StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP) is a government-funded mobility programme, administered by SAIA, the Slovak Academic Information Agency, for the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic. It supports international university students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists who want to spend a study, research, teaching or artistic stay at a university or research organisation in Slovakia — while remaining enrolled at, or affiliated with, an institution outside Slovakia. It does not pay for a complete degree in Slovakia.
The money is a monthly living allowance, not a lump-sum prize: €620 a month for Master’s-level university students, €1,025.50 for PhD students, and €1,025.50 to €1,470 for university teachers, researchers and artists, depending on qualifications and experience. Students and PhD students can also request a travel grant, paid as a lump sum at the end of the stay. There are two application deadlines a year — 30 April for the following academic year and 31 October for the summer semester of the current academic year — and the call open now closes on 31 October 2026 at 16:00 CET.
Eligibility
- An international applicant from any country except Slovakia, subject to the programme’s eligibility rules — including the eligibility wizard and the yearly offer that shows how many places your country has and which fields it supports.
- One of the following categories: university student at the second level of higher education (Master’s); PhD student; university teacher, researcher or artist.
- Enrolled at a university outside Slovakia (or, for teachers/researchers/artists, affiliated with an institution outside Slovakia).
- Holding an acceptance or invitation letter from a Slovak host institution — this document is needed before you can submit the scholarship application, and the original must reach SAIA by the deadline for physical delivery.
- Applicants who have already received an NSP scholarship generally need at least two years to have passed between the relevant application deadlines.
- For university teachers, researchers and artists, professional experience is calculated up to the application deadline; PhD studies may count as professional experience, subject to the programme’s stated maximum of six years.
Benefits
- Monthly living allowance — €620 (Master’s students), €1,025.50 (PhD students), €1,025.50 / €1,370 / €1,470 (university teachers, researchers and artists, by qualification and experience).
- Travel grant for students and PhD students — a lump sum based on the straight-line distance between home and the Slovak host institution, requested with the application and paid at the end of the stay with the final scholarship payment.
- Stays of 1–2 semesters or 1–3 trimesters for students, and 1–10 months for PhD students, teachers, researchers and artists.
- Assistance from the host institution with accommodation and formalities for entering and staying in Slovakia (or you may handle them independently).
- Access to Slovak universities and research institutions, laboratories and academic networks for the duration of the stay.
Documents to prepare
- Acceptance or invitation letter from the Slovak host institution — the original signed letter must be delivered to SAIA (the scan goes in the online application).
- CV and motivation letter.
- Detailed study or research programme for the stay.
- Two letters of recommendation.
- Academic transcripts and diplomas, and proof of enrolment at your home university.
- List of publications or artistic activities (for artists and researchers, as applicable).
- Documents must be attached in Slovak or English in the prescribed form; the exact list depends on your applicant category, so check the programme terms for your category before submitting.
How to apply
- Run the official eligibility wizard first (vladnestipendia.sk/en/wizard) — if your country is not listed, you cannot apply; then check the yearly offer for your country’s places and fields.
- Identify a suitable host institution in Slovakia, agree a feasible programme with them, and request the acceptance or invitation letter early — the original must reach SAIA within days of the deadline.
- Register on the official application system at www.scholarships.sk (opened at least 6 weeks before the deadline) and complete the online form.
- Upload all required attachments in Slovak or English, in the prescribed form.
- Submit the application before 31 October 2026, 16:00 CET — saving a draft is not enough; click SEND. Only one application per applicant per call.
- Ensure the original acceptance/invitation letter reaches SAIA (SAIA, n. o., Sasinkova 10, 812 20 Bratislava, Slovakia) by 12:00 noon on the third Slovak working day after the deadline. SAIA usually informs applicants within 8 weeks of the deadline.
FAQs
31 October 2026 at 16:00 CET, for stays during the summer semester of the academic year 2026/2027. The original acceptance/invitation letter must reach SAIA by 12:00 noon on the third Slovak working day after the deadline. The next call is 30 April 2027 at 16:00 CET, for stays during the academic year 2027/2028.
€620 a month for Master’s-level university students, €1,025.50 for PhD students, and €1,025.50, €1,370 or €1,470 for university teachers, researchers and artists, depending on qualifications and experience. Students and PhD students can also request a distance-based travel grant.
No. It is a mobility programme: you spend an approved study, research, teaching or artistic stay at a Slovak host institution while remaining enrolled at, or affiliated with, an institution outside Slovakia. It does not pay for a complete degree.
International university students (Master’s level), PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists from all countries except Slovakia, subject to the programme’s eligibility rules. You must be enrolled at a university outside Slovakia and hold an acceptance or invitation letter from a Slovak host institution.
Yes. You need an acceptance or invitation letter from a Slovak host institution to submit the application, and the original signed letter must reach SAIA in Bratislava by 12:00 noon on the third working day after the deadline.
University students: 1–2 full semesters (4–5 or 9–10 months) or 1–3 full trimesters (3–4, 6–7 or 9–10 months). PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists: 1–10 months. For this call, students start between 1 February and 1 April 2027 and finish by 31 August 2027; other categories start between 1 February and 31 August 2027 and finish by 30 November 2027.
It is a lump sum based on the straight-line distance between your place of residence (or home institution) and the Slovak host institution, requested with the application and paid at the end of the stay with the final scholarship payment. Guides differ on the maximum — some state up to €1,000, others up to €1,500 — so this article does not state a hard maximum; check the current programme terms on scholarships.sk.
SAIA, the Slovak Academic Information Agency, for the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic. Applications go through the official portal at scholarships.sk.
Verified 28 Oct 2026 against the official National Scholarship Programme terms (scholarships.sk — programme terms and conditions, including the monthly rates table) and corroborated by swissuniversities.ch, AfterSchoolAfrica, Opportunities for Youth, DAADScholarship and Scholarships365: monthly rates — university student (second level) 620 EUR; PhD student 1025,50 EUR; university teacher/researcher/artist without PhD and less than 4 years' experience 1025,50 EUR; with PhD and less than 10 years' experience 1 370 EUR; with PhD and more than 10 years' experience 1 470 EUR; deadlines 30.04.2026 16:00 CET (academic year 2026/2027) and 31.10.2026 16:00 CET (summer semester 2026/2027); online application at www.scholarships.sk, opened at least 6 weeks before the deadline; original admission/invitation letter to SAIA, n. o., Sasinkova 10, 812 20 Bratislava, by 12:00 on the 3rd working day after the deadline; student stays 1-2 semesters (4-5 or 9-10 months) or 1-3 trimesters (3-4, 6-7, 9-10 months); PhD/teachers/researchers/artists 1-10 months; this call's windows — students start 1 February-1 April 2027, finish by 31 August 2027; PhD/teachers/researchers/artists start 1 February-31 August 2027, finish by 30 November 2027; travel allowance for students and PhD students, lump sum by distance, paid at the end of the stay; SAIA usually informs applicants within 8 weeks; previous recipients generally need a two-year gap between relevant deadlines. CONFLICTS: (1) EngineersJob lists EUR 650/month for Master's students — OUTDATED; the official current rate is EUR 620. (2) The travel-grant maximum differs across guides (EUR 1,000 per StudyHunt vs EUR 1,500 per Scholarships365/AfterSchoolAfrica, with distance bands quoted differently) — the article states the grant exists and is distance-based, and does not state a hard maximum. (3) One guide's "EUR 250 medical confirmation reimbursement" for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals staying over 90 days appears in a single source only and is NOT stated in the article. (4) The queue's "Fully Funded" label is softened: the NSP is a living-cost mobility allowance, not full-degree funding. The eligibility wizard and yearly country offer (vladnestipendia.sk) are per the Scholarship Union guide.
