Academic year
Academic year starts on September 1 of the current year and ends on August 31 of the following year. It is composed of 2 semesters (winter semester lasts from September to January and summer semester lasts from February to June). The organization of academic year is set by the statute of the faculty or statute of the higher education institution.
Tuition fees for study programs offered in foreign languages are set by each university/faculty separately. Fees vary from 30 € to 12,000 € per one academic year. Updated information on fees can be obtained from here
However, students studying full‑time in Slovakia without exceeding the standard length of study do not pay tuition fees, if they study a program offered in Slovak language. Tuition fees and study‑related fees for students studying under international agreements shall comply with the provisions of these agreements. The provisions are not applicable to international students with permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic.
Degrees awarded in Slovakia
Higher education institutions award following academic
degrees:
1st level (comprising app. 180 credits)
“bakalár“ (abbr. “Bc.”).
2nd level (comprising app. 120 credits)
“magister” (abbr. “Mgr.”), in the field of art
“magister umenia” (abbr. “Mgr. art.”)
“inžinier” (abbr. “Ing.”) in technical, agricultural and
economic fields of Engineer’s programmes, and in the
field of architecture and town‑planning the academic
degree of “inžinier architekt” (abbr. “Ing. arch.”)
“doktor medicíny” (abbr. “MUDr.”) in the field of
human medicine
“doktor stomatológie” (abbr. “MDDr.”) — dentists
“doktor veterinárskej medicíny” (abbr. “MVDr.”)
in the field of veterinary medicine.
3rd level
“philosophiae doctor” (abbr. “PhD.”)
“artis doctor “(abbr. “ArtD.”) in the field of art.
Slovakia & European teaching system
The teaching process includes various forms of instruction such as lectures, seminars, exercises, laboratory work, projects, practical training, consultations, etc. The credit system following the rules of the European Credit Transfer System was introduced in 2002 for all levels and forms of higher education study. The student‘s standard load is expressed by the number of credits: 60 credits per academic year and 30 credits per semester. The institution of higher education determines the total number of credits required for the due completion of the study in its respective stages.
The grading is on a scale of A‑FX:
A — excellent = 1
B — very good (above‑average achievements) = 1.5
C — good (average achievements) = 2
D — laudable (acceptable achievements) = 2.5
E — satisfactory (achievements fulfil only the minimum
criteria) = 3
FX — unsatisfactory — fail (achievements do not fulfil even
the minimum criteria) = 4