Scholarships for international students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists
The Government of the Slovak Republic approved the establishment of the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic for the support of mobility of students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists in 2005. The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP) is financed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic from the state budget of the Slovak Republic.
The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic supports mobility of international students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists for scholarship stays at higher education institutions and research organisations in Slovakia.
1. Eligible applicants
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 the application deadline have already completed at least 2.5 years of their university studies in the same/similar 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 higher education institution in Slovakia for an academic mobility[1] 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 full semesters (i.e. 4 – 5 or 9 – 10 months) or 1 – 3 full 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 higher education institution or a research institution in Slovakia eligible to carry out a doctoral study programme[2] (e.g. the Slovak Academy of Sciences) for an academic mobility[1] to study/conduct research/artistic stay 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 company[3] and it has its seat in Slovakia.
- Duration of a scholarship stay (university teachers, researchers or artists): 1 – 10 months.
[1] Section 58a of the Act No. 131/2002 on higher education institutions, as amended.
[2] External education institution according to the Act No. 131/2002 on higher education institutions, as amended.
[3] Legal entity according to the section 7 letters a) – d) of the Act No. 172/2005 on organisation of state research and development funding, as amended, which has a valid certificate of eligibility to carry out research and development according to the section 26a article 11 or article 12 of the same Act – i.e. public, private or state universities, research institutions eligible to carry out a doctoral (PhD) study programme (i.e. external education institutions), Slovak Academy of Sciences and its institutes, departmental research institutes or non-governmental organisations carrying out research and development.
Note: If the study/research/artistic stay must last at least 1 month, it is necessary to ensure the length of the stay is for 1 full calendar month (e.g. March 5 – April 4). The same applies for calculating the duration of the stay when assessing the fulfillment of the condition for the minimum length of stay in other cases, if this length is determined in months (e.g. February 5 – June 4 for a 4-month stay).
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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.
Re-applying for the scholarship:
In case of re-applying for a scholarship, the application can only be approved if between the deadline by which the applicant re-submitted the application and the deadline by which the NSP scholarship was last awarded and received, at least 2 years (including) have passed.
Exception to this condition can be only in cases worth of special consideration, especially if the previous stay supported by the scholarship was affected by an extraordinary circumstance caused by force majeure (e.g. pandemic, military conflict, etc.).
The National Scholarship Programme does not support:
- international students and PhD students accepted for full degree higher education (bachelor, master, doctoral studies) in Slovakia, or those already studying in Slovakia (full degree higher education) who would like to fund their studies in Slovakia by the NSP;
- university teachers, researchers and artists without PhD degree (or its equivalent) and at the same time with more than 4 years of work experience as a university teacher/researcher/artist (PhD studies are considered as work experience) on the indicated application deadline; however, the scholarship Programme Administrator may, after consulting the Selection Committee in individual cases worth special consideration (especially considering situations caused by force majeure[4]), accept as eligible applicants also candidates without PhD degree (or its equivalent) and at the same time with more than 4 years of work experience but not more than 7 years of work experience, however such applicants may be awarded a scholarship only in the amount corresponding to applicants without PhD degree (or its equivalent) and with less than 4 years of experience;
- international applicants who within the period of 36 months prior to the application deadline have spent in the territory of the Slovak Republic 15 or more months (in total);
- international applicants who are receiving a scholarship in Slovakia in the framework of other scholarship programmes funded from public resources (e.g. International Visegrad Fund, Erasmus+, CEEPUS, bilateral agreements, etc.).
[4] E.g. the previous stay was affected by the pandemic, terrorist attack, etc..; career breaks due to the applicant’s maternity / parental leave may also be considered.
2. Amount of the scholarship and organisation of the stay
| Category: | Monthly |
| a) university student of the second level of higher education | 620 EUR |
| b) PhD student | 1025,50 EUR |
| c) university teacher/researcher/artist: | |
|
1025,50 EUR |
|
1 370 EUR |
|
1 470 EUR |
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, however, up to a maximum of 6 years.
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 organisations 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.
Scholarship holders whose scholarship stay in Slovakia lasts longer than 90 days and who are citizens of countries outside the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland, who need for their stay in Slovakia a temporary residence permit, are obliged to submit to the foreign police office a confirmation that they do not suffer from any disease threatening public health within 30 days from being awarded the temporary residence. Scholarship holders will be reimbursed the costs related to medical examination and issuing of this confirmation, up to 250 € per scholarship holder, after delivering original of the bill issued by the respective medical institution to SAIA, n. o., in Bratislava. A list of competent medical institutions will be provided to scholarship holders by the respective foreign police offices in Slovakia. Scholarship holders are obliged to deliver the bill to SAIA, n. o., in Bratislava within the deadline for submitting the final report; otherwise, they will lose their right for the reimbursement of the costs.
3. Travel grant
In addition, students and PhD students [eligible applicants under the category A) and B)] can be awarded a travel allowance (travel grant, which is a separate component of the scholarship), if they apply for it along with their scholarship application. Travel allowance is awarded as a lump sum and it will be paid to the scholarship holder at the end of his/her stay together with the last scholarship payment. Travel allowance amount depends on the distance (in a direct line) between applicant’s place of residence (the permanent address; resp. address of home institution) and the place of his/her stay in Slovakia (the address of the host institution)[5]:
- distance up to 200 km – 0 €,
- distance more than 200 km, max. 300 km – 50 €,
- distance more than 300 km, max. 500 km – 100 €,
- distance more than 500 km, max. 1 000 km – 250 €,
- distance more than 1 000 km, max.2 000 km – 350 €,
- distance more than 2 000 km, max.3 000 km – 500 €,
- distance more than 3 000 km, max. 5 000 km – 750 €,
- distance more than 5 000 km, max. 7 000 km – 1 100 €,
- distance more than 7 000 km – 1 500 €.
[5] To calculate the distance, please, use the “Distance Calculator”, provided by the European Commission for Erasmus+: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/tools/distance_en.htm. SAIA, n. o., may use also other ways of calculating the distance in order to set the amount of the travel allowance.
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4. Application deadlines
- 30 April at 16.00 CET [6] – scholarship stays during the next academic year
- 31 October at 16.00 CET[6] – scholarship stays during the summer semester of the current academic year
[6] Central European Time
Note: International applicants who need visa in order to enter the territory of the Slovak Republic are recommended to take into consideration the time necessary for the collection of necessary documents for visa application procedure/temporary residence permit (considering also time for delivery of the documents from SAIA), time for the visa appointment and the issue time of visa, when determining the date of the beginning of their potential scholarship stay (up-to-date information about visa application procedure is provided by the Embassies of the Slovak Republic abroad).
One applicant is allowed to submit only one application per one application call.
5. Submitting the application
Scholarship applications are submitted online at www.scholarships.sk. 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 influence the reaction time of the application system. Please, keep that in mind, in order not to miss the application deadline. In such case, the Programme Administrator does not take any responsibility if the applicant does not submit his/her application.