Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic
Slovakia Scholarships for Talented International Students
A Slovak government scheme that pays talented students from anywhere in the world EUR 500 a month to take a full-time degree at a public Slovak university in a smart-specialisation field. About 170 bachelor's and 55 master's scholarships are funded each year; admission to the university is a separate step.
Application round
The 2026/27 call closed on 8 September 2026 at 23:59 CEST (04:59 on 9 September in Thailand) after an extension; the ministry asks applicants to watch the portal for each year's opening date. The 2025/26 call ran from 24 June to 31 July 2025.
Next round
The 2027/28 call hasn't been announced. Recent calls opened in June and closed between late July and early September, so book your SAT for spring 2027 and sort your university application in parallel.
The IELTS requirement
The scholarship itself has no English requirement: it ranks applicants purely on SAT or SCIO scores, and only your CV and motivation letter have to be in English. You still need to be admitted by the university separately, and English-taught programmes set their own entry score, commonly around 6.0 for bachelor's and 6.5 for master's, so check your programme. Winning the scholarship doesn't mean you've been admitted.
Where is your IELTS score now?
Your university sets the IELTS score for this scholarship. Take the free level test to get an estimated band for each skill before you apply.
What it covers
- EUR 500 a month for ten months a year (September to June): up to EUR 15,000 over a three-year bachelor's or EUR 10,000 over a two-year master's
- Tuition isn't part of the award; Slovak-taught programmes at public universities are free, and a waiver for foreign-language programmes is at the university's discretion
- Travel and accommodation aren't covered
Who can apply
- Citizen of any country other than Slovakia (dual Slovak citizens may apply)
- No permanent residence in Slovakia since 1 January 2021
- Bachelor's or combined bachelor's and master's (first three years), or a two-year master's, full-time and in person at a selected public university in an SK RIS3 2021+ field
- Bachelor's applicants must not have studied at a Slovak university before, apart from exchange mobility
- A SAT total score of at least 1100 (taken from 1 January 2021 onwards) or a SCIO average percentile of at least 63; the test score is the only selection criterion
- No upper age limit; applicants under 18 need a guardian's signed approval
Key facts
- Provider
- Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic
- Where you study
- Slovakia
- Study level
- Bachelor's, Master's
- Funding
- Partly funded
- Application round
- Dates for the next round aren't published yet
Already know your score?
Build an IELTS plan for this scholarship
We've preselected 6.0, a typical requirement for this scholarship's courses. Check your own course and press Next to keep it, or choose a different score.
Step 1 of 6
What band do you need?
Your overall IELTS target.
We checked these details against the provider's official page on November 1, 2026. Rules and dates change every round, so confirm them there before you apply.
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- Set by your university
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Four years of tuition, books, fees and residence for about 37 international undergraduates at the University of Toronto. Your school nominates you; admission needs IELTS 6.5.
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UBC International Scholars Program (University of British Columbia)
Need-based awards for international school leavers starting a first degree at UBC, including the Karen McKellin and Wehrung awards. Apply by 15 November; IELTS 6.5 by 31 January.
- IELTS needed
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- Set by your university
- Applications
- Closes Nov 15, 2026
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