The Government of the Slovak Republic approved the establishment of the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP) in 2005 with the aim of supporting mobility of students, PhD students, university teachers and researchers. The programme is financed by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic from the state budget.
The programme supports mobility of foreign:
· students,
· PhD students,
· university teachers,
· researchers,
for study, research, teaching or creative residencies at higher education institutions or research organisations in Slovakia.
1. Eligible applicants
A) Students:
· are students enrolled at universities outside Slovakia;
· are studying at the second level of higher education (master’s degree) or have, at the application deadline, already completed at least 2.5 years of university studies in the same/analogous study programme;
· will undertake a placement within academic mobility at a Slovak university (state, private or municipal).
Duration:
· from 1 to 2 full semesters (4–5 or 9–10 months) or
· from 1 to 3 trimesters (3–4, 6–7 or 9–10 months).
B) PhD students:
· are studying or doing scientific training outside Slovakia;
· have been accepted by a Slovak university or research institute entitled to run PhD programmes for academic mobility.
Duration: from 1 to 10 months.
C) Teachers, researchers:
· are invited for a teaching or research residency at a Slovak organisation that holds a certificate authorising it to carry out research activities and is not a business company.
Duration: from 1 to 10 months.
Additional rules:
· Citizens of any country other than Slovakia may apply.
· Re-application is possible only if at least a 2-year interval has passed between the previous support and the new deadline. Exceptions to this rule may be granted in special cases, particularly if the previous scholarship-funded stay was affected by force-majeure circumstances (e.g., pandemic, armed conflict, etc.).
The programme DOES NOT support:
· students / PhD students enrolled in full degree programmes in Slovakia (bachelor, master, PhD);
· teachers and researchers without a PhD and with more than 4 years of work experience (exceptions up to 7 years of experience may be made in cases of force majeure);
· persons who have been in Slovakia for ≥ 15 months in the last 36 months;
· participants of similar publicly funded programmes (Erasmus+, CEEPUS, etc.).
2. Scholarship amounts and accommodation arrangements
· Monthly payments:
· Master’s students: €620
· PhD students: €1,025.50
· Teachers / researchers:
· without PhD and with less than 4 years’ experience: €1,025.50
· with PhD and less than 10 years’ experience: €1,370
· with PhD and more than 10 years’ experience: €1,470
Important notes:
· Work experience is calculated up to the application deadline. PhD training counts as experience, but only up to a maximum of 6 years.
· The scholarship is intended to cover living costs (food, accommodation, etc.).
· Teachers may receive assistance with housing and formalities from the host institution, or may arrange these matters themselves.
· If the stay exceeds 90 days and you are not a citizen of the EU/EEA/Switzerland, you must, within 30 days after obtaining a temporary residence permit, provide a certificate confirming absence of diseases that threaten public health. Reimbursement of up to €250 is possible upon submission of the original medical invoice to SAIA (in Bratislava).
3. Travel grant (for students and PhD students)
The travel grant is paid as a single lump sum after completion of the placement together with the final scholarship payment. The amount depends on the direct distance between the place of residence and the host institution:
· up to 200 km – €0
· 200 – ≤300 km –€50
· 300 – ≤500 km – €100
· 500 – ≤1,000 km – €250
· 1,000 – ≤2,000 km – €350
· 2,000 – ≤3,000 km – €500
· 3,000 – ≤5,000 km – €750
· 5,000 – ≤7,000 km – €1,100
· over 7,000 km – €1,500
Distance is calculated using the EU Distance Calculator or another method applied by SAIA.
4. Application deadlines
· 30 April at 16:00 CET — for the next academic year.
· 31 October at 16:00 CET — for the summer semester of the current year.
If a visa or residence permit is required, plan well in advance taking into account processing times for SAIA and visa procedures. Each applicant may submit only one application per call.
5. Submission of applications
· Applications are submitted exclusively online via the https://www.scholarships.sk/en/main/submit-application. The system opens at least 6 weeks before the deadline. It is recommended not to wait until the last moment because of risk of errors or platform overload.
· Languages: Slovak or English. If documents are in another language (except Czech), the original must be attached together with an official translation into Slovak or English. In exceptional cases (force majeure) a self-made translation may be accepted provisionally, to be followed later by an official translation. Documents issued by third parties (recommendations, invitations, diplomas, etc.) must be uploaded as scans. It is recommended to keep originals or notarized copies — these may be requested later, especially before issuing the Scholarship Agreement.
· Signed documents require: a handwritten signature or an official electronic signature; in exceptional situations (force majeure) unsigned official documents may be accepted provided they are replaced by authentic originals later.
· If a previous NSP scholarship was interrupted due to force majeure, re-application requires full information about the prior stay and circumstances.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS (OVERVIEW):
A) Students:
· CV
· Motivation letter
· Detailed study programme (specify host university, dates, list of courses, ECTS, justification and differences in credits, if any)
· 2 recommendation letters (signed, position, contact, institutional identification) — not older than 3 months
· Confirmation from the home university that you are a student (year of study, standard programme length, expected end date) — not older than 3 months; if unavailable, a declaration may be submitted with an official document to follow
· Bachelor’s diploma + supplement + state exam (if applicable)
· Acceptance / invitation letter from the Slovak host university (with period, signature, institutional identification, not older than 3 months) — must match the data in the online application and be uploaded as a scan; the original must be delivered to SAIA (Bratislava) — physically delivered (not merely dispatched) — within 3 working days after the deadline
· If you previously received NSP support — attach the transcript of records or confirmation of examinations taken during the previous placement.
B) PhD students:
· CV
· Motivation letter
· Detailed programme (host university, start/date plan, timeline)
· Recommendation from the PhD supervisor (signature, contact, institutional identification) — not older than 3 months
· Confirmation of PhD student status (year, programme length, expected completion date) — not older than 3 months; a declaration is permissible temporarily if the official document is not available, to be provided later
· Master’s diploma + supplement + state exam (if applicable)
· List of publications / creative activities or a statement of none
· Acceptance / invitation letter from the Slovak host institution (must reflect genuine institutional interest, not be merely formal; include signature, identification and period; not older than 3 months).
C) Teachers / researchers:
· CV
· Detailed programme (host, dates, timeline)
· Highest diploma
· List of publications
· Acceptance / invitation letter (must reflect institutional interest, include signature and identification; not older than 3 months).
6. Selection procedure
The scholarship (and travel grant) is not a legally binding entitlement. Selection depends on compliance with formal requirements, the quality of the application, the substantive significance of the programme, the benefit to the host institution and the NSP budget.
Applicants are responsible for completeness and truthfulness of information; after submission corrections are not possible — the application is considered in the form in which it was submitted.
SAIA, n. o. performs a formal check up to the deadline and may reject applications for:
· non-compliance with programme conditions;
· failure to meet formal requirements;
· conflicts in information;
· unreliability;
· past breaches of NSP conditions (up to 10 years).
After the formal check, the application is forwarded to the Selection Committee appointed by the Ministry of Education.
Criteria include:
· motivation;
· quality of the placement programme (use of results for career/research);
· personal and professional qualities;
· academic achievements (including previous reviews for re-applicants);
· contribution to the host institution;
· overall quality and coherence of the application.
The Committee ranks applications, may create a reserve list, may impose conditions (e.g. reduced duration), and takes force-majeure into account. Appeals (reclamation) are possible in writing within one month after the result — SAIA will review and respond within one month.
7. Awarding and payment conditions
SAIA notifies all applicants approximately 8 weeks after the deadline. Upon satisfying conditions (original acceptance/invitation, confirmations from home university or PhD status, etc.), SAIA issues a Letter of Award and a binding scholarship offer by post or other means.
Before the first payment the following must be submitted:
· confirmation of study or PhD status issued no earlier than one month before the start of the placement;
· a notarised copy of the diploma;
· written consent to receive the scholarship;
· translations, if documents are not in English/Slovak.
Applications for participation in the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (for students, PhD candidates, university teachers, and researchers) must be submitted by candidates independently through the official website:
https://www.scholarships.sk/en/main/submit-application
