Slovakia National Scholarship Program (NSP) 2027 Application Method Detailed

You may not need to leave your current degree behind to study or research in Europe. Slovakia’s National Scholarship Programme (NSP) 2027 intake is open for temporary stays in 2027, offering monthly living support to eligible international students, PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists.

The important catch? This scholarship supports academic mobility: a temporary stay at a Slovak host institution. It does not finance a complete bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree in Slovakia. You also need your host’s acceptance before submitting the scholarship application.

So start with your academic purpose, rather than the application form. This guide helps you check your category, understand the funding and arrange the documents in the right order.

01 Which applicant category fits you?

You must qualify as a university student, PhD student, or university teacher/researcher/artist. Being an international applicant alone is insufficient.

• Category A — university students: You study outside Slovakia and are a master’s student, or have completed at least 2.5 years of university study in the same or a similar programme by the deadline. Your Slovak study stay must take place during your higher education outside Slovakia.
• Category B — PhD students: Your doctoral education or scientific training takes place outside Slovakia. Your host must be a Slovak university or research institution eligible to provide doctoral study programmes. General stay duration: 1–10 months.
• Category C — university teachers, researchers and artists: You need an invitation from an eligible Slovak institution certified to conduct research and development, which is not a business company. General stay duration: 1–10 months.

Check the exclusions before requesting letters. NSP does not support full-degree studies in Slovakia, applicants who spent 15 or more months in Slovakia during the preceding 36 months, or overlapping stays funded through another public scholarship programme.

Category C applicants without a PhD and with more than four years of relevant experience are normally excluded; limited special-consideration exceptions can extend eligibility to seven years. Previous NSP recipients normally need a two-year gap between the relevant application deadlines.

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02 What does the scholarship actually pay?

NSP provides a monthly allowance intended for living expenses, including food and accommodation. Your category determines the amount.

Students and PhD students can request a travel grant of up to €1,500, depending on straight-line distance. It must be requested with the scholarship application and is paid at the end of the stay with the final scholarship payment. You therefore need a way to cover the outward journey initially.

Accommodation comes from your living allowance; the terms do not promise a separate free room or universal tuition waiver. Ask the host about any charges and budget for insurance and arrival costs before accepting.

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03 Your host letter is the first real hurdle

Secure acceptance for an NSP mobility stay before you try to submit. A full-degree admission offer or an acceptance under another scholarship programme does not serve the same purpose.

For a study stay, approach the university’s international relations office or relevant faculty. For research or teaching, identify a department whose work matches your proposal. Send a concise explanation, your CV and a draft programme: what you want to do, why that institution and what you could produce.

For example, “I want international research experience” gives a host little to assess. A stronger, truthful proposal identifies a method, facility or specialist, explains its relevance to your current work and suggests a realistic output. This is preparation advice, not a prescribed project topic.

Your invitation should match your application’s exact stay period. For research and teaching applicants, genuine host interest also strengthens the case. SAIA’s guidance says there is no interview, so make your documents explain the purpose and benefit clearly.

Need help shaping the explanation? Use this motivation-letter writing guide for structure, then tailor it to NSP and your host.

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04 How do you apply without missing a stage?

Arrange your host, prepare your category’s documents, submit online and ensure the original invitation reaches SAIA. Follow this order:

1. Confirm your route. Read the official international-applicant terms, including exclusions and document rules.
2. Agree the stay with your host. Use the official applicant guidance to prepare the invitation and programme. Agree courses and credits for study mobility, or activities and a timetable for research/teaching.
3. Prepare the correct document bundle. All categories need a CV, detailed stay programme, host letter and relevant degree documents. Category A also requires a motivation letter, two university-teacher recommendations and current enrolment confirmation. Category B requires a motivation letter, dissertation-supervisor recommendation, PhD enrolment confirmation, master’s documents and the prescribed publications/artistic-activities list, or a statement of no publications. Category C requires highest-degree evidence and the prescribed publications/artistic-activities list.
4. Check freshness and language. Invitations, required recommendations and enrolment confirmations must be no older than three months at the deadline. Submit in Slovak or English, with required translations for other-language documents; Czech documents have a translation exception. Keep original documents.
5. Choose the matching online form. The official submission page separates student, PhD and teacher/researcher/artist applications. Upload your documents, request travel support if eligible, and click SEND. Saving a draft is insufficient.
6. Arrange original-letter delivery. Send it to SAIA, n. o., Sasinkova 10, 812 20 Bratislava, Slovakia, or arrange direct delivery by your host. Obtain the scan for your online application and verify delivery separately. Posting the letter does not establish receipt.

If selected, follow SAIA’s award instructions and arrange any necessary entry or residence formalities. Choose a start date that gives you enough time for these steps.

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05 Application deadline and your 2027 stay dates

The last date to apply for the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic, administered by SAIA, is 31 October 2026 at 16:00 CET. This call supports stays during the summer semester of academic year 2026/2027.

The original acceptance/invitation letter must reach SAIA by 12 noon on the third Slovak working day after the application deadline. Coordinate delivery with your host early.

• University students: Start between 1 February and 1 April 2027 and finish by 31 August 2027. The programme generally supports full semesters or trimesters; your proposed duration must also fit this call’s window.
• PhD students, university teachers, researchers and artists: Start between 1 February and 31 August 2027 and finish by 30 November 2027. Choose an eligible 1–10-month stay that fits both limits.

Your next moves are concrete: identify a suitable host, agree a feasible programme and request the invitation alongside your recommendations. Then check that the dates match across every document before submitting.

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