay

   The NSP has no interview. The Selection Committee's decision is based entirely on what you submit on paper. Your motivation letter and programme of stay (for students) or research proposal (for PhD applicants) are the most important documents in your application.

   A strong NSP application explains specifically why Slovakia — and this specific host institution — is necessary for your goals, what you plan to achieve during your stay, and how your work connects to the research or teaching activities of the host. Generic letters that could apply to any country or institution perform poorly.

   SAIA accepts only a handwritten signature or an officially verifiable electronic signature — never a typed name. To be safe, print your documents, sign them, scan them and upload the scanned PDF.

5. 5
   Upload all required attachments

   Every mandatory attachment must be present: the form cannot be sent without them, and SAIA is not obliged to let you fix an incomplete or faulty application later. The only remedy is a written claim within 1 month of the results if you think SAIA made a mistake. See the full documents list for your category.

6. 6
   Click SEND well before 16:00 CET on deadline day

   Your application counts as submitted only when you click SEND, and the button works only once every field is filled in and every attachment is uploaded. SAIA warns that the system can slow down in the last minutes before the deadline, and it takes no responsibility if you miss it. Submit a day or two early. You may send only one application per call.

7. 7
   Send the original acceptance letter to SAIA by courier or post

   The original acceptance letter from your host university must physically reach SAIA's office in Bratislava by 12:00 noon on the third working day after the deadline (30 April for Round 1, 31 October for Round 2). An uploaded scan in the portal is required too, but it does not replace the physical original. Your host institution may send the original for you; if it fails to, the result is the same as if you had not sent it.

   Postal address: SAIA, n.o., Sasinkova 10, 812 20 Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Use trackable courier or registered post and keep your proof of shipment. Delivery that arrives after the 3-day window invalidates your application even if the online form was perfect.

NSP application deadlines

1. 1
   31 October 2026, 16:00 CET — open now

   Round 2: summer semester 2026/2027

   For stays in the summer semester (students start between 1 February and 1 April 2027). The original acceptance letter must reach SAIA by 12:00 noon on the third working day after the deadline. SAIA usually informs applicants within 8 weeks of the deadline.

2. 2
   30 April 2027, 16:00 CET — next

   Round 1: academic year 2027/2028

   For stays during the following academic year. The 2026 round (30 April 2026) has closed; 30 April 2027 follows the official recurring scholarships.sk rule.

1. 1
   Use the eligibility wizard first

   Before spending any time on the application, run the official wizard at vladnestipendia.sk/en/wizard. Select your country: if it is not listed, you cannot apply. Then check the yearly offer on the Documents page, which shows how many places your country has and which fields it supports. If your country has no places at your level, or your field is not listed, do not apply.

2. 2
   Wait for the application window to open

   The “New Application” button at vladnestipendia.sk only appears during the official application window. For 2026/2027 it opened on 23 March 2026 and closed on 25 May 2026. The 2027/2028 dates are not yet published — the portal lets you leave your email to be notified. Outside the window the button does not exist; this is not a website error.

3. 3
   Register and complete the online form

   Register at the portal and fill out all sections: personal information, academic history, field of study, university preferences and personal statements. Make sure your personal information matches exactly what appears on your passport and academic certificates. The selection criteria also require a nomination from your home Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Education, the Slovak embassy, or a compatriot organisation, so ask about it early.

4. 4
   Upload all required documents

   The ODA programme has strict requirements on document format, translation and signature. Certificates in languages other than Slovak, Czech, English, French or Spanish need a certified translation. Your CV and motivation letter must be physically signed by hand — print, sign, scan, upload. If you are still finishing school or university, the final certificate can be attached until 31 August. See the full documents checklist.

5. 5
   Print and sign the Confirmation page

   After completing the online form, download the PDF of your application. Print it, sign the last part (named “Confirmation”) by hand, scan it and upload the signed scan. It is easy to overlook because it comes after the form looks finished. Without it, your application is not complete.

6. 6
   Watch for results by 15 July

   The Ministry notifies applicants by email no later than 15 July. Only selected applicants then send the original signed application and documents to the Ministry on paper. Non-Slovak speakers start the 10-month language course in September; after it, you must still pass the university’s own admission procedure.

After you are selected

NSP recipients: SAIA notifies you of the result by email and through your portal account. If accepted, you receive formal confirmation of the award with exact start and end dates. You then arrange your visa. SAIA says non-EU NSP holders with a stay of at least 3 months can usually get a national (Type D) visa for the whole stay instead of a temporary residence permit. Name your actual host institution on the visa form, not SAIA. Allow plenty of time and gather documents early.

ODA recipients: the Ministry of Education provides a formal award letter, which you take to the Slovak Embassy or Consulate in your home country to apply for a student visa. Your host university sends you enrolment documents. After you arrive, report your stay to the Foreign Police within the legal deadline — check the current rules for your situation at minv.sk or with your host university.

Both programmes: holders from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who stay longer than 1 month qualify for free public health insurance, but you must join a Slovak health insurer yourself. SAIA recommends commercial insurance for the visa period, then joining the public system on arrival.

Application procedures change between cycles — always verify current steps at scholarships.sk and vladnestipendia.sk.